Introducing the PCMC model: an investigative framework for young people’s processing of commercialized media content

There is a vital need for an updated evaluation of children’s and adolescents’ changing
commercial media environment. In this article, we introduce an investigative framework
for young people’s processing of commercial media content (PCMC) that can deal with
current and future developments in the media landscape. To develop this framework, we
(a) introduce an integrated model of young people’s persuasion processing, adopting a
developmental perspective on adult persuasion models; (b) theorize how communication
can predict persuasion processing, based on a limited capacity information processing
approach; (c) identify specific message characteristics that affect persuasion processing (e.g., prominence, interactivity, integration). Thus, the PCMC model provides a theoretical
framework as well as specific guidelines for future research investigating young people’s
commercialized media environment.