Observing that most adults' present conceptions of the computer have been shaped by media images, a content analysis was conducted of 169 articles on computers published in six popular magazines from the 1940s through 1969. The articles were coded in terms of their themes and topics, and the specific terms used to refer to computers in each…

A study examined media use patterns among a large, nationally representative sample of children ages 2-18, and which explored how children choose and interact with the whole array of media available to them, including television, movies, computers, music, video games, radio, magazines, books, and newspapers. The goal was to provide a solid base…

Explores how motion pictures, television, and computers manipulate and rearrange the content and processes of communicated experience, thereby shaping how the audience perceives and interprets the physical and social reality depicted. Suggests that these media are fourth removed from reality (behind the Platonic Ideal, the actual, and art and…

Reviews literature on efforts to personalize mass communication by disguising the size of intended audiences, targeting messages, and contriving intimacy in content. Argues that distinctions between interpersonal and mass communications have become blurred into what might be called "pseudo-community." Finds that technological development…

This report presents details of a study which gathered information about all kinds of media behaviors from a nationally representative sample of American youth--the study asked: In this modern media environment, how much time do American children devote to each of the different media? According to the report. The data for the study came from two…

The "symbol systems approach" to the study of computers in education that is outlined avoids the pitfalls of past media research--particularly research on the effects of television on children's learning and knowledge--and asserts that media can be usefully distinguished in terms of the symbol systems they present and the kinds of…

To determine the influence of media on learning, a study explored students' preferences, perceived difficulty, and learning in relation to a variety of activities. A randomly selected panel of 611 students, grades three through ten, was drawn from the nine schools (six elementary, two junior high, and one senior high) that make up an entire public…

The use of the Internet in homes rivals the advent of the telephone, radio, or television in social significance. This book compiles findings from communication theorists and social scientists concerning the effects of the Internet on the lives of the family unit and its members. The book examines historical precedents of parental concern over…

The study of video game effects has been marked by two very different approaches. The first approach is represented by social scientists, who, with some exceptions, seek to understand the effects of games on users. The second approach is favored by humanists, who seek to understand the meaning and context of games. To date, these two groups have…