Media Theory Lecture Notes

Practice flashcards covering various media communication theories including Hypodermic Needle Theory, Agenda Setting, Social Responsibility, and Critical Theory.

What is the core premise of the Hypodermic Needle Theory?

Media messages are directly injected into the minds of a passive audience, having a powerful and immediate effect on their opinions, attitudes, and behaviors.

How does the Two-Step Flow Theory describe the distribution of media influence?

Mass media power is controlled by social relationships, where more engaged or knowledgeable "opinion leaders" use their personal influence to shape the opinions and behaviors of their followers.

According to Agenda Setting Theory, what is the role of the media?

Media does not tell people what to think, but they influence what the audience thinks about by setting what is considered important.

How does Social Cognitive Theory suggest people learn behaviors, according to Bandura's Bobo Doll experiment?

People learn behaviors through observation, imitation, and identification (often summarized as "monkey see, monkey do").

What is the focus of the Uses and Gratification theory?

It focuses on how the audience uses media and the five functions that media serves for the recipient.

What are the primary principles of Social Responsibility theory regarding media control?

Media must remain free of government control but should be self-regulating within the law and fulfill obligations to society by setting high standards of professionalism, truth, and accuracy while avoiding material that leads to crime or violence.

How is Normative theory defined in the context of media systems?

It describes the ideal way for a media system to be controlled and operated, establishing what the media sets as "normal."

What is the objective of Hermeneutic Theory, also known as Interpretive Theory?

It seeks to understand the hidden or deeper meaning of a situation and why a specific behavior occurs, serving as a source of understanding.

What are the characteristics of Critical Theory in relation to the social world?

It is highly political and judgmental, assuming the social world needs transformation; it challenges the dominant social order and sees media as a tool used to limit how people view their social world.

What is the perspective of a Post Positivist regarding human observation?

Post Positivists reject the idea that any individual can see perfectly, noting that observations are subject to error and cannot always be relied upon.

What is the approach of a Critical Realist toward scientific inquiry?

They do not rely on a single method of scientific inquiry and acknowledge that while truth can have errors, those errors are revisable.