Media Theories: Mass Media vs. Social Media
- Media's Persuasive Power: Media does not dictate what viewers think, but it is highly effective at guiding viewers what to think about. They determine the topics of conversation rather than specific opinions.
- Hybrid Theories: These theories explore how different media theories can be combined. Messages, regardless of the platform, must be constructed, disseminated, and consumed with the intended audience in mind. Producers must consider their power, as well as the audience's power to shape what they consume. Messages become more powerful when individual audience experiences and preferences are accounted for.
- Developed as social media emerged but primarily focused on traditional mass media (television, radio, newspapers).
- Sender of Messages:
- A complex organization or institution, not an individual.
- Utilizes standardized practices to mass-produce and disseminate messages.
- Awareness of specific niche audiences (e.g., those who like comedies, dramas, political news radio) and promotes itself to attract as many members of that niche as possible. These niches are typically large subgroups of the overall population.
- Audience Conditioning: Senders condition audiences for habitual, repeated exposures (e.g.,
