Fourth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

Selective attention and perceptual organization are subsets of our beliefs and values. Humans have so many ways to acquire knowledge on the world around us, but, that does not necessarily mean that what we are engaging in is correct or accurate. We are creatures of comfort, meaning, we tend to stick to what we know and what we are used to. So, our attention becomes selective, and what we see and perceive becomes narrowed, until all we are left with is a filtered version of our reality. Our species thrives off of our values, be-it right or wrong, we know what we know, and we don’t like to stray from it. Unfortunately, when we taper our sources to only a specific set of beliefs, it is hard for us to understand the big picture. It becomes so easy for us to get cozy in our own little bubble of reality, and it begins to impact our emotions or behavior. The seclusion can engross us with irrational thoughts or fears that are only being developed because it is all that we are hearing day in and day out. We will discuss these issues and possible remedies in this session.