Personality Traits: Influence on Media Effects

Abstract

Media effects research raises the question as to why some individuals appear to be affected by certain media use while others are not. Gaining a better understanding of personality psychology and individual differences may help media researchers to understand the impact and use of certain types of media content. So far, media studies had the tendency to control for certain personality traits when studying media impact and a handful of microlevel media effects theories were developed that include one or more personality traits as moderator variables. However, as media studies are often limited to the inclusion of one or two personality traits, it is difficult to determine the role of well‐known personality psychology theories and taxonomies in the effects examined by such studies. It seems that the field of media effects needs a coherent framework of personality traits that provides clear instructions on the use of personality taxonomies and other trait assessments.

The role of personality traits and social support in relations of health-related behaviours and depressive symptoms

“…Since low self-esteem has been related to the concept of neuroticism [ 33 ], emotionally labile people may more frequently experience downward comparisons and self-devaluation and hence have a more stressful user experience in social media compared with that of emotionally stable individuals. In sum, theories on the relationships between media use and depressive symptoms with a focus on personality are rare [ 34 ]. Following the summary of theories by Valkenburg and colleagues [ 24 ], another relevant individual-level factor that is related to the strength of media effects is social context.…”