Award Date

5-15-2026

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies

First Committee Member

Kevin Stoker

Second Committee Member

Benjamin Burroughs

Third Committee Member

Aya Shata

Fourth Committee Member

Brett Levner

Number of Pages

47

Abstract

This thesis examines how contemporary media environments especially algorithmic, mobile, and socially interactive platforms are shaping attention, identity, emotional regulation, and mental health in a mediatized society. While research has documented rising levels of anxiety, depression, social comparison, compulsive media use, and fragmented communication patterns, much of the existing scholarship is quantitative and clinical, leaving a gap in how individuals experience these effects subjectively. This project combines literature grounded in media effects theory with a qualitative documentary film featuring lived-experience narratives from media users, clinicians, and scholars. The thesis argues that the psychological, social, and behavioral outcomes associated with digital media such as attentional erosion, dopamine reinforcement loops, ghosting, body-image destabilization, and algorithmic influence are not isolated effects, but interconnected outcomes of an engagement-optimized media system. By pairing scholarly research with human-centered storytelling, this project aims to bridge academic knowledge with public understanding and address the ethical, emotional, and communicative stakes of life in a digital society.

Controlled Subject

Digital media; Dopamine; Social media and society

Disciplines

Broadcast and Video Studies | Journalism Studies | Social and Behavioral Sciences

File Format

PDF

File Size

619 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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