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The Third-Person Effect hypothesis was developed by W. Phillips Davison and suggests that people tend to believe that mass communicated media messages have a greater effect on others than on themselves.

Framing Theory suggests that the way information is presented in the media (the 'frame') influences the perception of the information. Key figures include Erving Goffman and Robert Entman.

Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann's Spiral of Silence Theory proposes that individuals who perceive their opinions as being less popular or socially acceptable will be less likely to express those opinions in public.

Uses and Gratifications Theory, applied to media by Elihu Katz, Jay Blumler, and Michael Gurevitch, posits that people actively seek out specific media and content to derive intended gratifications.

The Two-Step Flow Theory, developed by Paul Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet, identifies that ideas often flow from mass media to opinion leaders and from them to a wider population.

Cultivation Theory was proposed by George Gerbner and suggests that long-term exposure to media content has a small but perceptible effect on the perception of reality of the viewer.

The Agenda-Setting Theory posits that the media has the power to determine which issues are important to the public by giving more emphasis to particular topics. Key proponents include Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw.