Abstract While prior Vocational Anticipatory Socialization (VAS) research has emphasized the content and sources of VAS messages, this study extends such research by exploring how individuals react to these messages, especially when constrained by legal barriers. Using Social Cognitive Career Theory, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 40 undocumented college students to explore the parental VAS messages they receive, their reactions, and how both messages and reactions are shaped by structural and cultural factors. Nine kinds of messages emerged and were categorized into three larger types: value, instructional, and trust/support messages. A thematic co-occurrence analysis revealed relationships between message types and reactions, as well as career-related outlooks, choices, and engagement with parents and nonparental figures. Our findings led to the development of the Ecological VAS Model, which extends VAS theorizing by illustrating how structural, cultural, and relational factors permeate the entire VAS process—from message content, reactions, to career choices.

Abstract This study synthesized research from 4 theoretical frameworks that explicitly conceptualize media and communication as dynamic processes over time, emphasizing reciprocal and self-causing effects. A meta-analysis of 223 effect sizes from 103 studies supported the presence of both reciprocal and self-causing relationships, suggesting their robustness as communication phenomena. Time lag moderated self-causing effects, such that longer intervals weakened these effects. Longer lags attenuating the influence of media/communication on subsequent outcomes approached but did not reach statistical significance, and did not significantly alter the reverse pathway. Exploratory moderation analyses showed that effect sizes varied by audience age, analytic methods, topic areas, and media types. Findings highlight the importance of time lag specification in studying dynamic media effects.

Abstract The rapid dissemination of misinformation has raised concerns about its persistence despite corrective efforts, as the influence of fact-checking often diminishes quickly. This study explores “time” as a central theoretical and methodological construct in understanding the effects of fact-checking interventions. Across two large-scale, pre-registered panel experiments (N = 6,983), we examine the temporal dynamics of both the persuasive and unintended consequences of factual corrections. Results show that while fact-checks yield immediate belief updating, their effects largely fade within two weeks and do not produce durable belief echoes. In Study 2, we introduce a novel design treating time lag as an experimental treatment and show that simple interventions aimed at increasing the temporal accessibility of corrections—termed “accuracy reminders”—significantly extend the durability of their effects. These findings reconceptualize correction effects as inherently temporal processes, advancing communication theory and offering scalable, time-sensitive strategies for sustaining the influence of fact-checking in dynamic information environments.

Abstract Despite a rise in identity-centric communication scholarship, there is a lack of theory and evidence regarding how media use relates to the on-going alignment between political and social identities (i.e., identity alignment). We offer a framework for theorizing this dynamic and apply it to examine the relationship between Americans’ media diets and on-going psychological alignment between political and social identities in the United States (i.e., partisan social sorting). We use data from 33,690 American respondents from three national surveys: one longitudinal (1972–2020) and two fielded in 2020. There is evidence that identity alignment (i.e., sorting) has grown over time, but only among those who are most interested and attentive to politics and media. In 2020 surveys, we find no evidence that the frequency of media use was a significant predictor of social sorting. Instead, the composition of individuals’ media diets predicted the alignment between their social and political identities.

Abstract In recent years, the scholarly critique of tech power as a form of digital colonialism has gained prominence. Scholars from various disciplines—including communication, law, computer science, anthropology, and sociology—have turned to this idea (or related ones such as tech colonialism, data colonialism, and algorithmic colonization) to conceptualize the harmful impact of digital technologies globally. This article reviews significant historical precedents to the current critique of digital colonialism and further shows how digital rights activists from the Global South have been actively developing and popularizing these ideas over the last decade. I argue that these two phenomena help explain why scholars from varied disciplines developed adjacent frameworks simultaneously and at this specific historical juncture. The article also proposes a typology of digital colonialism around six core features. Overall, this article encourages historicizing current debates about tech power and emphasizes the instrumental role of nonscholarly communities in knowledge production.

Abstract While numerous studies have documented an association between mainstream media trust and mainstream media use, only little is known about potential causal mechanisms underlying the association. We theorize that selective exposure, social influence, and the reinforcing spirals model offer three possible mechanisms that may underlie the association. These possibilities were studied using random intercept cross-lagged panel models and latent curve models on a four-wave panel data set (n = 3,540). For mainstream media, the results show an asymmetrical reinforcing spiral, in which the effect of mainstream media trust on use can be considered as one of yielding maintenance, while the impact of media use on mainstream media trust to a limited degree is in line with the notion of a spiral gradually (though inconsistently) increasing trust over time. We also find that use of right-wing alternative media consistently and sometimes robustly leads to decreasing mainstream media trust.

Abstract Given the potential for media portrayals to affect adolescents’ cognitions regarding risk behaviors and the importance of message interpretation processes, this study investigates how adolescents give meaning to media portrayals of risk behavior (e.g., alcohol, smoking, drugs, sex, and reckless behavior) and which factors play a role within this process through 7 focus groups followed by 50 individual interviews with adolescents. Findings indicate adolescents are far from passive consumers of media portrayals of risk behavior. Participants expressed awareness of the ubiquity and symbolism with which risk behaviors are portrayed in popular media and were mostly adept at deconstructing the images portrayed. However, this did not always translate to critical responses. An interplay of real-life experiences and message characteristics informed judgments about media portrayals of risk behavior. Contributing factors to critical and media-literate deconstructions are distilled in the form of barriers and boosters, and suggestions for media literacy interventions are formulated.

Abstract Consuming media entertainment often challenges recipients’ self-control. While past research related self-control almost exclusively to whether individuals engage in media use, it might be equally relevant for the disengagement from media use. Testing core assumptions of the Appraisal of Media Use, Self-Control, and Entertainment (AMUSE) model, the present study investigates the situational interplay of self-control and affective appraisals in predicting disengagement from Netflix use. Preregistered hypotheses were tested based on an event-contingent experience sampling design, in which 205 adult Netflix users in the Netherlands and Germany were tracked and surveyed for two weeks. Results demonstrate that disengagement is contingent upon enjoyment and appreciation and that enjoyment, in turn, can be “spoiled” by feeling guilty. Self-control influenced goal conflict and enjoyment throughout the reception process. We discuss opportunities for modeling disengagement from media use with situational research approaches.

Purpose: The general objective of this study was to examine the impact of instant messaging apps on interpersonal communication and relationship dynamics. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to instant messaging apps on interpersonal communication and relationship dynamics. Preliminary empirical review revealed that while instant messaging increased connectivity and immediacy between couples, it also led to blurred boundaries and potential stress due to expectations for immediate responses. Frequent communication via IM enhanced relationship bonds but also introduced miscommunications due to the lack of non-verbal cues. The impact varied based on individual differences and relationship contexts, with younger and long-distance couples benefiting more. The study concluded that balancing IM with face-to-face communication was essential for maintaining high relationship satisfaction. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Social Presence Theory, Media Richness Theory and Uses and Gratification Theory may be used to anchor future studies on the impact of instant messaging on interpersonal communication. The study recommended expanding traditional communication theories to incorporate digital nuances, developing practical strategies for relationship counselors to navigate instant messaging challenges, and implementing policy changes to support healthy digital communication practices. It also suggested educational programs to enhance digital literacy, encouraged further research on demographic variations in IM use, and integrating findings into relationship intervention programs. These recommendations aimed to improve theoretical understanding, practical application, and policy development to foster healthier and more satisfying relationships in the digital era.