mediaexposure

Media exposure refers to the extent to which a person or audience encounters content across media platforms, including television, radio, print, websites, and social media. It is a foundational concept in both media research and advertising, used to estimate how widely a message might be seen and by whom, and to plan and evaluate campaigns.

Measurement of exposure is conducted at macro and micro levels. Macro indicators include reach (the proportion of the target audience exposed at least once) and frequency (the average number of exposures per person). Impressions, ratings, and gross rating points (GRP) are common advertising metrics. In digital media, metrics such as unique users, impressions, viewable impressions, and dwell time provide finer-grained data. Exposure does not imply attention or comprehension; it is possible to expose people to content without them processing it deeply.

Effects of exposure depend on factors like content relevance, framing, duration, and the surrounding media environment. Increased exposure can raise awareness, knowledge, and sometimes attitudes, but can also contribute to information overload or polarization, depending on source credibility and message quality. Ethical considerations include privacy in data collection, consent, and the potential for manipulation or bias in algorithmically driven exposure.