Perception, Emotion, and Motivation: The Role of Media Consumption amongst Indian Adolescents

  • Amaeera Kher Vasant Valley School, New Delhi, India
Keywords: Media; Perception; Adolescents; Emotions; Content Analysis; Motivation; Gender

Abstract

Adolescents today live in a world that is both defined and represented by media, where digital content regularly shapes their feelings, views, and motivations. This study analyses how this media impacts the psychological well-being of adolescents by using surveys and interpreting the responses through qualitative content analysis. The analysis depicted that media has a dual impact; it can serve as both a way to control emotions and a catalyst for antagonistic feelings, affecting how adolescents see themselves and compare to others. Alongside the emotional impacts, increased awareness, altered ideas of beauty and success, and unclear lines between online and offline life were noticed under perceptual changes. Media also inspired aspirations, self-reflection, and community involvement, but it also created cycles of reliance and stress to perform. The findings reinforce the Reinforcing Spirals Model, showing that media strengthen and reflect existing perspectives and emotions. The study infers that adolescents follow a feedback loop where media leads to both reacting to and shaping their mental conditions, highlighting the significance of being more aware and critical about their media consumption.

References

Meena, P., Gupta, P., & Shah, D. (2020). Screen Time in Indian Children by 15-18 Months of Age. Indian pediatrics, 57(11), 1033–1036. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-020-2031-3.

Zablotsky, B., Arockiaraj, B., Haile, G., & Ng, A. E. (2024). Daily Screen Time Among Teenagers: United States, July 2021–December 2023.

Slater, M. D. (2015). Reinforcing spirals model: Conceptualizing the relationship between media content exposure and the development and maintenance of attitudes. Media Psychology, 18(3), 370–395. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2014.897236.

Slater, M. D., Henry, K. L., Swaim, R. C., & Anderson, L. L. (2003). Violent media content and aggressiveness in adolescents: A downward spiral model. Communication Research, 30(6), 713–736. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650203258281.

Osborn, D. K., & Endsley, R. C. (1971). Emotional Reactions of Young Children to TV Violence. Child Development, 42(1), 321–331. https://doi.org/10.2307/1127086.

Kubrak, T. (2020). Impact of films: Changes in young people’s attitudes after watching a movie. Behavioral Sciences, 10(5), 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs10050086.

Radstone, S. (2010). Cinema and Memory. In S. RADSTONE & B.SCHWARZ (Eds.), Memory: Histories, Theories, Debates (pp. 325–342). Fordham University Press.

Hawkins, R. P. (1973). Learning of Peripheral Content in Films: A Developmental Study. Child Development, 44(1), 214–217. https://doi.org/10.2307/1127707.

Coyne, S. M., Linder, J. R., Rasmussen, E. E., Nelson, D. A., & Birkbeck, V. (2016). Pretty as a Princess: Longitudinal Effects of Engagement With Disney Princesses on Gender Stereotypes, Body Esteem, and Prosocial Behavior in Children. Child Development, 87(6), 1909–1925. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12569.

Erlingsson, C., & Brysiewicz, P. (2017). A hands-on guide to doing content analysis. African journal of emergency medicine, 7(3), 93-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.afjem.2017.08.001.

Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2018). Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study. Preventive medicine reports, 12, 271-283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.10.003.

Ohannessian, C. M. (2009). Media use and adolescent psychological adjustment: An examination of gender differences. Journal of child and family studies, 18(5), 582-593. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-009-9261-2.

Zillmann, D. (1988). Mood management: Using entertainment to full advantage. In L. Donohew, H. E. Sypher, & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Communication, social cognition, and affect (pp. 147–171). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Arriaga, P., Alexandre, J., Postolache, O., & Fonseca, M. J. (2020). Why do we watch? The role of emotion gratifications and individual differences in predicting rewatchability and movie recommendation. Behavioral Sciences, 10(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs10010008.

Tuck, A. B., Long, J. Y., & Thompson, R. J. (2023). Social media’s influence on momentary emotion based on people’s initial mood: An experimental design. Media Psychology, 26(5), 567–591. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2022.2111680.

Wirth, W., & Schramm, H. (2005). Media and emotions. Communication research trends, 24(3), 1.

Nabi, R. L. (2019). Media and emotion. In Media effects (pp. 163-178). Routledge.

Chawla, S., & Mehrotra, M. (2021). Impact of emotions in social media content diffusion. Informatica, 45(6). 10.31449/inf.v45i6.3575.

Gerbner, G. (1998). Cultivation analysis: An overview. Mass communication and society, 1(3-4), 175-194. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.1998.9677855.

McLeod, D. M., Wise, D., & Perryman, M. (2017). Thinking about the media: A review of theory and research on media perceptions, media effects perceptions, and their consequences. Review of Communication Research, 5, 35-83. 10.12840/issn.2255-4165.2017.05.01.013.

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2011). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Sage.

Bandura, A., & Walters, R. H. (1977). Social learning theory (Vol. 1, pp. 141-154). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice hall.

Cohen, J., Weimann-Saks, D., & Mazor-Tregerman, M. (2018). Does character similarity increase identification and persuasion? Media Psychology, 21(3), 506–528. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2017.1302344.

Chang, C. (2023). Being inspired by media content: Psychological processes leading to inspiration. Media Psychology, 26(1), 72-87. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2022.2097927.

Green, M. C., & Brock, T. C. (2000). The role of transportation in the persuasiveness of public narratives. Journal of personality and social psychology, 79(5), 701. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.79.5.701

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American psychologist, 55(1), 68. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68

Sihvonen, Jenniina. Media consumption and the identity projects of the young. Young 23, no. 2 (2015): 171-189. https://doi.org/10.1177/1103308815569391

Carstensen, L. L., Isaacowitz, D. M., & Charles, S. T. (1999). Taking time seriously: A theory of socioemotional selectivity. American Psychologist, 54(3), 165–181. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.54.3.165

Published
2025-08-28
How to Cite
Kher, A. (2025). Perception, Emotion, and Motivation: The Role of Media Consumption amongst Indian Adolescents. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 8(8), 352-369. https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v8i8.2912