Presentation for Credble Behavioral Health, Inc. 10th Annual Partner Conference, Baltimore. March 9, 2017.

1. MEDIA PSYCHOLOGY
10th Annual Partner Conference
March 9, 2017
WHAT IS IT? HOW DO YOU USE IT?
Dr. Pamela Rutledge
Director,
Media Psychology Research Center
pamelarutledge@gmail.com
Twitter: @pamelarutledge
Linkedin.com/in/pamelarutledge
www.pamelarutledge.com

2. DEFINITION
Media psychology applies
psychological science to the
use, development, distribution and
research of mediated communication
and technology

3. IT WON’T TURN YOU
INTO A ROCK STAR
BUT IT WILL CHANGE
THE WAY YOU THINK
AND HOW YOU
HELP YOUR CLIENTS

4. TECHNOLOGY IS
EVERWHERE
AND IT’S NOT GOING
AWAY

5. BEHAVIORS ARE CHANGING
77% USE
MULTIPLE
SCREENS
75% USE
YOUTUBE
43% WATCH TV
ONLINE

6. OVER 2.5 MILLION
APPS ON ITUNES
0.
500.
1,000.
1,500.
2,000.
2,500.
3,000.
Jul '08 Jul '09 Jul '10 Jul '11 Jul '12 Jul '13 Jul '14 Jul '15 Jul '16
Apps Games

7. 7.2B DOWNLOADS
WORLDWIDE IN
Q1/16
62% for social connection:
WhatsApp
Messenger
Facebook
Piano Tiles 2
Instagram
SnapChat
Candy Crush Jelly Saga

8. IT’S EASY TO GET
DISTRACTED BY ALL THE
NEW TOYS

9. Goal for Today: One New Idea

10. HARNESS THE ENERGY
OF CHANGE

11. Millennials are the first
generation to be “born
digital”
HERE COME THE MILLENNIALS
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
2014 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050
Millions
Gen X
Millennials
Gen Z
Greatest
BoomersSilent
They have overtaken the
number of Boomer and are
now the largest generation

12. THE CLIENT PIPELINE: DIGITAL NATIVES
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
2014 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050
Millennials
Everyone Older

13. 70% OF
PSYCHOLOGISTS
ARE DITIGAL
IMMIGRANTS
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Digital Natives Digital Immigrants

14. DIGITAL CULTURE: A
NEW WORLDVIEW

15. 24/7 CONNECTIVITY
NO HIERARCHIES
PEER-TO-PEER CONNECTONS
CONTENT CURATED
NO FEEDBACK
INFORMATION FLOWS ONE WAY
FROM ONE-TO-MANY TO MANY-TO-MANY

16. LIFE AS LECTURE HALL
Quiet, anonymous
Speaker has authority
The audience doesn’t
get to talk to each
other or talk back to
the speaker
The audience can’t
leave until it’s over

17. LIFE AS COCTAIL PARTY
No hierarchy
People move around & talk
to each other
People expect to participate,
interact, respond, speak up
Light shines on everyone
You can interact where you
want; leave when you want

18. MOBILE
ON-
DEMAND
INFORMATION
24/7CONNECTIVITY

19. EXPECTATIONS SHIFT:
WE LIVE IN A NEW NORMAL
>> Privacy
>> Sharing
>> The use of images
>> Voice
>> Feedback
>> Response time
>> Authenticity
>> Transparency
>> New language & symbols

20. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU?
The need to understand expereince in a world where
online and offline are part of the same social reality

21. HOW DO YOU FEEL
ABOUT TECHNOLOGY?

22. >> Less Empathy
>> Depression
>> FOMO
>> Social isolation
>> Addicted to social media
>> Addicted to games
>> Narcissists
>> Low self-esteem
>> Information overload
RESEARCH OR
CONFIRMATION BIAS?

23. BIOLOGICAL IMPERATIVE FOR
SURIVIVAL
ALWAYS SUSPICIOUS OF NEW
STUFF
THE TROUBLE LIES IN
THE BRAIN
MAKES DECISIONS BASED ON
“INSTINCT”

24. Instinct (Reptilian brain)
Emotion (Paleo-mammalian or limbic
system)
Rational (Neo-mammalian or neo-
cortex)
THINK OF THE BRAIN IN THREE
PARTS: TRIUNE BRAIN THEORY
THE REPTILIAN BRAIN HAS
SIMPLE CRITERIA:
PAIN OR GAIN?
IT WORKS FROM WHAT IT KNOWS
REPTILIAN BRAIN MAKES
95% OF ALL DECISIONS

25. STICK OR SNAKE?

26. AUTOMATIC VS.
INTENTIONAL
Beliefs are
• learned, a product of our experiences
• form our assumptions about how the
world works
• act as filters for new information
LIKE RIDING A BIKE, BELIEFS ARE
SOMETHING WE JUST “KNOW”

27. STICK OR SNAKE?

28. SOCRATES: THE
ORIGINAL
TECHNOPHOBE
... this discovery of yours
[writing] will create
forgetfulness in the learners’
souls, because they will not
use their memories...

29. LITTLE HAS
CHANGED

30. LET’S TAKE A
SELFIE

31. SHARED EXPERIENCE
MULTI-SENSORY MEMORY TRIGGER
AUTHENTIC AND PERSONAL

32. INFORMATION RICH
MESSAGING
• Empowerment
• Social connection
• Identity exploration
• Authenticity
• Normalizing
• Social validation
• Personal
• Presence - mirror
neurons
• Mindfulness
• Gratitude
• Humor

33. RESEARCH OR MORAL
JUDGMENT?

34. VICTIMS OF OUR
OWN BELIEFS
• Technology that exists when we
are born is normal
• Anything invented before we
turn 35 is exciting
• Anything that comes later is
suspect and probably
dangerous

35. WHAT’S LOST VS. WHAT’S GAINED
Applying positive psychology to media

36. WHERE DOES REALITY
FALL SHORT?
• When we ask what’s missing, we
miss the upside
• What if we we started with
asking how technology meets
fundamental human goals?
• Social connection
• Mastery
• Competence

37. AUTONOMY
MASTERY
RELATEDNESS
SELF-EFFICACY ENGAGEMENT
COMPETENCE
OPTIMISMRESILIENCE
PURPOSE
AGENCY
THE UPWARD SPIRAL OF POSITIVE EMOTIONS

38. IS TECHNOLOGY
ALWAYS GOOD?
• Like anything, it’s about
balance and goals
• Like any tool, technology can
be both good and bad

39. 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
18-29
30-49
50-64
65+
SOCIAL MEDIA USE:
NORMAL NOT PATHOLOGICAL

40. MEDIA PSYCHOLOGY:
TWO-PRONGED APPROACH
>> BIAS: WHAT YOU BELIEVE ABOUT TECHNOLOGY USE
• Impacts your ability to empathize with clients
• Distracts you from fundamental issues by focusing too much on tools
• Allows you to evaluate benefits and liabilities of behavioral patterns
>> APPLICATION: HOW YOU CAN USE TECHNOLOGY
• Ability to leverage power and reach
• Enhance effectiveness of your organization and practice

41. NOT SURE WHAT TO DO?
Education and training
materials – YouTube, blogs
Professional collaboration and
development – Linked in
Leveraged access for
care – Text & forums
Attract new clients – Blogs,
websites
FAKE IT ’TIL YOU
MAKE IT

42. WHAT’S THE NEXT WAVE?
WILL YOU BE READY?

43. YOUR CLIENTS HAVE
NEW EXPECTATIONS
YOU CAN, TOO

44. THANK YOU
Dr. Pamela Rutledge
www.pamelarutledge.com
pamelarutledge@gmail.com
@pamelarutledge linkedin.com/in/pamelarutledge