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This Book deals with the psychological effects of extremist propaganda videos. It particularly asks the question how young adults in Germany respond to right-wing as well as Islamic extremist videos which can be found on the Internet today. This is not a book about terrorism, but about the potential conditions which might facilitate a climate of receptivity for radical messages in a young mass audience with diverging cultural and educational background and different attitudes and values. The so called web 2.0, with its mostly unfiltered, user-created content provides unprecedented opportunities for extremists to present themselves and uncensored ideas to a mass audience. This internet propaganda is created in order to increase attention and interest for extremist ideas and group memberships. It also aims to indoctrinate the recipients and, as a last consequence, to foster radicalization. The radicalizing potential has been feared by international security agencies and mass media. Nevertheless, not even the early stage effects of extremist propaganda in terms of raising attention and interest have yet been analyzed empirically. They are however necessary preconditions in order for propaganda to envelope a radicalizing effect. The current studies close this gap by focusing on this early stage effects. We analyzed how a non-radicalized audience responds to extremist internet videos. For the first time, based on a content analysis of actual right-wing and Islamic extremist Internet videos, our study used state-of-the-art methods from experimental media psychology for tracking the emotional and cognitive responses of a broad sample of 450 young male adults. As expected, we mostly found rejection and never strong acceptance for the extremist videos. Still, specific production styles and audience characteristics were able to cause at least neutral attitudes underpinning the strategic potential of internet propaganda. In the end, our studies might result in more questions than answers. However, we are confident that the conceptual as well as the methodological way chosen is most promising as to approach a deeper understanding of the first effects of extremist Internet propaganda.

Research on eudaimonic media has so far predominantly focused on audiovisual offerings: movies or YouTube video clips. However, much meaningful and inspiring content nowadays is uploaded on social media in so-called memes. Three exploratory studies therefore investigated the occurrence, content, and effects of inspiring and meaningful memes in social media: The hashtags of eudaimonic memes were analyzed in semantic networks (study 1), a content analysis was conducted to typologize eudaimonic themes addressed in memes (study 2), and an online survey investigated the effects of eudaimonic memes on users (study 3). The results suggest that previously defined topics of inspiration and meaningfulness are also common among hashtags and memes and lead to the same beneficial effects for their consumers. The discussion aims at advancing the theory of mediated eudaimonia and understanding its relevance for well-being in the daily lives of social media users.

Recent work on eudaimonic media entertainment has demonstrated that not only movies carry meaningful or inspiring topics but also content that is usually uploaded online, such as YouTube videos or memes in social media. Although past research found beneficial effects of eudaimonic movies for psychosocial well-being and motivational intentions, the daily audience of eudaimonic online fare has not been investigated yet. This article reports first findings from a survey ( N = 2777), representative of German Internet users. Specifically, it addresses the question of (daily) encounters with eudaimonic memes, remembered topics, emotional and motivational effects with a focus on gender differences. The results reveal that many social media users consume "small doses" of eudaimonic content on a regular basis and experience similar, yet weaker, emotional consequences of such exposure. These findings are discussed in light of eudaimonic entertainment and positive media psychology.

Medienpsychologische Fragestellungen befassen sich damit, das Erleben und Verhalten im Umgang mit Medien zu erklären. Das Lehrbuch kombiniert Alltagsbeispiele mit aktuellen Studien und den bedeutsamsten Theorien des Fachs. Medienpsychologische Fragestellungen werden anhand der Themenblöcke Meinungsbildung, Unterhaltung, Persuasion, Lernen, Gesundheit, Identität/Gruppen, soziales Verhalten, Beziehungen, und Lebensphasen beleuchtet. Das Buch ist die perfekte Grundlage für Studierende, die einen Einblick in die Welt der Medienpsychologie gewinnen wollen, und bietet sich für Lehrende als Begleitlektüre an, wobei es eigene Lehrveranstaltungen durch nützliche Folientemplates unterstützt.

Ausgehend von zwei Theorien zur intergenerationalen Solidarität im Erwachsenenalter (Bengtson & Roberts, 1991; Szydlik, 2000) und verschiedenen Studien zum Thema wurden mögliche Prädiktoren für die Determinanten emotionaler, praktischer und informationsbezogener Unterstützungsleistungen erwachsener Kinder an ihre Eltern ermittelt: Reziprozität (von den Eltern erhaltene Hilfen), Opportunitätsstrukturen, Bedürfnisstrukturen, familiäre Merkmale und demografische Variablen. Diese Variablen wurden vom erwachsenen Kind und beiden Elternteilen erfasst mittels eines Fragebogens sowie mittels eines strukturierten Dreifach-Tagebuchs, das über 28 Tage von allen Familienmitgliedern getrennt geführt wurde und persönliche sowie telefonische Kontakte und dabei auftretende Hilfeleistungen erfasste. Teilnehmende waren 100 Kinder (M = 33 Jahre), deren 97 Mütter (M = 58 Jahre), sowie 82 Väter (M = 61 Jahre). Alle Befragten stammten aus Ostdeutschland. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass der Einfluss der geleisteten Hilfen der Eltern vermittelt wurde über die Wahrnehmung der Kinder, diese Hilfen erhalten zu haben.

Ausgehend von zwei Theorien zur intergenerationalen Solidarität im Erwachsenenalter (Bengtson & Roberts, 1991; Szydlik, 2000) und verschiedenen Studien zum Thema wurden mögliche Prädiktoren für die Determinanten emotionaler, praktischer und informationsbezogener Unterstützungsleistungen erwachsener Kinder an ihre Eltern ermittelt: Reziprozität (von den Eltern erhaltene Hilfen), Opportunitätsstrukturen, Bedürfnisstrukturen, familiäre Merkmale und demografische Variablen. Diese Variablen wurden vom erwachsenen Kind und beiden Elternteilen erfasst mittels eines Fragebogens sowie mittels eines strukturierten Dreifach-Tagebuchs, das über 28 Tage von allen Familienmitgliedern getrennt geführt wurde und persönliche sowie telefonische Kontakte und dabei auftretende Hilfeleistungen erfasste. Teilnehmende waren 100 Kinder (M = 33 Jahre), deren 97 Mütter (M = 58 Jahre), sowie 82 Väter (M = 61 Jahre). Alle Befragten stammten aus Ostdeutschland. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass der Einfluss der geleisteten Hilfen der Eltern vermittelt wurde über die Wahrnehmung der Kinder, diese Hilfen erhalten zu haben.

Three studies explored whether cognitive dissonance in smokers is reduced immediately or remains constant due to the perceived health risk. Because dissonance-reducing strategies might occur very quickly and previous research has focused only on ratings concerning health risk, we additionally analyzed response latencies and psychophysiological arousal as more implicit measurements. In Study 1, 2, and 3, participants rated their smoking-related health risks twice for different diseases. Ratings, response latencies (Study 1, 2), and psychophysiological arousal (Study 3) differed during the first testing. Differences in response latencies and psychophysiological arousal diminished during the second testing, whereas ratings did not change. The results are discussed in terms of implicit methods as measurements for cognitive dissonance and in terms of prevention and intervention programs.

The proliferation of smartphones and their use in almost every social situation has led to controversial discussions about the smartphone's potential impact on stress and recovery of its users. Some research has found detrimental effects of permanent availability and connectivity, other studies hint at beneficial effects resulting from users taking minibreaks from work. As there is some evidence for a recovery potential of mass media in general, the current study extends this line of research by examining whether smartphones also have such potential. To that end, we investigated the effects of smartphone use in fatiguing situations on recovery experiences and cognitive performance. After a fatigue-induction task, participants were observed in a waiting situation in order to check whether they used their mobile devices. Afterwards, data on their recovery experiences and cognitive performance were collected. The results demonstrate that smartphone use can be beneficial for some recovery dimensions but also detrimental for others. Smartphone use was positively related to cognitive performance, mediated through experiences of control. Results are discussed regarding the consequences of new mobile technologies and their potential to stay permanently Internet-connected.

Abstract
Extremists often aim to paint a biased picture of the world. Radical narratives, for instance, in forms of internet memes or posts, could thus potentially trigger cognitive biases in their users. These cognitive biases, in turn, might shape the users' formation of extremist attitudes. To test this association, an online experiment (N=392) was conducted with three types of right-wing radical narratives (elite-critique, ingroup-outgroup, violence) in contrast to two control conditions (nonpolitical and neutral political control condition). We then measured the impact of these narratives on the activation of three cognitive biases of relevance in the formation of extremist attitudes: the ingroup-outgroup bias, the negativity bias, and the just-world hypothesis. The results indicate that violence narratives seem to be particularly harmful as they heighten participants' negativity bias and increase just-world views. Just-world views in turn show a positive relationship to extremist attitudes, which highlights the need of regulating violence invocations on social media.

This editorial introduces the thematic issue on inspirational media; including its role in the elicitation of meaning and self-transcendence, audience responses to inspirational narratives, and the potential for inspirational media to be used for manipulative purposes. We first set the stage for the thematic issue by describing an organizing framework by Thrash and Elliot (2003) to study inspiration. We then situate the seven articles published in this thematic issue along the logic of different components of this framework, namely media content capable of invoking transcendence through emotions and excitatory responses, and a motivational impulse to act upon the ideas acquired from content. This thematic issue thereby highlights unique perspectives for understanding media's ability to serve as the source of inspiration - be it for social benefit or detriment. Finally, we consider directions for future research on inspirational media.

Right-wing extremists and Islamist extremists try to recruit new followers by addressing their national (for instance, German) or religious (Muslim) social identity via online propaganda videos. Two studies examined whether capitalizing on a shared group-membership affects the emotional and cognitive response towards extremist propaganda. In both studies, Germans/non-migrants, Muslim migrants and control participants ( N = 235) were confronted with right-wing extremist and Islamist extremist videos. Emotional and cognitive effects of students (Study 1) and apprentices (Study 2) were assessed. Results showed a general negative evaluation of extremist videos. More relevant, in-group propaganda led to more emotional costs in both studies. Yet, the responses varied depending on educational level: students reported more negative emotions and cognitions after in-group directed videos, while apprentices reported more positive emotions and cognitions after in-group directed propaganda. Results are discussed considering negative social identities.

Researchers have repeatedly discussed how to strengthen supportive and pro-social responses to online hate, such as reporting and commenting. Researchers and practitioners commonly call for the promotion of media literacy measures that are believed to be positively associated with countermeasures against online hate. In this study (conducted in 2021), we examined relationships between media literacy proficiencies of (1) moral-participatory motivation and abilities and, consequently, (2) the establishment of moral-participatory behaviors and the correspondence with prosocial responses to online hate. A sample of 1489 adolescents and young adults (16–22 years old) from eight European countries is examined. Results confirmed that higher participatory-moral motivation and behavior were significantly associated with stronger intentions to report online hate. Commenting on hateful online content, on the other hand, was significantly related to participatory-moral abilities and past experiences with online harassment. Implications for the role of social media literacy in the context of online hate are discussed.