Posted: February 1st, 2023
The Handbook of Communication Science Mass Media Effects Contributors: Robin L. Nabi & Mary Beth Oliver Edited by: Charles R. Berger, Michael…
The Handbook of Communication Science Mass Media Effects Contributors: Robin L. Nabi & Mary Beth Oliver Edited by: Charles R. Berger, Michael…
Does media directly influence individuals? Explain your answer B) Which of the mass communication theories do you feel most accurately portrays your media experiences? Why? Be sure to provide an example that supports your opinion. C) How involved should the government be in protecting us from media effects? Where do you draw the line between free speech and indecency? Is censorship ever warranted? Support your responses with research from the Learning Resources.
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The Handbook of Communication
Science
Mass Media Effects
Contributors: Robin L. Nabi & Mary Beth Oliver
Edited by: Charles R. Berger, Michael E. Roloff & David R. Roskos-Ewoldsen
Book Title: The Handbook of Communication Science
Chapter Title: “Mass Media Effects”
Pub. Date: 2010
Access Date: June 22, 2017
Publishing Company: SAGE Publications, Inc.
City: Thousand Oaks
Print ISBN: 9781412918138
Online ISBN: 9781412982818
DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412982818.n15
Print pages: 255-272
©2010 SAGE Publications, Inc.
. All Rights Reserved.
This PDF has been generated from SAGE Knowledge. Please note that the pagination of
the online version will vary from the pagination of the print book.
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Mass Media Effects
The study of mass media effects has a long and storied history that predates the existence of
the communication discipline itself. Yet, its breadth and scope have made it challenging for
the area to gain coherence. This chapter’s goal is to review the historical roots of media
effects research and the most popular theoretical perspectives that have emerged to date.
After discussing the state of the literature, including the limitations or controversies within
each tradition, we identify some potentially fruitful avenues for future theory development.
Historical Roots
Although interest in the effects of mediated messages can arguably be traced to long before
the 20th century, it was the advent of technologies allowing for mass production and
distribution of messages, electronic media in particular, that stimulated more systematic
interest in the production, content, and selection of such messages and, of course, the effects
they have on the audiences that consume them (Schramm, 1997). This interest was
generated from a range of academic disciplines, including journalism, sociology, political
science, psychology, and advertising, that converged to form the foundation of current
academic interest in the study of mass media. First, we discuss general schools of thought
that have influenced the development of the modern-day study of media effects and then turn
to particular scholars whose works raise conceptual ideas fundamental to the most widely
examined media effects paradigms.
Influential Schools of Thought
Four broad schools of thought have been frequently referenced in mass communication
research (see Bryant & Miron, 2004). The Chicago school of sociology emphasized notions of
pragmatism and humanism. The Vienna Circle focused on logical positivism and thus
motivated the emphasis on logical reasoning and empirical evidence to validate theory. British
cultural studies and the Frankfurt school’s critical theory both focus on issues related to the
role of cultural products (such as media messages) in creating and perpetuating social and
political ideologies. They are distinguished in that critical theory emphasizes the conveyance
of the dominant ideology, whereas cultural studies emphasizes negotiated meaning on the
part of audiences. Although each of these four approaches has greatly influenced lines of
media effects research, as we will soon see, the logical positivist approaches have become
increasingly emphasized in more contemporary media effects research. Indeed, as we look at
the more influential scholars’ works in the 20th century, we see the roots of some of the most
influential theories from the past several decades.
Influential Scholars
As Wilbur Schramm (1997) describes in his posthumously published memoir, there are a few
notable scholars whose work may be viewed as foundational to the modern study of media
effects. He begins with Harold Lasswell, a product of (and later contributor to) the Chicago
school. By affiliation, Lasswell was a political scientist perhaps most famous for his summary
of the communication process as “
who
says
what
to
whom
through
what channel
and with
what effect
” (Lasswell, 1948). His
contributions might be summarized as helping to
understand how to assess media content (e.g., via more thoughtful content analyses),
propaganda (and more specifically the use and effects of symbols), and consideration of the
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