On the stabilization of media effects after repeated exposure: consequences for media effects research

Public concerns about media effects are oftentimes fueled by anecdotal evidence and popular press reports pointing towards strong media effects. Interestingly, however, these public concerns are in contrast to findings from empirical studies that point towards minimal media effects. In the past decades, scholars have proposed several explanations for these minimal effects. This article adds to this, by proposing that one reason is that media effects stabilize after repeated exposure. If media effects stabilize, media effects occur only during effect-sensitive periods and might therefore only be empirically observable during these periods. This article delineates how well-established psychological theories as well as communication science theories are crucial in understanding the effects of repeated media exposure and how the conceptualization of media effects as stabilizing after repeated exposure has strong consequences for our empirical endeavors. The article discusses how to move the field forward, both empirically as well as theoretically.