Descripción del proyecto
El carácter moldeable de los medios y su efecto en la visión del éxito en los jóvenes
En la actualidad, los adolescentes tienden a percibir el éxito en función de lo que ven en los medios de comunicación y las redes sociales, y no en función de lo que ocurre en el mundo real. El proyecto MIMIc, financiado con fondos europeos, definirá los efectos de los «ideales moldeables» en los medios de comunicación. Estos ideales no son sino representaciones idealizadas de diferentes logros, con un carácter profundamente influenciable. Un equipo internacional de investigadores estudiará los efectos de las presiones creadas por los ideales de los medios y sus efectos en los problemas personales o sociales de los adolescentes. En el contexto de la iniciativa, se formularán y probarán nuevas teorías, a fin de conocer mejor las consecuencias de estos ideales influidos por los medios.
Objetivo
MIMIc will develop and establish a new theoretical perspective that will fundamentally redirect the current research on idealised representations of life in mass and social media and their effects on (adolescent) audiences. MIMIc combines insights from cultural sociology, media theory, and developmental psychology to define the effects of ‘malleable ideals’ in media. Malleable ideals are idealised representations of different achievements and are characterised by the malleability that surrounds these achievements; they approach ideals from a utilitarian, individualistic discourse that links personal responsibility and dedication with both the failure and success of achievements. By focusing on malleable ideals and thus applying a sociocultural analysis to media ideals, a crucial perspective will be added to our understanding of the development of adolescents and, more precisely, the pressures they experience. These pressures are viewed as an important factor in the relatively high prevalence of both internalising and externalising problems in adolescence. Content analytical, diary, and longitudinal studies in three different cultural contexts will be triangulated to develop a theoretical model: MIME. Content analyses map the extent to which media abound with aesthetic, sexual, professional, romantic, and social ideals as well as the importance of malleability in these representations. Longitudinal and diary research examine the internalisation of these ideals as a key explanatory process for the effects they may have both on outcomes regarding personal and societal problems and among different groups of adolescents. The multimethod approach further allows the theorisation and testing of the role of varying time intervals associated with understanding the effects of mediated ideals. For this research, the applicant who is experienced in multimethod research on media effects among adolescents will compose and lead a cross-national team of researchers.
Ámbito científico
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
ERC-STG - Starting GrantInstitución de acogida
3000 Leuven
Bélgica