Introduction to Positive Media Psychology

Arthur A. Raney is James E. Kirk Professor of Communication in the School of Communication at Florida State University, USA.Sophie H. Janicke-Bowles is Assistant Professor in the School of Communication at Chapman University, USA.Mary Beth Oliver is Distinguished Professor and co-director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University, USA. Katherine R. Dale is Assistant Professor in the School of Communication at Florida State University, USA.

"Introduction to Positive Media Psychology made me want to go to college again. To learn about all the ways in which media can be used for good, to inspire and connect us as humans, is what I greatly missed back then. This textbook lays out a positive, hope-inspiring media landscape that is firmly grounded in scientific research. It squares the circle of presenting the state of the art of an exciting new research field in plain language with instructive examples. For students and scholars alike, it will serve as the leading authoritative source on the topic." —Anne Bartsch, University of Leipzig, Germany"Probably no other perspective has stimulated media effects and media entertainment research as strongly over the past decade as the advent of positive media psychology. The present textbook provides a dearly needed integration of this fast-developing field. The authors are among the leading scholars who have crucially defined this research area and possess a unique expertise. The volume provides an excellent introduction to media psychology both to advanced undergraduate and graduate students and a well-structured overview to more senior scholars. I am confident that it will leave a lasting footprint and provide fertile ground for future scholarship in this field." —Leonard Reinecke, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany

• 1. What Is Positive Media Psychology? 2. Key Theories and Concepts from Media Psychology 3. Key Theories and Concepts from Positive Psychology 4. Hedonic Entertainment 5. Meaningful Entertainment 6. Transcendent Entertainment 7. Social Media 8. Digital Games and Virtual Reality 9. Positive News and Nonfiction 10. Narrative Persuasion 11. Educational and Prosocial Media for Children 12. Individual and Cultural Differences 13. Living Well with Media in the Digital Age