MASS MEDIA AND PSYCHOLOGICAL LIFE OF PEOPLE

S. Reuse

(USA, the University of Texas)

Introduction
Man cannot live in isolation. As a result, man’s activities not only have an impact on him but also on society as a whole. This paper provides a succinct description of media as well as an analysis of how it affects people's social and psychological well-being. The different impacts of media on a person, his family, and society are underlined throughout the literature (Mehraj, Bhat, & Mehraj. 2024: 69).
The mass media has the ability to arouse, elicit emotional responses, and even change violent tendencies, among other psychological states. When referring to the media in general, the word "mood" is frequently employed. Individuals decide which media to read, watch or listen to base on their current emotional or mood states and their expectations of how the media will affect or change those states. Readers and viewers want to be moved emotionally, and the mass media are geared to do just that.
R.J. Harris (Harris, 2023: 68) suggested that this might be the case because viewers' emotional experiences through the mass media can be vicarious. Viewers can feel various feelings from the perspective of the bachelor or the female contestants when watching a dating program on television, such as “Bachelor”. If a hero in a movie feels terrified, the spectator could likewise feel roused and terrified (Gerbner, Gross, Morgan, Signorielli, & Shanahan, 2023: 149).
Information and the media are referred to as the fourth pillar. Social media has had an impact on many sectors of society in both positive and negative ways. Social media use has fundamentally altered how people interact and communicate online. There are positive benefits on business, politics, and society in addition to some negative ones, such as cyberbullying, privacy issues, and fake news.
Understanding the imperial investigation of violence in the electronic media as a threat to society requires an understanding of why and how violent media produces antagonism. In reality, the psychological justifications for why media violence poses such a danger are already well-established. This theory also explains why observing aggression among people makes the spectator more likely to engage in aggressive behavior (Viswanath, Ramanadhan, & Kontos, 2025: 116).
Given the enormous influence that the media has on society, it is crucial to comprehend the mechanisms by which symbolic communication influences human thought, affect, and behavior. These mechanisms are described in the concept of symbolic interactionism, which studies communication and interaction carried out using symbols: language, body movements, gestures, cultural symbols.
Symbols go beyond a specific situation and contain a general meaning, that is, their meaning corresponds to the experience of one person and arises in the mind of another.
Literature Review
Any form of media that disseminates information to a large audience is referred to as mass media. There are several roles the media can fill. It can be reused to relieve anxiety and restlessness as well as provide knowledge, entertainment, and pleasure (Jahangir, Nawaz & Khan, 2025: 129). The issue affects not only our civilization but the entire world, numerous authors have written about the detrimental impacts of mass media on a person's psychological well-being in a variety of languages. According to researchers who conducted research in this area, since the second half of the 20th century (1960s), which evidence has been gathered through the research conducted in this area, it is crystal clear that television, the Internet, video games, mobile phones, and other violent programs on visual media, such as war serials, movies, and dramas, all shows against the national culture, have a wide impact on the audience and increase the risk of violent behavior in people. Television has a clear effect on social life of a person (Lowery, & DeFleur, 2023: 139).
In the field of the effects of television on the psyche, Gerbner and his colleagues have conducted many investigations and researches in the US, most of them on the effects of television on children (Gerbner, 2024: 16). Evidence has shown that frequent and long-term exposure to violent television programs is associated with persistent violence in children and adults (Stein and Friedrich, 2023: 129). 
 Anderson and Bushman also refer to the research of Johnson and her colleagues and say that, in fact, violent media shows have a great impact on children and adults (Anderson and Bushman, 2002).
In addition to this, in another study, significant evidence has proved that the root of violence in each individual grows day by day from childhood, and with the passage of time, the characteristics of violence become stable until adulthood (Huesmann, 2023: 151).
Psychological Problems
The mass media has the ability to arouse, elicit emotional responses, and even change violent tendencies, among other psychological states. When referring to the media in general, the word "mood" is frequently employed. Individuals decide which media to watch or listen to base on their current emotional or mood states and their expectations of how the media will affect or change those states. Viewers want to be moved emotionally, and the mass media are geared to do just that. R.J. Harris (Harris, 2023: 93) hypothesized that this might be the case because viewers' emotional experiences in the mass media can be vicariously recreated. Viewers can feel various feelings from the perspective of the bachelor or the female contestants when watching a dating program on television, such as the Bachelor.
Studies cover the frequency, accuracy, and impact of media representations on psychological state (Gerbner, 2024: 39). Many studies on the frequency and content of media depictions have been conducted, and the results are consistent with the findings that psychological discomfort is frequently represented in the mass media, particularly the entertainment media, and that these pictures tend to be inaccurate and unpleasant (Huesmann, 2019: 163). However, due to limitations like the research' age and the uneven emphasis placed on psychology, there is still a need for new such investigations. Studies on the precise impact of such representations provide evidence for the idea that media depictions of psychological discomfort, even those in entertainment form, can significantly alter views regarding this kind of state (Barlett, & Gentile, 2025: 67).
Even though they are few in number, these investigations have only demonstrated the fleeting effects of particular representations. Further research is needed to demonstrate the overall impact and long-term effects of frequent, repeated media depictions (Wahl, 2023: 349).
According to studies, frequent usage of social media is substantially linked to a higher likelihood of experiencing anxiety, hopelessness, loneliness (Seabrook, Kern, & Rickard, 2024: 167).
The mechanisms and measures for preventing the negative effects of the media
For the past 30 years, researchers have consistently urged more study into the ways that social support and relationships both directly and indirectly enhance psychological comfort. According to the research (Katz, Haas, & Gurevitch, 2023: 186), there are seven possible pathways: social comparison and impact on others, social control, role-based meaning and purpose (mattering), self-esteem, control of emotions, belonging and companionship, and perceived support accessible. These pathways can also be found in mechanisms that reduce stress. Two key types of support—emotional sustenance and active coping assistance—as well as two main kinds of supporters—significant others and those with similar experiences—all concentrate on offering various forms of aid to those in need. The best ways to lessen the harmful impacts of stressors on the mind should include emotionally nourishing activities, practical assistance from close friends and family, empathy, active coping support, and peer role modeling from those who have gone through similar stuffs (Thoits, 2023: 147).
In order to protect the socio-psychological environment of a society from the negative effects of the media, the following measures should be used:
1. avoiding the broadcast of exaggerations on social media;
2. refraining from spreading the issues that cause disagreement and confusion between people;
3. designing different programs for international consensus;
4. broadcasting educational programs instead of violent serials and movies;
5. allowing children to watch television under adult supervision or PG (Parental Guidance) principle;
6. nonuse of television without necessity;
7. preventing the broadcast of terrifying programs on television;
8. preventing the broadcasting of any series and movies related to violence.
Conclusion
People who are exposed to social media will be more likely to experience the detrimental effects of mass media on their social and psychological lives, which can result in criminality, viciousness, poor psychological state issues, distracting them from their sleep, exposing them to peer pressure, bullying, rumors spreading, and other serious consequences. It is evident from the investigations and studies that the media's lack of analysis and control (censorship) of primary sources has had a significant impact on not just children but also on every sector of society. These all contents have a deep impact on the psychological and social aspects, which causes long-term and short-term psychological problems in the future. The biggest issue for teachers and parents in the society today is the effect of the spread of programs full of violence on the behavior of children and adults through the media. Young children have limited cognitive abilities to analyze and deal with violence and they can be easily deviated. Dr. Benjamin Spock advocates that children under the age of four should be protected from watching violent media programs because they are our next generation and can easily vulnerable to any risk.
The media has permeated every sphere of society. Children and adults' psychological state and sense of normalcy can be destroyed by it, therefore it is important to protect kids and adults from its harmful consequences. This study demonstrates how the media can support violence, and disorder, which is playing a more detrimental role in the current situation because of the nature, this has a negative impact on the psychological state of its readers and viewers.  

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