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Media Effects and Public Opinion
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Agenda-Setting Theory
Description: Argues that media may not tell us what to think, but they significantly influence what we think about by selecting issues they consider newsworthy. Impact: This theory has led to a greater understanding of media power in shaping public discourse and the prioritization of issues in society.
Framing Theory
Description: The media focuses attention on certain events and then places them within a field of meaning. Impact: Framing theory highlights the media's role in shaping perception by presenting information with a particular angle or 'frame', affecting audience interpretation.
Cultivation Theory
Description: Posits that long-term exposure to media content can shape an individual's perceptions of reality. Impact: Cultivation theory has led to further study on the effects of television and other media in developing societal norms and expectations.
Uses and Gratifications Theory
Description: Asserts that audience members actively use media to fulfill specific needs or desires. Impact: This theory shifted the focus from media's effects on individuals to the ways in which individuals use media, thus recognizing the active role of the audience.
Spiral of Silence Theory
Description: Suggests that individuals who perceive their views as being in the minority are less likely to express those views publicly. Impact: This theory has contributed to the understanding of public opinion formation and the role of majority and minority opinions in public discourse and social conformity.
Selective Exposure Theory
Description: Individuals prefer messages that support their pre-existing attitudes and beliefs and avoid those that do not. Impact: The theory has implications for understanding confirmation bias and the formation of 'echo chambers' in media consumption.
Third-Person Effect
Description: People tend to believe that mass communicated media messages have a greater effect on others than on themselves. Impact: This perception leads to support for media censorship and regulatory policies, as individuals believe others to be more susceptible to media influence.
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)
Description: Details how people are persuaded, suggesting two primary pathways: central (thoughtful and analytical) and peripheral (superficial cues). Impact: ELM has influenced advertising and messaging strategies by describing these two persuasive routes and their use in different contexts.
Knowledge Gap Theory
Description: Proposes that information disseminated through media increases knowledge among higher socioeconomic status groups at a faster rate than among lower status groups. Impact: The theory has implications for educational policy and media literacy, highlighting the need to bridge knowledge disparities.
Media Dependency Theory
Description: Asserts that the more an individual depends on media to satisfy needs, the more important media will be in shaping their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Impact: This theory has contributed to our understanding of media's role during crises and the formation of public opinion in information-scarce environments.
Social Cognitive Theory
Description: Postulates that people learn behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions through observing others in their environment and the media. Impact: This theory has been applied to understand the modeling of behavior in media and its role in educational and behavior change strategies.
Two-Step Flow Theory
Description: Suggests that media's effect on the public’s opinion is indirect and that ideas flow from media to opinion leaders and from them to the wider population. Impact: The theory highlights the role of influencers and the less direct effect of mass media on public opinion formation.
Gatekeeping Theory
Description: Explains the process through which information is filtered for dissemination, whether for publication, broadcasting, the Internet, or some other mode of communication. Impact: Gatekeeping theory has clarified the power dynamics in information flow and the influence of media organizations in determining what news reaches the public.
Priming Theory
Description: Media are able to affect the salience of issues in public perception, essentially 'priming' individuals to give these issues more weight when making judgments. Impact: The theory has implications for political communication strategies and the influence of media on the criteria by which the public evaluates leaders.
Media Richness Theory
Description: Proposes that communication channels vary in their capacity to convey information effectively and that the 'richness' of a medium depends on immediate feedback, multiple cues, language variety, and personal focus. Impact: This theory guides choice of communication media in organizations for various tasks, emphasizing that complex tasks require richer media.
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