A Look at Psychology in the Media

This post is an e-mail interview I conducted between Pamela Rutledge and myself. We discussed how movies and television shows can affect a person's behavior through a desire for something exciting to happen.
"I believe that whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you...stranger." This quote, from the 2008 crime thriller The Dark Knight, is from one of the most complex and terrifying characters ever portrayed. The Joker can only be described as insane, yet countless people are intrigued and fascinated by his behavior.
Why are characters like the Joker, either insane or having some other mental issue, so fascinating to today's viewers?
"In order to make a compelling narrative, there needs to be a story arc with conflict and resolution," says Pamela Rutledge, of the Media Psychology Research Center. "Unusual or deviant behavior creates this tension."
There have been many characters throughout the media world that have inspired and attracted today's audiences, characters that are significantly different from normal human behavior. Perhaps it is because of those differences, may they be mental or not, that have such an appeal to viewers. Life isn't all car chases and explosions, so when they see things on the big screen or on television, it sparks imagination and a longing for a life that is different from theirs.
"Human beings are biologically wired to notice things that are unusual, dangerous, or exhibit change. It is what kept us alive on the Savannah when it was more important to notice things that moved (tigers) than things that didn't (trees)," Rutledge says.
Media has been a strong influence on the human population since it first began airing. The shows that viewers watch affect them in emotional ways. Because we are human, we relate ourselves to whatever is happening in the show/commercial, and it prompts us to want to do something, whether it be giving money to a charity or going and hitting your neighbour because the people on the television did it.
"How we interpret media messages is influenced by the message content, our culture, and our individual beliefs or psychological schema," Rutledge says.
Media has become deeply rooted in society, influencing both the young and the old. As technology continues to advance, people will be compelled to watch and demand more. Television and video entertainment has become such a big part of people's lives that we can hardly imagine a life without it. Humans are drawn to the strange and weird, and so the infatuation with characters and the plots of the media will continue. As long as there is a demand for amusement in the form of a square, brightly lit box, it will be there.