This document provides an overview of major communication theories developed since the early 20th century. It discusses early theories like rhetorical theory and symbolic interaction theory. It then covers research in the 1930s-40s that studied the effects of media like film, radio and newspapers. This led to theories around two-step flow of communication, uses and gratifications, and limited effects of media. The document also summarizes cognitive dissonance theory, agenda setting theory, spiral of silence theory, cultivation theory, dependency theory and other influential communication theories.

1. An Overview of
Communication
Theories
THEORIES OF COMMUNICATION
PRESENTED BY:
ATTROBA ADAN (01)
BS. MCM (VI)

2. Table of contents
 Definitions of Theory
 An overview of Communication Theories
 Conclusion
 References

3. Definitions
 Theory is a set of logical tested and systematically
interrelated proportions that have been developed through
research, describing and explaining some social phenomena.
(Seranda Kos – 1998)

4. Cont.
 It is a set of statements or principles to explain a group of
facts or phenomena especially that have been repeatedly
tested or widely accepted and can be used in more
predictions about natural phenomena.

5. An overview of Communication
Theories
 Researches over communication started in America in 1929
by studying the effects of the films of 1920-30 on children
and their content analysis.
 The concept of the Rhetoric by Aristotle was also introduced
for communication researches in 1900s.
 Rhetorical theory is based on the available means of
persuasion.

6. Cont.
 A speaker who is interested in persuading his or her
audience should consider three rhetorical proofs:
• logical
• emotional
• ethical.

7. Cont.
 After the content analysis of films, a survey regarding the
effects of a radio program was conducted in 1938.
 It proved that radio programs have deeper effects on the
audience.

8. Cont.
 In 1930s Symbolic Interaction Theory was introduced by
George Herbert Mead.
 This theory suggests that people are motivated to act based
on the meanings they assign to people, things, and events.
 Further, meaning is created in the language that people use
both with others and in private thought.

9. Cont.
 In 1940, researches were conducted to measure the role of
communication media in election campaigns.
 Those researches proved that radio is more effective medium
as compared to newspaper.

10. Cont.
 Moreover it was also found that different communication
media have different impact over the audience with different
socio-economic status.
 This phenomena was later given the name of Selective
Influence Theory.
 Hence Magic Bullet Theory invalidated.

11. Cont.
 Research conducted during the election campaigns in
America introduced a new phenomenon termed as Two Step
Flow of Communication.
 According to which people get more influenced by the
elderly members of their family than by the media.

12. Cont.
 In 1942-43, a research was conducted to measure the impact
of radio over the audience.
 That research resulted into the information that women seek
guidance from certain radio programs.
 This gave birth to the theory of Uses and Gratification.

13. Cont.
 This theory attempts to answer the question: What do
people do with the media?
 Uses and Gratifications theorists explain why people choose
and use certain media forms.

14. Cont.
 In 1943, a theory named as Adoption of Innovation was
introduced.
 According to which people need to know about an invention
first. Then they evaluate it. Then after its successful trial,
people finally adopt it.
 It was also found that in adoption of innovation interpersonal
communication influences more than the mass media.

15. Cont.
 Documentary films like “Why We Fight” were created during
World War II to train American soldiers.
 After the war, a survey was conducted to measure the
results. It showed that the documentaries were helpful for
creating awareness only however they did not motivate
soldiers to attack and fight aggressively.
 This introduced a new methodology in communication
research named and Before and After Methodology. This led
to introduced of Limited Effects Model of media
communication.

16. Cont.
 After that in 1950s, Theory of Cognitive Dissonance was
introduced by Festinger.
 This theory argues that people are highly motivated to
avoid the experience of dissonance.
 In their efforts to avoid feelings of dissonance, people will
avoid hearing views that oppose their own, change their
beliefs to match their actions and seek reassurance after
making a difficult decision.

17. Cont.
 Gate Keeping Theory in media describes that many of the
news from different media sources are discarded before
presenting them to the audience, depending upon the
priorities of a media organization.
 Shoemaker, in 1991, said that selection of news depends
upon certain ideological and cultural elements.

18. Cont.
 Although all the researches conducted regarding mass media
till 1964 supported the limited effect of media yet there was
an observation that the continuous exposure of children or
public to media has long lasting impact over them.
 Similarly Marshal McLuhan said that the development of
human civilization and culture depends upon media.

19. Cont.
 Knowledge Gap Hypothesis describes that even if media will
be used to lessen the knowledge gap between the elite and
the lower class, it will only be enhanced.
 In 1963, Bernard Cohen analyzed the limitations of press and
its impact over the public.
 He formulated that press cannot tell people what to think but
it can guide people what to think about.
 This led to the foundation of Agenda Setting Theory.

20. Cont.
 A German professor, Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann said that the
continuous projection of a particular news by media
discourages the opponents to hold the ground and
eventually they will end up to silence.
 This process is known as Spiral of Silence Theory.

21. Cont.
 Cultivation Theory states that heavy viewers and light viewers
of television have different perspectives regarding a
particular topic.
 Dependency Theory describes that modern people depend
upon media to resolve many of their confusions regarding
various topics.
 Therefore, people depend more on media in an uncertain
situation.

22. Conclusion
Analysis of mass media on the whole suggests that its effects
are not always the same rather they are different in different
circumstances and for different people.