What We Talk About When We Talk About Media Effects
Based on remarks at the 25th anniversary of the Center on Organizational Innovation at Columbia University, this essay suggests that canonical debates over historical media “revolutions” call attention to the narrow, behaviorist paradigm driving most research about online misinformation today. While...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Bologna
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Sociologica |
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| Online Access: | https://sociologica.unibo.it/article/view/21446 |
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| _version_ | 1849314157905575936 |
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| author | Lucas Graves |
| author_facet | Lucas Graves |
| author_sort | Lucas Graves |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Based on remarks at the 25th anniversary of the Center on Organizational Innovation at Columbia University, this essay suggests that canonical debates over historical media “revolutions” call attention to the narrow, behaviorist paradigm driving most research about online misinformation today. While numerous empirical studies have found only minimal exposure to or risks from lies, hoaxes and conspiracy theories circulating on social networks, defining media effects strictly in terms of individual psychology neglects the broader cultural and institutional dimensions of how media shape public life. Foundational accounts of the development and influence of the printing press —– including those that challenge deterministic assumptions —– remind us that, in hindsight, the media effects that matter will be understood as shifts in culture, perhaps especially elite political culture. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e8bf6c7ace61407a8ecf4d5327487a23 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1971-8853 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | University of Bologna |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sociologica |
| spelling | doaj-art-e8bf6c7ace61407a8ecf4d5327487a232025-08-20T03:52:32ZengUniversity of BolognaSociologica1971-88532025-05-0119119519910.6092/issn.1971-8853/2144619824What We Talk About When We Talk About Media EffectsLucas Graves0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2980-7145School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin–MadisonBased on remarks at the 25th anniversary of the Center on Organizational Innovation at Columbia University, this essay suggests that canonical debates over historical media “revolutions” call attention to the narrow, behaviorist paradigm driving most research about online misinformation today. While numerous empirical studies have found only minimal exposure to or risks from lies, hoaxes and conspiracy theories circulating on social networks, defining media effects strictly in terms of individual psychology neglects the broader cultural and institutional dimensions of how media shape public life. Foundational accounts of the development and influence of the printing press —– including those that challenge deterministic assumptions —– remind us that, in hindsight, the media effects that matter will be understood as shifts in culture, perhaps especially elite political culture.https://sociologica.unibo.it/article/view/21446social mediamedia effectsmisinformationdeterminismprint revolution |
| spellingShingle | Lucas Graves What We Talk About When We Talk About Media Effects Sociologica social media media effects misinformation determinism print revolution |
| title | What We Talk About When We Talk About Media Effects |
| title_full | What We Talk About When We Talk About Media Effects |
| title_fullStr | What We Talk About When We Talk About Media Effects |
| title_full_unstemmed | What We Talk About When We Talk About Media Effects |
| title_short | What We Talk About When We Talk About Media Effects |
| title_sort | what we talk about when we talk about media effects |
| topic | social media media effects misinformation determinism print revolution |
| url | https://sociologica.unibo.it/article/view/21446 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lucasgraves whatwetalkaboutwhenwetalkaboutmediaeffects |