media shiiii

Cognitive theories

Study how media influences thinking, perception, memory, learning, and attitudes.

Stimulus-response

Media message (stimulus) causes a reaction (response).

Direct effect

Media has an immediate impact on thoughts or behavior.

Passive audience

Audience accepts media messages without questioning them.

Uniform effect

Media affects everyone the same way.

Emotional appeal

Media uses emotion to bypass logical thinking.

Propaganda

Media designed to persuade or manipulate beliefs.

Hypodermic needle theory

Media messages are directly injected into audiences and immediately influence them.

Magic bullet theory

Another name for hypodermic needle theory; media affects everyone the same way.

War of the Worlds

Radio broadcast used as an example of powerful media effects causing panic.

Two-step flow theory

Media influences opinion leaders first, then they influence others.

Opinion leaders

People who interpret media and influence others.

The People’s Choice

Study by Katz and Lazarsfeld introducing two-step flow theory.

Step one of two-step flow

Media reaches opinion leaders.

Step two of two-step flow

Opinion leaders influence others.

Cultivation theory

Media exposure over time shapes how people see reality.

Not a needle but a drip

Media influence happens slowly over time.

Mean world syndrome

Heavy viewers think the world is more dangerous than it is.

Mainstreaming

Media makes different groups think more similarly.

Resonance

Media effects are stronger when they match real life.

Lose marginal voices

Minority viewpoints disappear due to mainstream media.

Algorithmic drip

Algorithms slowly shape beliefs by repeated exposure.

Hyperreality

Media reality feels more real than actual reality.

Niche reality

Algorithms create personalized realities instead of one shared reality.

Social learning theory

People learn behavior by watching others, especially when rewarded.

Bobo doll experiment

Children imitate aggressive behavior they see rewarded.

Rewards and punishments

Behavior is copied if rewarded and avoided if punished.

Gestalt theory

The brain organizes chaos into patterns and meaning.

Kuleshov effect

Meaning is created by context, not just individual images.

Culturalist theories

Media is a site of power, struggle, and identity.

Hegemony

Dominant groups control society through culture and media.

Spontaneous consent

People accept dominance without realizing it.

Site of struggle

Media is where ideas compete to control meaning.

Culture industry

Media is mass-produced to control and pacify audiences.

Standardization

Media follows predictable formulas.

Pseudo-individuality

Media appears unique but is actually similar.

Predigested content

Media is easy so audiences don’t have to think.

Passive consumption

Audience consumes media without questioning it.

False needs

Media creates unnecessary wants.

Social cement

Media keeps society stable and prevents change.

Uses and gratifications

People actively choose media to satisfy needs.

Surveillance

Using media for information and learning.

Personal identity

Using media to reinforce beliefs and values.

Social integrative

Using media to connect with others.

Parasocial relationship

One-sided relationship with a media figure.

Diversion

Using media to escape reality.

Amusement

Using media for entertainment.

Hedonic pleasure

Media for fun, excitement, and enjoyment.

Eudaimonic pleasure

Media for meaning, reflection, and personal growth.

Male gaze

Media presents women from a male perspective.

Objectification

Treating a person as an object.

Camera gaze

Camera shows what the male viewer sees.

Character gaze

Female characters are often secondary or love interests.

Audience gaze

Audience is positioned to see from a male perspective.

Bechdel test

Test measuring representation of women in films.

Bechdel test rules

Two named women talk to each other about something other than a man.