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Behavioral Sciences
Special Issues
The Psychology Perspective on Emerging Media
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The Psychology Perspective on Emerging Media

A Special Issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X) belonging to the section "Health Psychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2027 | Viewed by 1600

Editor

Dr. Arienne Ferchaud

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Communication, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
Interests: emerging media; entertainment; media effects; game studies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Emerging media continues to evolve, and with it, our understanding of the psychological processes involved in consuming it. Emerging media impacts our entertainment, news, persuasion, and even interpersonal communications. However, due to the constantly shifting nature of emerging media, research in this area must likewise change and evolve. Traditional theories of media effects may or may not continue to hold when new technologies are introduced. For instance, new technologies related to virtual and augmented reality have implications about how we consume games and gamified media. Social media has changed the way that individuals receive and process their news. Large language models, virtually unheard of just a few years ago, now dominate conversation. The goal of this Special Issue is to explore emerging media and its impacts on human psychology, from issues of media selection to media processing and media effects. Papers may include new advancements in theory, new methods that may help us understand media effects, or theory testing, among others.

Dr. Arienne Ferchaud
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • media effects
  • emerging media
  • media psychology
  • media effects
  • mass communication
  • mediated communication

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 5468 KB  
Article
Virtual Reality Induced Awe in Chronic Low Back Pain: A Mixed-Methods Study
by Emma R. Tillery, Lydia C. Kang, Misha Shah, Arthur A. Raney, Andrea Stevenson Won, Valentina Mancuso, Mark Vorensky, Corey Shum and Zina Trost
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(9), 1524; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16091524 - 29 Aug 2026
Viewed by 444
Abstract
As emerging media technologies, virtual reality (VR) applications are used to elicit emotional engagement across various contexts—entertainment, education, therapy, training, marketing, and fitness, to name a few—often with the hope of effecting behavioral change. Within the healthcare domain, VR technologies have been successfully [...] Read more.
As emerging media technologies, virtual reality (VR) applications are used to elicit emotional engagement across various contexts—entertainment, education, therapy, training, marketing, and fitness, to name a few—often with the hope of effecting behavioral change. Within the healthcare domain, VR technologies have been successfully leveraged to manage acute pain, but understanding of their efficacy in managing chronic pain remains limited. Current models emphasize the necessity of examining discrete effects of VR across multiple dimensions of pain, particularly its emotional impact. An emotion receiving increased attention by media scholars over the past few years is awe, the complex response to perceived vastness. Awe is a highly relevant, yet largely unexplored, emotion in chronic pain research, as it involves cognitive processes—vastness appraisals, feelings of connectedness, accommodation of new ideas—which may influence psychological processes shaping pain perception. To date, no study has examined the feasibility of inducing awe through VR among individuals with chronic pain. Accordingly, this preliminary study deployed a descriptive mixed-methods approach to examine the feasibility of utilizing a head-mounted display for VR-induced awe. Participants (n = 10) with CLBP viewed 360-degree virtual nature scenes depicting a mountain ascension, combined with music previously validated to elicit awe. Participants completed self-report measures before and after the VR session documenting pain intensity and emotional experiences. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted following the post-session surveys. Results from both methods support the feasibility of inducing awe among individuals with chronic pain via virtual immersion, showing overall positive affective changes and reduction in frequency of self- and pain-related thoughts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Psychology Perspective on Emerging Media)
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16 pages, 236 KB  
Article
How Do Fans Use AI Social Chatbots? A Multi-Method Exploration of Fan Accounts
by Sydney C. Lopez and Laramie D. Taylor
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(9), 1481; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16091481 - 25 Aug 2026
Viewed by 401
Abstract
In the present study, we employed qualitative and quantitative content analytic methods to explore how fans use social chatbots to engage with the object of their fandom. Drawing on theories of self-disclosure, the Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) paradigm, and parasocial relationships, we [...] Read more.
In the present study, we employed qualitative and quantitative content analytic methods to explore how fans use social chatbots to engage with the object of their fandom. Drawing on theories of self-disclosure, the Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) paradigm, and parasocial relationships, we investigated motivations underlying chatbot use among fandom communities. Data consisted of 813 Reddit comments discussing Character.ai use. Using qualitative thematic analysis, n-gram collocation analysis, and dictionary-based text analysis, the study identified five primary motivations: fan facilitation, safe harbor, virtual social compensation, real-life (IRL) social contact, and entertainment. Findings indicated that Character.ai was used by fans to extend fandom experiences, engage in role-play and creative storytelling, seek emotional support, compensate for unmet social needs, and explore interests in a judgment-free environment. Evidence from the thematic and n-gram analyses suggested that fandom engagement and social motivations were identified by users as important drivers of use, while utilitarian functions also played a role. The findings highlight how social chatbots may be reshaping fan practices, parasocial engagement, and digitally mediated companionship. Findings are discussed in terms of the dual character of fan C.ai use, namely as a tool to both meet social needs and avoid social contact, with its potential benefits and hazards for fans engaging with social chatbots. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Psychology Perspective on Emerging Media)
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