As I write this final message in my last issue of The Amplifier as President of Division 46—the Society for Media Psychology and Technology—I am struck by just how much this community has shaped me, challenged me, supported me, and invited me to grow. Leadership is never a solo undertaking, but in this Division it is especially communal. We lead together. We work together. We imagine together. And we continue building a future for psychology shaped by the evolving influence of media and technology—together.

Before anything else, I want to begin with gratitude. If the heart of our Division is our collective expertise, then its lifeblood is the Board and the army of volunteers who commit their time, talent, intellect, and care to keep this Division vibrant. They have not only served Division 46—they have guided, challenged, mentored, and taught me throughout this entire journey.

Thank you to the board that has served with me:

• Grant Rich, PhD, Past President
• Lawrence Drake, PhD, President-Elect
• Jennifer Gentile, PhD, Secretary
• Violet Cheung, PhD, Treasurer
• Joanne Broder, PhD, Council Representative
• Frank Farley, PhD, Member-at-Large
• Don Grant, PhD, Member-at-Large
• Allycin Powell-Hicks, PhD, Member-at-Large
• Susan J. Eddington, PhD, Member-at-Large
• Kathryn Stamoulis, PhD, Member-at-Large
• Christopher Heffner, PhD, Member-at-Large

These individuals represent the structural backbone of the Division, but their commitment exceeds any single role or title. They have counseled me, helped me navigate complexity, and reminded me—often without even knowing it—that leadership is a relationship, one built through trust, shared purpose, and collective responsibility.

Thank you to these volunteers who have gone above and beyond:

• Perry Reed, PhD
• Lacey Farrow, PhD
• Mona Sinha
• Alexandria Ortiz, MA
• Jennifer Van Gorp, MBA
• Amy Faith Pezoldt, PhD-Student

These volunteers—some serving formally, others stepping in whenever a need emerged—are the quiet heroes of our Division. They are the reason our programming is strong, our events are engaging, and our community continues to grow. They have invested deeply in the present and future of this Division, and I am profoundly grateful to each of them.

A Year Defined by Momentum: What We Accomplished Together

One of the most rewarding aspects of this past year is that we can look back and point to tangible, meaningful evidence of our collective effort. This was a year not only of high engagement but of renewal—of energy, of vision, and of systems that will serve this Division long after my term.

A Convention Program to Remember

Our most recent APA Convention was one of the strongest in recent memory—both in programming and in attendance. We drew scholars, practitioners, researchers, technologists, clinicians, and industry professionals together into a shared space that reflected the full spectrum of media psychology today.

The quality of submissions, the energy in sessions, and the engagement throughout were a testament to the incredible work of the committees and volunteers who helped shape the program. And our Division’s Social Hour? It was one of the most spirited. It reminded me that our field thrives not only on scholarship but on connection—and we cultivated that in abundance.

Monthly Webinars That Kept Us Learning, Sharing, and Growing

This year we achieved something many Divisions aim for but few sustain: nearly a full year of monthly webinars. And more importantly, we already have programming planned well into the next year.

These webinars showcased our members’ expertise, expanded our reach, and created space for ongoing learning between Conventions. As technology continues to change at a rapid pace and media psychology becomes ever more central to understanding culture and behavior, this kind of ongoing professional development is not a luxury—it’s essential. And our Division delivered.

A Revitalized Student Committee and the Promise of the Next Generation

I am especially proud of the momentum building within our student committee. This year, we not only revitalized the committee structurally—we witnessed the first sparks of what I believe will become one of the most transformative engines of our Division.

Students are not the future of this Division—they are its present. Their energy, their questions, their research, their ambitions, and their lived understanding of emerging media ecosystems will shape the field for decades. What we have built this year is only the beginning, and I cannot wait to see the impact they will have.

Branding and Identity Work That Supports the Division’s Next Era

One of the more behind-the-scenes but crucial projects this year involved the revitalization of our Division’s branding and visual identity. We updated our look and feel, aligning our outward presence with the dynamism and relevance of our Division’s work.

Parallel to this, we began rejuvenating The Amplifier and modernizing our web presence. While this work is still underway at the time of this writing, its promise is clear: a Division 46 identity that communicates who we are, what we stand for, and why our field matters more than ever. This work ensures that our Division’s story is not only told—but understood.

Honoring and Building on the Work of Previous Boards

We also built on initiatives seeded by past leadership, including the continuation and reinforcement of free student memberships. This program not only lowers barriers to participation—it sends a message: you belong here, your presence matters, and we want you at the table.

That continuity between boards speaks to the spirit of stewardship that defines this Division. Our progress this year rests on the foundations laid years before us, and I want to honor that lineage.

A Re-Energized Marketing and Communications Effort

Finally, I want to highlight the revitalized marketing and communications work that has breathed new life into our social channels, member outreach, and online visibility. We saw campaigns regain momentum, channels reactivated, and a sense of narrative coherence emerging about who we are and how we serve the field.

There is more to do, and more runway ahead—but this year we built the systems, the structure, and the creative energy required to take our communication efforts to the next level.

On Stewardship, Identity, and the Legacy We Build Together

Stepping into this role, I carried a sense of both humility and responsibility. As someone who does not fit the traditional mold of Division 46 leadership—I am not a clinician, not in academia, not a practitioner in the conventional sense—I entered this position with deep respect for the Division and the question: How can I best serve it?

In that sense, I often thought about Downton Abbey—specifically the idea that Matthew Crawley (played by Dan Stevens) saw his responsibility not as an owner, but a steward. He was entrusted with something that existed before him, will outlast him, and must be preserved, strengthened, and passed on to the next generation.

That framing guided my entire term.

My work as President was rooted in the belief that leadership is service. That our role is not to imprint ourselves onto the Division but to shape the structures, processes, and relationships that enable others to thrive. Sometimes that work is unglamorous—it’s the blocking and tackling, the administrative scaffolding, the systems that allow creativity, science, and collaboration to flourish.

But those foundational efforts are essential. They ensure that the Division not only functions but thrives. And I have been honored to steward that responsibility.

A Call to Our Members: We Need You—Your Talent, Your Voice, Your Leadership

If there is one message I want to underscore as I transition into the role of Past President, it is this:

This Division needs you.

Not in a symbolic sense, but in a real, tangible, practical way. Every major accomplishment we celebrated this year was the result of members stepping forward—volunteering time, contributing expertise, offering ideas, and saying “Yes, I can help.”

The truth is, our division is talented, thoughtful, and deeply engaged—but our demographics also reveal where we must grow. We need more voices. More perspectives. More diversity—racially, ethnically, culturally, generationally, and professionally. We need more early-career psychologists, more students, more researchers, more technologists, more industry professionals, more practitioners, more people whose experiences expand the edges of who we currently are.

Division 46 must be a Division that reflects the world we study and serve.

And because our field sits at the intersection of psychology, AI, media, communication, design, technology, and human experience, I genuinely believe we are positioned to be one of the most influential Divisions in the APA in the years ahead.

Our Division’s expertise is not only valuable—it is essential.

But we cannot lead if our membership is passive.

We cannot shape the future if our leadership pipeline is narrow.

We cannot influence the national conversation if only a handful of people shoulder the work.

So I am calling on you—students, early-career psychologists, seasoned professionals, researchers, scholars, practitioners, technologists, educators, industry partners—to step forward.

Serve on a committee. Offer to help with a webinar. Assist with Convention planning. Join the student committee or mentor those who are part of it. Support our marketing efforts. Volunteer to review proposals or help with The Amplifier. Bring your expertise, your identity, your lived experience, your curiosity, your passion.

We will welcome you. We will support you. And we absolutely need you.

Looking Ahead: A Vision for What Comes Next

The future of Division 46 is bright—not because of any prediction or optimism bias, but because of the structural work we have put into place this year, the momentum we are already seeing, and the remarkable talent present within our membership.

Looking ahead, I envision a Division that:

• Expands its influence within APA as the field grapples with AI, immersive technologies, disinformation, digital ethics, and the psychological impact of media ecosystems.
• Continues building pathways for student and early-career psychologists, ensuring that they see Division 46 not as an optional home but as their natural home.
• Grows in diversity in every form, representing the society we serve and the technologies we study.
• Strengthens interdisciplinary collaboration, becoming the meeting place for psychology, technology, design, communication, and human behavior.
• Helps shape the national and global conversation around social media and technology use, ensuring that psychological science—our science—guides how society understands digital well-being, algorithmic influence, platform design, and the role of media in identity, community, and democratic life.

This is the legacy I hope we create—a community committed to building a Division that outlasts us all.

In Closing: Thank You

As I transition into my term as Past President, I want to express my deepest gratitude. To the Board, to the volunteers, to the committees, to the students, to the early-career members, to the longtime supporters, and to every single person who showed up this year in big or small ways:

Thank you.

Thank you for trusting me.

Thank you for supporting me.

Thank you for challenging me.

Thank you for teaching me.

Thank you for shaping me.

It has been an honor to serve as President of this Division. And I look forward to supporting and championing the next wave of leadership as they take our Division even further.

Our story—as a Division, as a field, as a community—is far from over. In fact, we are still at the beginning of a narrative that will define the future of psychology.

Let’s write it together.

With gratitude and hope,

Kristian A. Alomá, PhD
President, The Society for Media Psychology and Technology
Division 46 of the American Psychological Association