Gaspar Brändle

Comunicación interpersonal y vida cotidiana. La presentacion de la identidad de los jovenes en Internet

El objeto de esta colaboracion es mostrar algunos rasgos a proposito de como los jovenes se presentan ante los otros a traves de los procesos de comunicacion interpersonal con mediacion tecnologica. En primer lugar se abordan las transformaciones operadas por la mediacion tecnologica en los procesos de comunicacion interpersonal; en segundo lugar se plantea la cuestion de la identidad y el anonimato en la red, cuales son las implicaciones de Internet en terminos de autenticidad y como se experimenta y se juega dicha identidad con relacion a algunos escenarios de la vida cotidiana. Se trata de un estudio exploratorio cuyos resultados se han obtenido a partir de un cuestionario realizado a 360 jovenes universitarios usuarios de Internet, en 2008.

Riesgo de aparición del efecto boomerang en las comunicaciones contra la violencia

behaviors cause concern among people, policy makers, politicians, educators, social workers, parents asso- ciations, etc. From different fields and perspectives, measures are taken to try to solve the problem of violence. Institutional communication campaigns against violence and the publication of news related to violent events are often some of the actions used by policy makers. But some of the literature and data have shown that its effectiveness is not always exactly as expected. And even some anti-violence messages, can have the opposite effect and reinforce the attitudes of those who thought that violence is necessary. The hypothesis is that most people assume with no problem the core message of anti-violence campaigns. But, and this is the key issue and most problematic, individuals who are more likely to be violent (precisely those who should address such communications) could react to anti-vio- lence message in a violent way. There is a tragic paradox: the anti-violence message could increase the predisposi- tion to violent behavior. This would be a case of what some literature called boomerang effect. This article highlights the need for detailed empirical studies on certain effects of media (desensitization, imitation, accessibility and reac- tance), which could help explain the emergence of the boomerang effect.

The moderating role of aggressiveness in response to campaigns and interventions promoting anti‐violence attitudes

This research indicates that a critical factor for understanding the success or failure of anti-violence campaigns is the aggressiveness of the target audience. We propose that person and situation interact in predicting post-intervention attitudes toward violence, fighting expectations, and intentions to learn how to use real guns. Across two studies conducted in different countries and with different age populations, we found that anti-violence campaigns were effective, only for those for whom the message was already pro-attitudinal (low trait aggressiveness). In contrast, for individuals with relatively higher scores in trait aggressiveness, there was no difference in attitudes toward violence between those who received the anti-violence intervention and those assigned to the control group. In fact, the anti-violence messages resulted in a boomerang effect, increasing the favorability of attitudes toward violence in one of the studies. Aggr. Behav. 42:471-482, 2016.

Violent audiovisual content and social consequences: The moderating role of aggression in adolescents

Abstract Numerous studies have linked the consumption of violent audiovisual content to the increase of aggressive cognitions and behaviors. This research aims to clarify whether the possible harmful consequences of violent videogames might vary depending on an individual variable such as trait aggressiveness. A correlational study was carried out among 6,130 teenagers (average age of 13.8 years) from two European countries, in which it became evident, by means of multiple regression analyses, that there was a positive correlation between the use of violent videogames and aggressive behavioral intentions. More relevantly, these correlations were greater amongst those subjects with higher scores on the Aggression Scale. Finally, when analyzing the subjective experiences of users of violent videogames, the more aggressive individuals manifested a greater desire to imitate the characters of the interactive content, admitting that they ended up more agitated even when their initial objective was to relieve tension or relax. Practical and theoretical implications (e.g., Catharsis theory) of those results are discussed.

Riesgo de aparición del efecto boomerang en las comunicaciones contra la violencia The Risk of Emergence of Boomerang Effect in Communication against Violence

behaviors cause concern among people, policy makers, politicians, educators, social workers, parents asso- ciations, etc. From different fields and perspectives, measures are taken to try to solve the problem of violence. Institutional communication campaigns against violence and the publication of news related to violent events are often some of the actions used by policy makers. But some of the literature and data have shown that its effectiveness is not always exactly as expected. And even some anti-violence messages, can have the opposite effect and reinforce the attitudes of those who thought that violence is necessary. The hypothesis is that most people assume with no problem the core message of anti-violence campaigns. But, and this is the key issue and most problematic, individuals who are more likely to be violent (precisely those who should address such communications) could react to anti-vio- lence message in a violent way. There is a tragic paradox: the anti-violence message could increase the predisposi- tion to violent behavior. This would be a case of what some literature called boomerang effect. This article highlights the need for detailed empirical studies on certain effects of media (desensitization, imitation, accessibility and reac- tance), which could help explain the emergence of the boomerang effect.

Design Effectiveness Analysis of a Media Literacy Intervention to Reduce Violent Video Games Consumption Among Adolescents: The Relevance of Lifestyles Segmentation.

Background Exposure to media violence might have detrimental effects on psychological adjustment and is associated with aggression-related attitudes and behaviors. As a result, many media literacy programs were implemented to tackle that major public health issue. However, there is little evidence about their effectiveness. Evaluating design effectiveness, particularly regarding targeting process, would prevent adverse effects and improve the evaluation of evidence-based media literacy programs. Objectives The present research examined whether or not different relational lifestyles may explain the different effects of an antiviolence intervention program. Research design Based on relational and lifestyles theory, the authors designed a randomized controlled trial and applied an analysis of variance 2 (treatment: experimental vs. control) × 4 (lifestyle classes emerged from data using latent class analysis: communicative vs. autonomous vs. meta-reflexive vs. fractured). Subjects Seven hundred and thirty-five Italian students distributed in 47 classes participated anonymously in the research (51.3% females). Measures Participants completed a lifestyle questionnaire as well as their attitudes and behavioral intentions as the dependent measures. Results The results indicated that the program was effective in changing adolescents’ attitudes toward violence. However, behavioral intentions toward consumption of violent video games were moderated by lifestyles. Those with communicative relational lifestyles showed fewer intentions to consume violent video games, while a boomerang effect was found among participants with problematic lifestyles. Conclusion Adolescents’ lifestyles played an important role in influencing the effectiveness of an intervention aimed at changing behavioral intentions toward the consumption of violent video games. For that reason, audience lifestyle segmentation analysis should be considered an essential technique for designing, evaluating, and improving media literacy programs.

Measuring housing exclusion using the ETHOS typology

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a thorough assessment of the current statistical sources in Spain, as well as new indicators that extend and improve the European Typology on Homelessness and Housing Exclusion (ETHOS) to better address every housing exclusion situation. Design/methodology/approach – The main categories of the ETHOS typology are reviewed: definition, subcategories and the availability of data and statistical sources in Spain. The assessment of the information available is carried out by considering objective and subjective indicators. Additionally, the inclusion of new subcategories is proposed. Findings – The strengths and weaknesses of the ETHOS model when applied in the study of housing exclusion are highlighted, and the need to have an appropriate set of indicators for measuring housing exclusion is stressed. The ETHOS typology may be the reference conceptual framework to elaborate a system of housing exclusion indicators. However, it would be necessary to extent this ...