Theories of Mass Communication

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Theories of Mass Communication
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From Powerful to Minimal Effects

• Mass media A powerful persuasion tool
• Powerful effects model of mass media
• Hypodermic model injecting ideas/opinions
• War of the Worlds broadcast
• Hitlers use of media for persuasion
• Later replaced by minimal effects model
• Why we Fight series of movies
• Top movie directors used to motivate troops
• Idea was to harness powerful mass media
• Tested on troops, but found little attitude
  change
• New view media have little effect on views
  opinions

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From Minimal to Conditional Model

• But was evidence that media did matter!
• A more nuanced proposal emerged
• Avoided extremes of earlier models
• Keys to new perspective
• Mass media not all powerful
• Audience not passive waiting to be manipulated
• Mass media can have an effect on people/society
• Basic questions
• Who did it effect?
• When did it affect them?
• How did it affected them?

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Agenda Setting Theory

• A reaction to Minimal Effects model
• Explained why minimal effects found
• Peoples opinions dont change
• Issue salience/relevance does change
• Mass media shape issue salience!
• Revived mass comm effects research
• Key Medias agenda ? publics agenda
• Media not good at telling us what to think media
  are good at telling us what to think about
• We judge important issues the media says is
  important
• We judge unimportant issues media ignores or
  downplays

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Research Results Mixed

• Early studies
• Issues prominent in media predict publics issues
• A time lag from headlines to poll results
• Later, some critiques
• Correlations Directionality, third variable
• Alt 1 public concern ? news
• Alt 2 reality ? news AND public concern

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Refining Agenda Setting

• Other factors shaping process?
• Need for Orientation Low knowledge/education/sa
  lience ? high reliance on media?
• Who Sets Gatekeepers Agenda?
• elite media?
• politicians?
• interest aggregations?
• definition of news?
• Media profit-making pressures?

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Uses and Gratifications

• Changes the basic question about medias role
• Used to be What do media do to us?
• Now was What do we do with the media?
• Assumes an active audience
• We choose whether or not to use and what we use
• We choose what content to view/hear/read
• We decide how to interpret
• We decide how to respond

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Uses and Grats

• Desire for gratifications guides medium use
• What grats do we seek from media?
• Diversion stress relief, avoidance
• Social/parasocial relationships
• Identity needs Who we are/values clarification
• Surveillance Keep up with events

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Updated version Uses and effects

• Are media or audience most powerful?
• Media content an important social force
• We decide what, when, how to engage content
• Maybe media and audience affect each other
• Might media use shape gratifications sought
• Maybe seeking gratifications leads to effects
• Reconciles two perspectives
• Role of audience
• Role of media content

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Cultivation Theory

• Long-term debate about media effects
• Concerns that TV contributes to social problems
• Similar concerns about books, movies, comics
• If can prove link, may lead to solutions
• Focus Long-term effects of violent programs
• Exposure cultivates attitudes
• Attitudes reflect programmings distortions

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Television Distorts Reality

• Violence Index violence on TV steady, high
• 2/3rds of all programs contain violence
• Adult dramas 5 violent acts/hour
• Kids shows 20 violent acts/hour
• Kids see 13,000 violent deaths by 18
• Violence by villains and heroes
• Other distortions found in studies
• Victims often female, minority, poorer
• Fewer kids, women, minorities, elderly appear

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Effects of Exposure

• Cultivation Theory Hypotheses
• Heavy viewers ? television answer
• Light viewers ? more realistic answers
• Heavy viewing ? Mean World Syndrome
• Believe more likely to be victim, more fearful
• Believe police pervasive, aggressive
• More suspicious of others generally

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Explanations for Effects

• Homogenization
• TV blurs, blends, bends views
• TV promotes TV mainstream view of world
• Some evidence in support
• Groups w/different views among light viewers do
  not differ among heavy viewers
• Attitudes to emerge from mean world
  perceptions generally more conservative
• Resonance TV reinforces real-world experiences
  with violence -- doubly powerful