In 1998, Lilly Friedland and I conducted an APA Media Psychology Division 46 task force study that has been central in establishing and expanding the scope, challenge and opportunity in media psychology. More than twenty-five years, i.e., a quarter century, has now passed and the media psychology agenda has advanced. As our culture has become increasingly human centered and screen deep, media psychology has grown in importance in computer science, information studies, engineering, all forms of communications technology, psychology, and all fields where human communication is essential. Marshall McLuhan is famously quoted as saying, “the medium is the massage.” The message remains the message. Media psychology professionals are increasingly challenged to study, analyze, report and apply results. Professionals in media psychology include research scholars and scholar-practitioners.

Propelled by social and cultural changes, the American Psychological Association’s Society for Media Psychology and Technology has become a world leader in examining and reporting on the implications of media, society and social change. Media Psychology has developed into a specialty that advances knowledge in how and why people respond to applications programming, machines or software. Now, through technology, artificial intelligence applies human type computational reasoning, problem solving methods that assist in decision making, facilitate learning, and emulate or manipulate perception. Today, through the use of FMRI and other advancing methods, media psychology studies human neural and technology networks such as those powering Artificial Intelligence.

Since the 2019 Covid pandemic, interest in AI has become increasingly important on our APA Division 46 agenda. To my knowledge, there is no present established unifying theory that has guided AI research. However, advancing and refining methods in machine learning in the twenty-first century are common when examining behavior through interpreting neural network responses using behavior theory. We are now seeing human emotion projected through emulations in streaming services such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook/Meta, etc. Many of these presentations challenge one’s perception regarding whether the human representation is real or artificial. Pandora’s box has opened, revealing both progress and techlash.

Artificial intelligence is at center stage in commerce, public policy and public affairs, health care, entertainment, education, manufacturing and in every facet of social media. Media Psychology shares the spotlight in each area identified. Information studies, machine learning and robotics are high on the APA Division 46 agenda. Whether it is in teletherapy, medical and health care, social communication, education, including online or hybrid learning, and clinical practice, AI applications and research needs and opportunities abound.

Because of growth, there is an increasing need for courses, certificates and degree programs in media psychology throughout colleges and universities. Whether it is public safety, engineering, sociology, economics, art, business, law or medical education and health care, media psychology is now important. Present university media psychology program examples include Stanford University, where media psychology is located in the School of Communications, New York University, where Media Psychology is in the School of Education, or Fielding Graduate University, where media psychology is in the School of Psychology. As another example, I have recently done invited keynotes and general sessions at DETCHE.com (Drivers of Educational Technology, California Higher Education), and CISOA.org, (Chief Information Systems Officers Association) in California.

Currently there are probing questions about how close AI can come in replicating human intelligence and creativity. There is a great deal yet to discover. Presently, the inability to replicate emotions is not possible with AI, but the question remains. In addition, because of international conflicts, there is increasing weaponization of AI in military and warfare contexts. With drones and other robotics, the militarization of AI has dramatic, untested and challenging implications for global security and warfare. One growing concern, as an example, is regulation often occurs only in the aftermath of incidents that were previously unregulated. The future of AI in global conflict is cloudy, at best.

My purposes with this article in the Amplifier are to identify and acknowledge the significance of artificial intelligence for the record and to urge colleagues to be alert to its positives and negatives. AI research results is rapidly accumulating. Following the admonitions of such noted psychologists as Fritz Perls, father of Gestalt Therapy, who famously said, “let go of your mind and come to your senses.” Emulating the senses is part of the ultimate aim of robotics and artificial intelligence. Whether this can be achieved or not is an open question?

In summary, artificial intelligence has brought increased attention to psychology and digital technology. We are grasping new frontiers in understanding, especially due to neuroimaging of the brain and technology breakthroughs resulting from advancing quantum physics. Educating talented leaders is a key driver in any field. Thus, the growing need and opportunity for new college and university programs, energetic leadership, and in important professional societies and associations. Amplifier leads the way as a megaphone for media psychology. The Amplifier is central as a strategic voice in Media Psychology.

References:

Cytowic, R.E. (2018) Synesthesia, Cambridge, MA, MIT Press

Luskin, B.J., Friedland, L. (1998). Division 46 Taskforce Study of New Career Opportunities in the Emerging Field of Media Psychology. Los Angeles: American Psychological Association.

McLuhan, M., Fiore, Q., & Anel, J. (1967). The Medium is the Massage. New York: Bantam Books.

Perls, F., Gestalt Therapy, Excitement and Growth in the Human Personality, (1951) The Gestalt Journal Press.