Psychology and Media Studies:Deriving the Optimum Benefit

Media and psychology share an integral relationship between themselves which has been a matter of immense curiosity for human beings across the world. There have been quite a few attempts by media scholars as well as psychologists for delving deep into this relationship and arriving at solutions about how to improvise it in the light of the changing scenario both in the world of media and that of psychology. This is because media whether it is mass, conventional, traditional or new is nothing but a highly sophisticated 'mind game'. Here psychology plays a major role in determining how do masses or audiences would behave under certain circumstances and on being served with a certain kind of messages. Thus an examination of this relationship would help us immensely in further strengthening of the same and thereby being able to understand the emerging areas of the media influencing the masses and vice versa. This paper makes an effort to look into the relationship and the various nuances of how psychology and the different types of media and communication are influencing each other in the real world. Discussions are also carried out for examining how cinema, advertising, news are influencing the masses psychologically. The author has also touched upon issues of media manipulation, information revolution's effects on psychology and media among others to throw lights on the issue of using media for enhancing the quality of our lifestyle in the near as well as distant future. A good amount of space is also devoted to the discussions on the relationship along with influences of cinema on psychology and vice versa relating it to the works of the great minds in the world of psychology Freud and those in that of cinema. The author is optimistic that this endeavour would further lead to more rigorous, in-depth studies of the phenomenon in future. Also deliver the goods to the researchers of media and psychology alike in arriving at consensus on how to draw the maximum positive advantage out of such a meaningful relationship in the days to come and explore new and emerging areas of research in this direction and related fields.