Influence of Media Pt.4 (The Hypodermic Needle Theory)



The Hypodermic Needle Theory:

This is the final theory by which I will be discussing, and it also happens to be one of the earliest ways of thinking about mass media's influence on its audience. This theory came to rise in the 1920's and 1930's. This was due to the effects of propaganda during World War 1 events like Orson Welles’ War of the World's broadcast. This theory is essentially a linear communication theory and suggests that the media has a direct effect on all audiences equally. It establishes that every individual thinks the same way and will therefore react exactly the same to media. This theory was very prominent in its time, however, it has now dismissed. According to to Brett Lamb, "This way of thinking about communication and media influence is no longer really accepted. In the 1930s, many researchers realized the limitations of this idea and some dispute whether early media theorists gave the idea any serious attention at all. Nevertheless, The Hypodermic Needle Theory continues to influence the way we talk about the media. People believe that the mass media has a powerful effect."


References:

Lamb, B. (n.d.). Brett Lamb. Retrieved from https://lessonbucket.com/media-in-minutes/the-hypodermic-needle-theory/#more-296

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