Investigating Media Effects Theory

What is propaganda?

Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed towards influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position by presenting only one side of an argument and ignoring the other side.


This is a world war one propaganda poster aimed directly to the population to join the armed forces and help thier country. This poster is targeted towards the males .








What is the cultivation theory?

Cultivation theory is a social theory which examines the long-term effects of television. "The primary proposition of cultivation theory states that the more time people spend "living" in the television world, the more likely they are to believe social reality portrayed on television.

On the whole this theory suggests that the television can effect our behaviour.












What is the hypodermic needle theory?

The Hypodermic Needle Model theory suggests that the media ‘injects’ ideas into a passive audience, like giving a patient a drug.

A passive audience is an audience that are easily affected. Great emphasis is placed on the text itself and its power to directly influence the audience. Meanings in the text are readily available and easy to find.

To what extent can media texts be blamed for our behavior?

The two-step flow model describes how firstly, certain individuals considered to be opinion leaders receive and interpret information directly from mass media. They in turn pass on their interpretations along with the media information itself, thus influencing the wider population.



This diagram shows exactly what the two step flow model works. The mass media i spread via the opinion leader to individuals in social contact with the opinion leader.




















What is David Gauntletts theory?