Media is one of the most powerful psychological influences on humans, to the extent that psychologists and communication scholars view it as a force capable of shaping perception, forming attitudes, changing individual and collective behavior, and influencing political, economic, social, and other decisions. Hence, an important field emerged: 'Media Psychology,' as one of the newest branches of applied psychology, which studies the mutual relationship between humans and media, and how media messages affect thinking, emotions, and behavior.

Over the past two decades, the world has witnessed a radical transformation in the communication environment, as media has transcended its traditional role to become an environment in which humans spend long hours daily. The results of the Digital News Report 2024, issued by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford (United Kingdom, June 17, 2024), indicate that news consumption is rapidly shifting toward digital platforms and short videos, with a decline in reliance on print newspapers and an increasing influence of content creators and influencers in shaping public opinion. The report also showed that 59% of participants worldwide are worried about the difficulty of distinguishing between true and misleading news online. (Source: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism – University of Oxford – United Kingdom – Digital News Report 2024).

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The influence of media is not limited to transmitting knowledge; it extends to basic psychological processes such as attention, perception, memory, emotion, and decision-making. Therefore, many researchers describe media as the 'gateway to the mind,' because humans build many of their perceptions of the world through what they see and hear more than through what they experience themselves.

Communication scholars emphasize that media messages do not affect all people in the same way, but vary according to age, education, culture, previous experiences, social environment, and level of critical thinking. This explains the success of media campaigns in some societies and their failure in others, due to many considerations, including the varying degrees of development of the country and society, among other factors.

Agenda-setting theory is one of the most famous theories explaining this effect; it posits that media not only tell people what to think about, but also determine which issues they should think about, through the intensity of coverage and the ordering of priorities. Also prominent is cultivation theory, which asserts that long-term exposure to media content leads to the formation of a mental image that may differ from reality, clearly evident in the impact of drama, films, and repeated news on audience perceptions.

Today, social media has become a major field for media psychology. The algorithms of digital platforms do not display content randomly; rather, they build it according to the user's interests and past behavior, increasing the likelihood of keeping them in front of the screen as long as possible and reinforcing what is known as 'information bubbles,' where the individual is exposed to opinions similar to their own beliefs, reducing opportunities for dialogue with differing viewpoints.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in its report issued on April 25, 2024, warned that social media platforms may negatively affect mental health, especially among girls, by reinforcing stereotypes, increasing cyberbullying, distracting attention, and impacting self-confidence. (Source: UNESCO – Paris, France – Report of April 25, 2024).

Therefore, media psychology is no longer concerned only with news or television programs; it has expanded to include advertising, public relations, propaganda, psychological warfare, rumors, digital media, artificial intelligence, content creation, and even the design of digital application interfaces, because all of them directly or indirectly affect human behavior.

International experiences reveal that the psychological impact of media is not limited to peacetime, but multiplies during crises, disasters, and wars, where information becomes an element of national power. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in its literature on strategic communication, has affirmed that misinformation and influence campaigns have become part of the modern conflict environment, and that states are increasingly investing in building capabilities to combat disinformation and protect public opinion. (Source: NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence – Riga, Latvia – Strategic Communication Reports, 2023–2024).

Perhaps one of the most prominent applications of media psychology is its use in advertising campaigns. Global companies rely not only on product quality but also on understanding the psychological motives of the consumer. Colors, music, storytelling, images of people, repetition of messages, image or video quality, motion and fonts used in writing, and the strength of the medium that disseminates the content—every small detail—are all studied tools targeting attention, memory, and emotion. Behavioral marketing research indicates that purchasing decisions are significantly influenced by emotional factors before logical analysis, which has led companies to employ psychologists, behavioral experts, and media specialists in designing advertising campaigns. (Source: American Psychological Association – United States – Studies in Consumer Psychology, 2023).

In the political sphere, media psychology has become a cornerstone in managing election campaigns, building the mental image of leaders, and communicating with the public. The choice of words, body language, manner of presenting messages, timing of their release, the speaker's vocal music, reading the situation and understanding the audience that will receive the message, and other important psychological and media details—all are elements that affect audience perception and trust. Electoral experiences in many countries have shown that simplified and repeated messages are more capable of cementing impressions than long and complex messages, which explains the increasing interest in digital content management during electoral seasons.

With the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, media psychology has entered a new phase. Algorithms are now able to customize content according to each user’s interests, increasing opportunities to influence their opinions and behavior. Conversely, this poses ethical challenges related to transparency, privacy, and the ability to distinguish between real content and automatically generated content. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has called for the establishment of ethical frameworks for the use of artificial intelligence in media to preserve the integrity of information and the rights of the public. (Source: UNESCO – Paris, France – Guidelines for AI Governance in Media, 2023).

The role of media psychology also emerges in countering rumors. Studies confirm that rumors spread more when three elements are present: ambiguity, anxiety, and the importance of the topic to the audience. Therefore, the rapid dissemination of accurate official information, transparency, and evidence-based responses are among the most effective means of reducing the spread of misinformation and enhancing trust in institutions.