Cristel Russell

This project builds on my broad research portfolio that is focused on the influence of media on audiences and draws directly from existing research conducted in collaboration with French colleagues. I propose to expand my current research efforts by developing a ready-to-use toolkit intervention to both enhance French youths’ understanding of and defenses against advertising messages embedded in media content focused on their population. This program will be especially advantageous in increasing youths’ awareness of and reactance to the marketing of harmful substances (e.g., e-cigarettes, tobacco, stimulants, and alcohol). My previous research has shown that such undesirable messages are insidious across entertainment platforms such as music videos, TV series and movies, but that there are also promising methods to counter their influence. The primary objective of this project is to craft an interactive intervention tool based on the extant media and prevention strategies literature to enhance youths’ defenses against the maladaptive behaviors being marketed. This tool will educate youths about advertising – which I refer to as aducate - so that they can better recognize and resist such influences.