Implications of shifts in dominant mediums on media-induced feelings of connectedness

摘要: This essay focuses on what dominant mediums in a culture imply about feelings of connectedness with others. Drawing on Joshua Meyrowitz’s book No Sense of Place, we argue that when dominant mediums shift in our cultures, how we consume media content—with and about others—also shifts. We focus on two factors related to connectedness: cognitive empathy and synchrony, and we outline how changing medium-related landscapes may affect each factor. Finally, we encourage scholars of positive media psychology to consider both media content and dominant mediums in future research on uplifting, self-transcendent experiences.