Media and emotion: An introduction

Abstract

This article provides a meta-theoretical overview of the central research questions, concepts, and lines of conflict at the nexus between media and emotions. It interrogates key terms such as affect and emotion, discusses a variety of influential approaches in emotion research, and identifies debates and tensions in the field of study. Within this vast and complex interdisciplinary field and the broad range of affective phenomena it covers, we concentrate primarily on various types of media-induced emotions, with a focus on the development of ideas about screen media and spectatorship.