J201 Intro to mass communication Mass society mass communication processes purposes mass media producers technologies products mass society effects audiences cultures let s start with a crucial example of media effects Seven types of media effects theories zero effects theories mass society theories limited effects theories agenda setting theories uses and gratifications theories hegemonic effects theories cultural construction theories zero 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 a famous mass society example a famous mass society example 1938 Halloween Eve mass society theories 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 a limited effects example Albert Bandura experiments 1961 1965 limited effects theories 1940s 1960s first communciations researchers intervening variables mediation laboratory conditions controls individual differences who you are social differences who you know limited effects theories continued selectivity in attention retention perception attitude formation theory not the whole audience but a particular subset audience fragmentation or segmentation not conversion but reinforcement reinforcement theory not effects but modeling social cognitive theory audience fragmentation segmentation for limited effects research demographics who you are geographics where you are psychographics what you believe an agenda setting example agenda setting theories not what to think but what to think about especially relevant to political elections staged media events or pseudo events a uses and gratifications example Linn and von Feilitzen 1972 uses and gratifications theories audience members have needs interests and goals audience members choose media to satisfy those needs interests and goals media must compete with other ways people have to satisfy their needs interests and goals method ask people why they use the media information identity integration entertainment do people have freedom of choice what about aggregate level effects and meanings supports the status quo a hegemonic effects example Gerbner 1982 hegemonic effects theories 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 effects theories continued 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 cultural construction theories audiences are not passive viewers making choices but active creators of meaning audiences create sustain and alter shared worldviews using the media media are not only wrapped up in pleasure and gratification but power and conflict do audiences only choose media which supports their worldview so which of these theories applies to video games
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