The Psychology of Media and Politics - Softcover

Comstock, George

9780123992062: The Psychology of Media and Politics

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0123992060 ISBN 13: 9780123992062

Publisher: Academic Press, 2011

Research indicates that people discount their own opinions and experiences in favor of those of "experts" as espoused in the media. The framing of news coverage thus has a profound impact on public opinion, and political decision making as a response to public outcry. However, the choice of how to frame the news is typically made to solicit viewership and high ratings rather than to convey accurate and meaningful information. This book discusses why people discount their own opinions, how the media shapes the news, when this drives political decision making, and what the effect is on the future of society. Issues addressed include: * How powerful are the media in shaping political beliefs/judgment? * How has this power changed in recent years? * How does media influence voting behavior? * To what extent do media opinions affect political decision making?

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Book Description:

This book is about how individuals make political decisions and form impressions of politicians and policies, with a strong emphasis on the role of the mass media in those processes.

From the Back Cover:

The media have a central role in modern politics. They provide the knowledge that individuals gather and consider about candidates and their platforms, the basis on which impressions of candidates are formed and emotional responses to contemporary issues are inspired, as well as a forum in which these ideas are gleaned from and discussed with others. Through their provision of poll information, their airing of political advertisements and political debates, and their coverage of political actors, campaigns, and issues, the media function as a key player in the political arena. Taking a perspective from the field of communication, a field that places the media at the center of the analysis and necessarily draws from a number of disciplines including psychology, political science, and sociology in doing so, The Psychology of Media and Politics assesses the ways in which individuals arrive at political impressions, knowledge, and decisions. The conclusions drawn in the book from a close analysis of decades of social science research put recent political phenomena into perspective and have crucial implications for media and politics in the 21st Century.

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