MEDIA

THEORIES
Ms kalai
 o The word's origin (from the Greek thorós, a
spectator), stresses the fact that all theories are mental
models of the perceived reality.

o A set of assumptions, propositions, or accepted facts

that attempts to provide a plausible or rational
WHAT explanation of cause-and-effect (causal) relationships
among a group of observed phenomenon.

IS
THEOR
Y?
 Media theory refers to the complex of social-political-
philosophical principles which organize ideas about the
relationship between media and society.

MEDIA
THEOR
Y?
MASS COMMUNICATION
THEORIES
Magic Bullet Theory / Hypodermic
Needle Theory
Agenda-Setting Theory (AT)
Uses and Gratification Theory
Spiral and Silence Theory
MAGIC BULLET/HYPODERMIC
NEEDLE THEORY

Mass Media

Public
 MAGIC BULLET/HYPODERMIC
NEEDLE THEORY
 The "hypodermic needle theory” (aka the “magic bullet
theory”) implies mass media has a direct, immediate and
powerful effect on its audiences.

 The media (magic gun) fired the message directly into

audience head without their own knowledge by “shooting” or
“injecting” them with appropriate messages designed to trigger
a desired response.

 The effects of this theory suggest that the media could

manipulate a passive and gullible public, leading theorists to
believe this was one of the primary ways media authors shaped
audience perception.
 The message cause the instant reaction from the
audience mind without any hesitation is called
“Magic Bullet Theory”.
 The media (needle) injects the message into
audience mind and it cause changes in audience
behaviour and psyche towards the message.
 Audience are passive and they can’t resist the media
message is called “Hypodermic Needle Theory”.
 Both theories are deals with impact of media
messages in audience mind and how audience react
towards the message without any hesitation.
EXAMPLE

The gender role concept has also been injected in

every person’s mind.

According to it, all women must be thin, tall, fair,

romantic and things like that.

The brain takes information from advertisements

and changes our opinions in a subconscious level
without us realizing it.
AGENDA-SETTING THEORY

Mass Media

Public
AGENDA-SETTING THEORY
(MAXWELL MCCOMBS AND DONALD L. SHAW)

o Agenda setting describes a very powerful influence

of the media – the ability to tell us what issues are
important.

o Agenda-setting theory seems quite appropriate to

help us understand the pervasive role of the media
(for example on political communication systems).
AGENDA-SETTING THEORY

o Framing talks about how people attach importance

to certain news for e.g. in case of attack, defeat, win
and loss, how the media frames the news such that
people perceive it in a different way.

o We can take India and Pakistan war; same

happening is framed in different ways in both the
countries. So depending on which media you view
your perception will differ.
EXAMPLE
The Clinton scandal, sexual affair of Bill Clinton
(U.S. President) and Monica Lewinsky (an intern),
created a media frenzy and became sensational news
for years.

Media gave full pages news as top stories. The

media influenced the mind-set of people so much
and the news got viral to result in a presidential
impeachment.
USES AND GRATIFICATIONS
THEORY
People are active users of media and select how
they will use it.
USES AND
GRATIFICATIONS THEORY
This theory states what people do with
media rather than what media does to
people.

 According to uses and gratification

theory, it is not so people make use of
the media for their specific needs.
There are several needs and gratification for
people they are categorized into five
categories.
Personal
Cognitive Integrative
needs needs
Social Tension free
Integrative needs
needs
Affective
needs
Cognitive needs:

 People use media for acquiring knowledge,

information etc.
 Among the audience some of them have
intellectual needs to acquire knowledge.

o Quiz programs on TV
o Search Engines (GOOGLE.com)

 Particularly for the internet search engine they can

browse for any topic under the run with no time
restriction.
Affective needs
 It includes all kinds of emotions, pleasure and
other moods of the people.

 People use media like television to satisfy their

emotional needs

 The best example is people watch serials and if

there is any emotional or sad scene means people
used to cry.
Personal Integrative needs:
 This is the self-esteem need. People use media to
reassure their status and gain credibility and
stabilize.
 so people watch TV and assure themselves that
they have a status in society.
 e.g. people get to improve their status by watching
media advertisements like jewellery ad, furniture’s
ad and buy products, So the people change their
life style and media helps them to do so.
Social Integrative needs:
 It encompasses the need to socialize with family, friends
and relations in the society.

 For social interaction now a days people do not seems to

have social gathering in weekend, instead they do such
social interaction using media like the social networking
sites like my space, Facebook, Orkut etc to satisfy their
need.

 Another example is you may not watch the particular serial

regularly but because your friend watching, you also start
watching so that you have common topics for discussion.
Tension free needs:

 People sometimes use the media as a means of

escapism and to relieve from tension
 For e.g. People tend to relax watching TV,
listening to radio and for satisfying their need
for entertainment there by relaxing from all the
tension, people watch films, films on TV etc.
 THE SPIRAL OF SILENCE THEORY
o Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, the German political scientist contributes
the famous model called “Spiral of Silence”.

o The one view dominated the public scene and others disappeared from
the public awareness as it adherents became silent.

o In other words, the people fear of separation or isolation those around

them, they tend to keep their attitudes to themselves when they think
they are in the minority. 

o This process is called “Spiral of Silence”.

EXAMPLE:
In a company, the managing director decides to increase their
working hour from 8 to 10 and send e-mail to all employees.
Majority of them accept this time changes and few employees
are not satisfied with his decision. But they cannot or ready to
express their thought publicly.

Because
1. They may feel unsupported by the other employees.
2. “Fear of isolation” like transfer
3. “Fear of Rejection” By rejecting their personal opinion from
the public will help to avoid fight.
4. They may try to save their job by suppressing or avoid
personal statement in public.
CLASS TASK (5%)
o Students are required to find a comic / video clip which relevant to
the theories we learnt in class.

o Explain how is your comic / video related to theory?

o What is the impact of the theory in society?

o Is this a useful theory?