Media Theories

Media Research & Theory

Media research shows that audiences are very interactive. Audiences are usually “channel surfers,” who zip through cable-system offerings - which is a type of behavior that shows up in online media use a lot. 

Individual Differences Theory

People are unique in the way they approach media messages. The credibility of sources and the way issues-oriented messages are viewed can change from person to person.

Social Categories Theory

People who share similar demographic characteristics will respond similarly to a message. 

Social Influence

Examines how digital platforms, networks, and interpersonal connections shape public opinion, individual behavior, and cultural norms.

Selective Processes

Explains how audiences actively filter, interpret, and remember media messages instead of being passively controlled by them. Only information that seems important is retained. 

Stereotypes

The mental images people use as a simplified representation of reality.

Wants & Needs Gratification

An audience will not pay attention to a media message unless the message or the medium fulfills some perceived want or need. All media behavior is based on the expectation of reward. 

Opinion Leaders

Influential community members who explain the significance of the messages to those who look to them for guidance. Instead of creating messages for a relatively homogeneous audience, today’s media writers must consider a diverse audience, with each member having distinct interests and insisting that individual demands be met.

Narcotizing Dysfunction

Often seen among people who pay close attention to news and public affairs issues without acting on that knowledge. These people choose not to vote or take part in community government because overexposure to messages makes them seem confusing and contradictory. They do not make decisions, even though they are well informed.

Cultivation

Mass media, especially television, “cultivate” (shapes) a perception of reality. People who consume the mass media extensively share those views more than mild or moderate media users.

Acculturation

News reporters adopt the attitudes and behaviors of those they cover. They adopt the mindset of the environment - often without their conscious knowledge - and they pass those values on to the audience. 

Spiral of Silence

Fear of isolation or separation from those around them prevents people from expressing their opinions when they perceive themselves to be in the minority. The majority appears even stronger. Also explains the hostility many people feel toward the news media. 

Implications for Media Writers

Communication is not simple and carries no guarantee of success. The challenge to the media writer is to write and report stories in a way that avoids creating cognitive dissonance (the mental discomfort you feel when your actions do not match your beliefs) and slips through the selective process filters to be retained because the stories appeal to some want or need felt by members of the audience. 

The Media Business

Creates, publishes, and distributes content like news, video, audio, and art to reach an audience. It turns attention and content into money through ads, subscriptions, or sponsorships.

Roles within the Media

To print or broadcast the news, the businesses that run newspapers, radio, and television have to make money; public relations practitioners also must be sensitive to the well-being of their businesses or organizations when they deal with reporters.

Agenda Sitting

It holds that the mass media determines what is important by prioritizing specific topics and deciding which stories get the most coverage.

Framing

Focuses on the presentation of the story. Seen often in coverage of political news or social issues, the theory attempts to explain how the news media frame a story. If agenda setting tells audiences what to think about, framing theory suggests that the media influences how the audience thinks about an issue.

Status Conferral

The process by which mass media gives public importance, prestige, and legitimacy to individuals, groups, or issues simply by covering them.

If a person appears on TV as an expert on an issue, that appearance enhances his or her reputation. Reporters need to be careful in covering news about groups.

Specialization

Traditionally, the mass media have provided a sense of broader community, reflecting who and what Americans are as people. In recent years, newspapers and news reports have become as fractionalized as the audiences they serve. Reporters are often assigned specialized beats beyond the traditional ones of police, courts, and city or county government. Many newspapers have created special-interest pages catering to seniors, youth or ethnic groups within a community.