Barinov D.N. The Influence of Medianews on the Emotional Well-Being of Mass Media Audience in Regions

Abstract: The article presents the results of the empirical research studying the influence of medianews on the emotional well-being of media audience in regions. Quite often mass media dramatizes real events and aggravates unusual or abnormal nature of this or that event, thus creating negative emotional states such as anxiety or fear. With that in mind, Barinov aims his research of the emotional effect of news at defining peculiar conditions when anxiety and fear arise as a result of watching or listening to media news. The instruments used in the course of the research are based on the methods tested and proved by modern media researches. The theoretical basis of the research consists of scientific publications in teh sphere of sociology of mass communication and sociological research of social fears. The followoing conclusions have been made. Besides the factor of involving regions' audience into the process of medianews consumption, the nature of emotional states are also influenced by sociodemographic factors. Apparently, representatives of social groups extrapolate rules of cultural behavior regarding expressing emotions, values, attitudes and evaluations on news which either intensifies or weakens the role of such information in generation of fears and anxiety. Social groups whose positions within social relations can be described as unstable, insecure or uncertain are especially vulnerable and susceptible to fear-generating mass media information. 

Keywords: