ABSTRACT
Media use does not affect everyone in the same way. Personality characteristics, such as the tendency to empathize with others or to seek out novel experiences, are factors that shape how individuals are changed by media. These traits can shape the types of content individuals choose, for example by making it more likely they will attend to alcohol advertisements or find slower-paced stories with serious themes appealing. In doing so, these traits contribute to differing patterns of effects on well-being. Someone who notices alcohol ads is more likely to be affected by them, whereas someone who is drawn to serious stories is more likely to experience inspiration or uplift. Furthermore, personality can also shape individuals’ responses to media content. Some people tend to become cognitively or emotionally engaged, whereas others tend to process messages with less depth or to remain emotionally unmoved. These responses also shape media effects, facilitating the impact of some messages and tempering that of others. This chapter considers how users’ personality shapes media effects on well-being. It describes the traits that have been studied most often and reviews research regarding mechanisms through which these traits shape media influence. The potential for media to shape the expression of personality traits over time is also addressed.
