J201Intro to mass communicationMass society:media effects“mass communication”processespurposes“mass media”producerstechnologiesproducts“mass society”effectsaudiencesculturesResearching effects of media messages on audiencesa crucial example of media effects ...•zero-effects theories•mass society theories•limited effects theories•agenda-setting theories•hegemonic effects theoriesFive types of “media effects” theories•“People know that media content isn’t real”•“Media only reflect what is already in society”•“Other social institutions like family, school, church, and workplace have more influence than media”•“Media have effects, but only over trends, fads, and other trivialities”“zero effects” theoriesa famous “mass society” examplea famous “mass society” example1938 Halloween Eve•“hypodermic needle” or “magic bullet” •early 20th century: mass urban industrial society•new media: radio, film, and magazines•1930s Payne Fund studies of motion pictures•1940s Nazi propaganda “persuasion studies”“mass society” theoriestwo “limited effects” examples•1940s-1960s: first “communciations” researchers•intervening variables (mediation)•individual differences (who you are)•social differences (who you know)“limited effects” theories•selectivity in attention, retention, perception (attitude formation theory)•not the whole audience, but a particular subset(audience fragmentation)•not “conversion” but “reinforcement” (reinforcement theory)•not “effects” but “modeling”(social cognitive theory)“limited effects” theories (continued)•not what to think, but what to think about •especially relevant to political elections•staged media events (or “pseudo events”)“agenda setting” theoriesa “hegemonic theory” exampleGerbner 1982•hegemony = power of dominant group accepted as both natural and legitimate by those who are dominated•focus not on individual messages content but on ideological effect of lots of messages over time•focus not on change but on thwarting of change•“narcotizing dysfunction”“hegemonic” theories•media help to socialize us to the status quo (socialization theory)•media power grows as society grows more complex(dependency theory)•media use contributes to gap between rich and poor(knowledge-gap theory)•people self-censor unpopular opinions (spiral of silence)•the more media people consume, the more they take on the values portrayed in the media (cultivation analysis)“hegemonic” theories (continued)so which of these theories applies to video
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