- Discuss the shift in perspective from mass society theory to limited effects theory. Explain some of the fundamental differences between the two theories. For example, how does each theory view average people and their ability to resist propaganda? How does each view the role of media?
The Evolution of Media Effects Theories: From Mass Society Theory to Limited Effects Theory
1. Introduction
1.1. Background and Context
2. Mass Society Theory
2.1. Key Concepts and Assumptions
2.2. View of Average People and Propaganda
3. Limited Effects Theory
3.1. Key Concepts and Assumptions
3.2. View of Average People and Propaganda
4. Comparison and Contrast
4.1. Role of Media
4.2. Empirical Evidence and Research Findings
The Evolution of Media Effects Theories: From Mass Society Theory to Limited Effects Theory
1. Introduction
What is clear is that the media, the “new men, the new majority”, has changed the settings of earlier debates and with it the problems themselves. These have now become more multifaceted and complicated. Crucial social and political issues today turn on whether the population is educated at all levels for effective participation and whether the existing means of consciousness-raising, such as the media, are either adequate or reliable. Given the dramatic changes in social structure over the last century, the institution of the family can no longer be expected to serve in isolation as the universal primary agency of socialization; it must share responsibility with other, newer and larger agencies such as the electronic mass media. Can we be certain that these wider agents are providing the necessary means for maintaining, altering, or replacing attitudes, beliefs, and values? This question is especially pressing because of the potential for the media of making immediate and far-reaching impressions. Indeed, the fact that television particularly can provide easily, naturally, and effortlessly notions of prestige, privilege, prohibition and penalty is what gives cause for concern.
Fifty years of studies in media effects have generated an array of theoretical perspectives and claims. In concept and action at least, the rise of television, coupled with the dramatic changes brought about by the knowledge explosion, the quickening of the pace of society and the simultaneous release of mass from traditional ties and the pressures of small social groups, have commanded the scientific response. Television, combined with the rapid development of methods and techniques of marketing consumer goods, has forced the social scientist to examine and account for large and rapid shifts in mass opinion and behavior. In particular, television has raised anew the question of the major concerns of earlier theories in the press, of political socialization and of propaganda and persuasion.
1.1. Background and Context
The studies overall show that media effects are not deterministic and that media will have different effects in different situations. The limited effects paradigm demonstrates smaller, non-uniform effects but not no effects of media. Studying the possible influence of media use on individuals and subsequently their behavior and attitudes is a question for sociology as much as for communication in regards to the origins of opinion, people’s behavior, and the search for political knowledge. The mass communication paradigm that emerged in the 1940s and 1950s stressed the powerful effects of communication influential on political attitudes and social behavior was surprising to many scholars and the public.
The key aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive analysis and overview of the evolving nature of media effects theories and research in this process from mass media effects theories to limited effects theories. It helps media scholars and students to learn about the evolution of media effects theories from the early era of media effects during the 1940s to the present time. Television and internet are types of communication media that have been subject to many empirical studies, and some related impacts about changing attitudes of individuals have been studied using various methods. The results of these studies have led to considerable debate, and scholars have explored various media theories and potential explanations including media uses and gratifications, social capital model, social learning theory, and limited effects theory.