The document discusses the hypodermic needle theory, which posits that media messages influence audiences in a direct and immediate manner, likened to a bullet impacting the viewer's mind. It highlights various effects of mass media on children's behavior and societal attitudes, emphasizing criticisms of the theory's linear model and its assumption of a passive audience. Historical examples and theoretical frameworks related to media effects are presented, documenting how media has been used to reinforce existing ideologies.

1. HYPODERMIC NEEDLE THEORY
Dr. J. JANARDHAN

2. EFFECTS
 Different things to different people
 Parents are concern about the amount of time spend their
children with mass media
 Mass Media effect on children’s behavior and attitudes
 Further, Effects are various types : Short-term
 Medium-term
 Long term
They may be deep or profound, transient/ superficial

3. THEORIES OF MEDIA EFFECTS
 Media and effects are characteristics of Social Science
 Several theories such as : Functional theories
Critical theories
F.Ts assume that media have a role and function in society
To stabilize, reinforce and maintain the consensus
CTs believed MM invariably employed by the dominant
class to propagate its ideology (Ex: STAR Network Channels)

4. EFFECTS THEORIES
 ‘Plug-in drug’-Marie Winn
 Media succeed only in reinforcing old attitudes, habits and
beliefs- Joseph Klapper
 Effects of violence in TV programmes on the behavior of
Children and adolescents
 Persuasion model of Comm. was the base for research
 The stimulus –response experiments carried out to measure
effects
 in labs using Pre-test and Post test

5. REINFORMCEMENT: LIMITED
EFFECTS THEORIES
 Joseph Klapper– media reinforce existing values and
attitudes
 Lazarsfeld and Merton- MM ‘Cannot be relied upon to
work for changes, even in minor changes’

6. MEDIA EFFECTS THEORIES



7. HYPODERMIC NEEDLE THEORY
 Its also called as ‘Magic Bullet Theory’
 Proposed by Harold Lasswell in 1920
 It was discussed in the book ‘Propaganda Technique’
 The theory was used by Germany and US in WW-II
 It’s a linear model of communication
 Talks about media’s power on audience

8. HYPODERMIC NEEDLE THEORY
 The message is like a magic bullet
 It explains how media controls the audience views
 Berger, 1995 -Media’s ‘message is a bullet’ fired from the
‘media gun’ into the viewer’s head
 Mass is influenced directly and at the same time
 Messages injected can have the desired response
 Destruction the order and uniformity of society

9. HYPODERMIC NEEDLE THEORY


10. CORE ASSUMPTIONS
 Humans are believed to act uniformly
 Media inject or inserts messages like a bullet
 Messages having their own intention and get desired
outcomes
 The effect is supposed to be strong, immediate and
dangerous
 Mass is made to think in media lines
 The audience is always vulnerable and passive

11. EVIDENCE
 In 1938, ‘Panic broadcast’ was happened in Radio drama
in New Jersey
 In 1940, The German leaders used movie industry to show
their power and unify the people
 The gender role concept has also been injected in every
person’s mind

12. CRITICISM


13. CRITICISM
 * It’s a linear model of communication
 * The audience is passive and easily influenced by the
 messages
* Theory has been proved to fail by many studies like
“The People’s Choice”- recent US elections in 2016
 * The theory is not taken as empirical

14. 
THANK YOU