Mass communication involves an organization using technology to communicate with a large audience. There are four major categories of mass communication theory: postpositivism, hermeneutic theory, critical theory, and normative theory. Mass communication effects examines how media content impacts individuals and society, as well as how living in a media-saturated world changes interactions and culture. Understanding media effects requires examining messages, mediums, owners, and audiences.

1. Theories and Effects of
Mass Communication
20082423
Journalism
So-mi, KIM

2. What is What is Mass Communication?
Mass Communication?
• Mass Communication is “when a source, typicall
y an organization, employs a technology as a m
edium to communicate with a large audience“.
• Today, the number and variety of mass communi
cation theories have steadily increased. More or
less independent body of knowledge from the so
cial science and humanities literature, develope
d by scholars from social sciences (sociology, ps
ychology) and humanities (philosophy, literary a
nalysis). Some theories are grand, some are “s
mall” and specific.

3. There are 4 major categories in
Mass Communication Theory:
• Postpositivism : based on empirical observation guided by s
cientific method, but recognizing the complexity of human be
havior. Goals: explanation, prediction and control.
• Hermeneutic theory : Study of understanding, especially thr
ough the systematic interpretation of action or texts. Began
as the study or interpretation of the Bible and sacred texts. G
oals: To understand how and why a behavior occurs in the s
ocial world.

4. • Critical theory : Theory seeking emancipation and chang
e in a dominant social order. Starting from the assumption th
at some aspects of the social world are deeply flawed and in
need of transformation. Goals: Transformation of the society.
• Normative theory : Theory explaining how a media syste
m should operate in order to conform to or realize a set of ide
al social values. Goals: to set an ideal standard against whic
h the operation of a given media system can be judged. Com
monly used by theoriests interested in press role in democra
cy.

5. Mass Communication Effects :
How Society and Media Interact
• f Media Effects
With the rise of mass society and the rapid growth of the mass media starting in the nineteen
th century, the public, media critics, and scholars have raised questions about the effects var
ious media might have on society and individuals.
• These effects were viewed initially as being strong, direct, and relatively uniform on the popu
lation as a whole. After World War I, critics were concerned that media-oriented political cam
paigns could have powerful, direct effects on voters. This view, though still widespread, was l
argely discredited by voter studies conducted in the 1940s and 1950s. These studies found t
hat the voters with the strongest political opinions were those most likely to pay attention to t
he campaign and hence were least likely to be affected by the campaign.
• More recently, research has expanded to move beyond looking just at the effects that media
and media content have on individuals and society to examinations of how living in a world w
ith all-pervasive media changes the nature of our interactions and culture.

6. • Understanding the effects of media on individuals and society requires th
at we examine the messages being sent, the medium transmitting them,
the owners of the media, and the audience members themselves. The ef
fects can be cognitive, attitudinal, behavioral, and psychological.
• Media effects can also be examined in terms of a number of theoretical a
pproaches, including functional analysis, agenda setting, uses and gratifi
cations, social learning, symbolic interactionism, spiral of silence, media l
ogic, and cultivation analysis.
• Our understanding of the relationship among politicians, the press, and t
he public has evolved over the past half-century. Recent studies have su
pported interactional approaches to understanding campaign effects, incl
uding the resonance and competitive models.

7. REFERENCE
• Google (http://www.google.co.kr)
• (http://adityasani.wordpress.com/2012/09/
18/mass-communication-theory-
definitions-and-eras/)
• (http://college.cqpress.com/sites/masscom
m/Home/chapter2.aspx)