The Media Zone

How the media make sense and nonsense of the world

Stuart Fischoff, Ph.D. is Senior Editor of the Journal of Media Psychology and Emeritus Professor of Media Psychology at Cal State, Los Angeles. See full bio

November 21, 2008

The Not So Strange Case of Abraham K. Biggs

Suicide Online is going to be, I fear, a staple of the 21st century. It's not quite snuff movie material but it's close to it, i.e., offing oneself rather than offing someone else. I use the dramatic, disrespectful term "offing" because, to a certain extent, what we're seeing is the exploitation of social interaction sites to exhibit oneself in a final act of finding relief. Read More

November 15, 2008

Media Interviews On Voting Poll Addiction and Withdrawal – Part 1.

Are they going through a depression, a let down, with the end of the election and the waning buzz from an adrenalin surge that tickled the brain and raced through the body after the realization that all the hard work, the contributions, the wishin', the hopin' actually did pay off? Not in a movie or a TV show. It paid off in the real world, the U.S. world, the world where hearts and dreams get shattered far more often than they get realized. Read More

November 8, 2008

An Electrifying Election that Spoke to History

It was as though the world had bottled up its affection for America and for its once and future symbolism for 7 years and change and the cork was popped when the call burst across news screens around the globe, seconds after polls closed on the West Coast, OBAMA ELECTED PRESIDENT! Read More

November 3, 2008

Walking The Razor's Edge of Politics and TV Entertainment – Part 3, Finis

Sister Sarah has had an impact beyond her political rhetoric and the symbolism she has come to effect for her devoted fans, her true believers. Sarah does media and she does pop culture and that is now VERY, VERY hot in AMERICAN POLITICS because we live in a media age. We live in CLOSE UP. Sarah is the rock star Read More

October 27, 2008

Walking The Razor's Edge of Politics and TV Entertainment – Part 2

Sarah charms to dissemble and to disarm, both her friends and her enemies. We mustn't forget this when we take the measure of this politician, nor forget the lean and hungry look that often peeks out from behind her well-manicured mask, a look that quickly scurries back into hiding behind calming, country colloquialisms. Read More

October 23, 2008

Walking The Razor's Edge of Politics and TV Entertainment – Part 1

Reactions to Sarah Palin's appearance on SNL this past week were all over the map and clearly breaking along political lines. Did she hit a triple or hit into a triple play? Truth? Not in this man's army. Not only can't we handle it, we can't even find it. Surfing the media spheres, it looked like Palin's performance was another Rorschach moment for pundits. Read More

October 16, 2008

The Last Debate Show

"For God's sake, John, how can I vote for you when I feel smarter than you! I'm not supposed to feel smarter than you. You're supposed to feel smarter than me! Obama feels smarter than me most of the time, why can't you?" Read More

October 7, 2008

Life in the Disconnected Zone

Why live life when you can mediate it, record it, film it, digitalize it, pixilate it. It would appear that it is becoming better to "capture" a legend than directly experience him. Is that really what memories are made of, capturing the moment rather than being in the moment? Read More

October 3, 2008

Sarah Palin, the Dancing Queen of VP Debates

The hundred million strong American TV audience reacting to the TV star that is Sarah Palin, the Mr. and Mrs. America for whom she is clearly the poster VP candidate, watched, smiled and felt confidant once again in the woman who is like them…sorta. Read More

September 27, 2008

McCain-Obama and 10 Rounds to a Draw…Sorta

It's a nervous little smile, not the wide, Presidential smile that Obama repeatedly flashed (oh my God, how can I be so unabashedly biased!?) In other words, McCain was intent on "dissin' " Obama at every opportunity. Obama was rather significantly more respectful. Whether the red meat and the "elite" viewers appreciated this difference is unknown to me at this point. Read More

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From the ever-expanding Googleverse to the snarky payoff of celebrity gossip, life is splintered and refracted in a million ways by contemporary communication tools. This media has a profound impact on how we perceive ourselves and our world.

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