How Fantasy Becomes Reality: Information and Entertainment Media in Everyday Life, Revised and Expanded

From Smartphones To Social Media, From Streaming Videos To Fitness Bands, Our Devices Bring Us Information And Entertainment All Day Long, Forming An Intimate Part Of Our Lives. Their Ubiquity Represents A Major Shift In Human Experience, And Although We Often Hold Our Devices Dear, We Do Not Always Fully Appreciate How Their Nearly Constant Presence Can Influence Our Lives For Better And For Worse. In This Second Edition Of How Fantasy Becomes Reality, Social Psychologist Karen E. Dill-shackleford Explains What The Latest Science Tells Us About How Our Devices Influence Our Thoughts, Feelings, And Behaviors. In Engaging, Conversational Prose, She Discusses Both The Benefits And The Risks That Come With Our Current Level Of Media Saturation. The Wide-ranging Conversation Explores Avatar, Mad Men, Grand Theft Auto, And Comic Con To Address Critical Issues Such As Media Violence, Portrayals Of Social Groups, Political Coverage, And Fandom. Her Conclusions Will Empower Readers To Make Our Favorite Sources Of Entertainment And Information Work For Us And Not Against Us. Fantasy And Reality : A Primer On Media And Social Construction -- Fandom, Fantasy, And Reality -- Old And New Media In Everday Life : From Tv To Social Media -- Media Violence -- Representations Of Social Groups In Media : Race, Gender, And Beyond -- Advertising, Consumerism, And Health -- Media And Social Identity -- The Social Psychology Of Political Coverage -- From The Passenger's Seat To The Driver's Seat Karen E. Dill-shackleford. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.