Dr. Holly Kruse Communication Theory Mass Media Theories Dr. Holly Kruse Communication Theory

Media Effects Theories Direct effects: Hypodermic needle theory Payne Fund studies into film’s effects (1929-1932)

Media Effects Theories Limited effects: Cantril, War of the Worlds (1940). Lazarsfeld, Berelson, & Gaudet, The People’s Choice (1948) Lazarsfeld & Katz, Personal Influence (1955) – Two-Step Flow

Media Effects Theories Powerful but limited effects model: “Mass Media and Violence” report to National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence (1968) Surgeon General’s Report, “Television and Growing Up” (1972) Problems proving causality Summary of approaches on webpage

Limited Effects Theories Agenda- Setting (McCombs & Shaw): The process by which the news media, by selecting certain topics (repeatedly) for news coverage, determine the issues the public thinks about and knows about.

Limited Effects Theories Agenda-Setting: McCombs & Shaw, 1968 – high correlation between media coverage of issue & voter perception. 1972 study: what was causal order? Who set whose agenda?

Limited Effects Theories Agenda-Setting: 1972 results unclear, though June newspaper agenda correlated with October voter agenda. Highest correlation: Voter agenda in June & voter agenda in October. How could there be a media effect if voters’ agenda basically unchanged?

Limited But Powerful Effects Spiral of Silence: Perception of public opinion influences willingness to express opinions. People unwilling to publicly express opinions when they believe they’re in minority.

Limited But Powerful Effects Spiral of Silence: Fear of social isolation helps determine what people will talk about, which then shapes public opinion. This is the spiral.

Limited But Powerful Effects Spiral of Silence: People try to assess climate of opinion, both current distribution and in future, using quasi-statistical sense. Minority ignore perceived public opinion: the hard core.

Limited But Powerful Effects Spiral of Silence: Mass media plays a role. Media helps provide sense that a point of view is legitimate. Recent research shows spiral exists in social media.

Limited But Powerful Effects Cultivation theory: TV viewing has long-term effects. These effects are small, gradual, indirect, but cumulative and significant. Mass media cultivate attitudes and values already present in a culture.

Limited But Powerful Effects Cultivation theory: Studies combine surveys with content analyses. Distinguishes between heavy and light viewers. Heavy viewers more influenced by TV content. A key effect: “mean world syndrome.”

Qualitative Approaches Uses and Gratifications: Is not about what the media does to people Is about what people do with media How does media use help satisfy social or psychological needs?

Qualitative Approaches Uses and Gratifications: Developed in 1960s & 1970s Original research focused on TV Media users fill out questionnaire about media use and reasons for it.

Qualitative Approaches Uses & gratifications - gratifications come from: The medium’s content Familiarity with genre within the medium General exposure to medium Social context of use

Qualitative Approaches Uses & gratifications – reasons for media use: Information Personal identity Integration and social interaction Entertainment

Qualitative Approaches Media ecology: Looks at how media of communication affect human perception, understanding, feeling, and value… The word ‘ecology’ implies the study of environments: their structure, content, and impact on people.” (Postman, 1970)

Qualitative Approaches Media ecology – Harold Innis: Large scale interactions between media & society Not concerned with content of media, but with the technology and kinds of communication it enables

Qualitative Approaches Media ecology – Harold Innis: Bias of communication – space vs. time bias Monopolies of knowledge Most famous student was…

Qualitative Approaches Media ecology – Marshall McLuhan: Each medium has own effects, independent of content “The medium is the message”: It is “the medium that shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action.”

Qualitative Approaches Media ecology – Marshall McLuhan: “The global village”: Via electronic media – less individualistic culture, more collective identity Not necessarily a good thing

Qualitative Approaches Media ecology – Marshall McLuhan: Hot vs. cool media… Media that mostly involve a single sense, like a movie or a novel: hot Media that involve more senses to fill in details, like a comic book: cool

Hot vs. Cool Media