7C - Media and Behaviour

Question 1

Media definition

Answer 1

The forms in which information is communicated and spread throughout society.

Question 2

What is the impact of media on norms?

Answer 2

• Media can set specific standards of what could be considered the norm
• When people make social comparisons to what they see in the media this can be both helpful and harmful, depending on what the media normalises.

Question 3

Print media definition + examples

Answer 3

Media that is displayed in full on a physical surface. For example, billboards, newspapers, magazines.

Question 4

Digital media definition + examples

Answer 4

Media that is designed to be projected onto an electronic device. For example, video games, social media, videos.

Question 5

What is social connection?

Answer 5

Social connections refer to the network of people available to someone for support and engagement.

Question 6

Social connections provide us with the ability to:

Answer 6

• Reach out to the people we know for support when we need it
• Share meaningful experiences with others
• Engage in activities with someone who shares similar interests

Question 7

How does media affect social connections?

Answer 7

Media can have positive and negative influences on social connections. For example, when unable to meet in a physical space we can meet online!

Question 8

How does media positively influence social connections for individual behaviour?

Answer 8

Increased ability to access support and maintain connections that are not limited to physical proximity.

Question 9

How does media negatively influence social connections for individual behaviour?

Answer 9

Increased pressure to stay connected and respond in real-time, leading to social fatigue and burnout.

Question 10

How does media positively influence social connections for group behaviour?

Answer 10

Increased ability to form communities, organise events and opportunities for interactions on a larger scale.

Question 11

How does media negatively influence social connections for group behaviour?

Answer 11

Increased likelihood of deindividuation. For example, people are more likely to participate in online bullying that can match the behaviour of other people within a social group.

Question 12

What is social comparison?

Answer 12

The tendency for humans to measure their self-worth in relation to the people around them.
- plays a significant role in mental wellbeing.

Question 13

How does media positively influence social comparison for individual behaviour?

Answer 13

Media is the medium you use to socially compare yourself and assess your abilities against someone else. Therefore, individuals can use what they see in social media as inspiration to try something new or to build upon their skillset.

Question 14

How does media negatively influence social comparison for individual behaviour?

Answer 14

Social media only shows you a snapshot and does not provide the whole picture, which therefore sets unrealistic standards in relation to people’s abilities.

Question 15

How does media positively influence social comparison for group behaviour?

Answer 15

Members of a group can feel more confident and have high self-esteem when someone feels represented in the media. When there is more representation in the media people who compare themselves to others may feel more confident to do so because they feel they are on an equal standing ground.

Question 16

How does media negatively influence social comparison for group behaviour?

Answer 16

Unrealistic social comparisons to images of models in advertisements can project unrealistic beauty standards.

Question 17

Addictive behaviours definition

Answer 17

Addictive behaviours can be described as repetitive gratification - seeking behaviours associated with distress causing interference to everyday life.

Question 18

What are some characteristics of addictive behaviour?

Answer 18

• Unable to stop consuming a substance or end a specific behaviour
• Display a lack of control concerning the substance, thing or behaviour
• Experience increased desires for a specific substance, thing or behaviour
• Denying that their addictive behaviour may be causing negative consequences

Question 19

Media and addictive behaviours

Answer 19

The use of media leads to physical and psychological addiction as it can trigger the brain’s reward system to release dopamine, the body’s feel-good chemical.

Question 20

What is the dopamine loop?

Answer 20

• The cycle of motivation, reward, and reinforcement that gets users seeking, looking, craving rewards, and more of them.
• The repetitive gratification-seeking behaviours can lead to the development of addictive behaviours.

Question 21

How does media positively influence substance use and abuse for individual behaviour?

Answer 21

Apps and digital programs can help to support behaviour change and motivate for continued change.

Question 22

How does media negatively influence substance use and abuse for individual behaviour?

Answer 22

Digital media as a platform can affect access to and perceptions of dangerous legal and illegal substances

Question 23

Information access definition

Answer 23

Information access refers to how easily information can be accessed by different people.
- the ability to access information is important as it helps with decision making and empowers you to become an informed citizen.

Question 24

Social media has made access to information easier than ever as it allows users to:

Answer 24

• Share information and content
• Promote brands and causes they may support
• Stay connected with family and friends

Question 25

What are social media algorithms?

Answer 25

Way of sorting posts in a users’ feed based on relevancy instead of publish time. Social networks prioritise which content a user sees in their feed first by the likelihood that they’ll actually want to see it.

Question 26

What are negatives of social media algorithms?

Answer 26

• Put you at risk of missing information or content
• Create disparity between the content people see
• Increase the spread of misinformation

Question 27

How does media positively influence information access for individual behaviour?

Answer 27

• on personal social media content is filtered based on interest
• makes information/updates such as weather warnings, changes in government regulations or news around the world readily available
• digital media can reach a wider audience therefore closing the gap in information accessibility

Question 28

How does media negatively influence information access for individual behaviour?

Answer 28

• due to social media algorithms, it can pigeonhole users to specific types of information which can put people at risk of being exposed to misleading information, if they are unable to distinguish between reliable and unreliable resources
• with more connectivity and minimal regulation around data privacy it can put social media users at risk of being stalked or their identity stolen
• with the wider reach, digital media can also make it easier to spread misleading information