FMC NOTES

Created @November 22, 2024 3:47 PM

Subjects FMC

Type Walk Through

Reviewed

Mass Communication Theories

→ Magic Bullet
→ Two step theory

→ Agenda Setting Theory

→ Diffusion Theory
→ Framing Theory
→ Spiral of Silence
→ Uses and Gratification
→ Limited Effect Theory
→ Gatekeeping Theory

Magic Bullet Theory/Hypodermic Needle Theory

Implies that media has a direct and immediate and powerful effect on its
audience

Mass media could influence its audience and uniformly so by

“shooting”/”injecting” them with appropriate messages designed to trigger
a desired response.

Effects of this theory suggest that the media could manipulate a passive
and gullible public easily, many theorists believe that this was one of the
primary ways through which audience perception was shaped.

FMC NOTES 1
 Two Step Theory
Here, information moves in two distinct stages

First, or opinion leaders who pay close attention to the mass media and its
messages receive the information, these people are very influential in
getting others to change their attitudes and beliefs and are quite similar to
the ones they do influence.

Second, OP’s pass on their own interpretations to the public

The theory refined the ability to predict the influence of media messages on
audience behavior and it helped explain why certain media campaigns may
have failed to alter audience attitudes and behavior and why some didn’t.

Agenda Setting
Describes a very powerful influence of the media: the ability to tell us what
issues are important.

Agenda setting is the creation of public awareness and concern of salient

issues by news media.

Two basic assumptions underlie most research on agenda setting:

1. The press and media do not reflect reality; they filter and shape it

2. Media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads to the

perception of those issues as more important than others

Agenda setting helps one understand the persuasive role of media, eg:
political communication systems.

Diffusion Theory
Communicators in society with a strong message-influence encourage
people that have strong opinions through the media to influence the
masses.

OR

The process by which an innovation is communicated through various

channels over time among members of a social system. Innovations can be
ideas, practices, or objects perceived as new by individuals. Developed by
EM Rogers in 1967.

FMC NOTES 2
 Framing Theory
How something is presented (framed) is how people see it, and in turn
affects the choice they make.

This theory is related to agenda setting, but expands the research by

focusing on the essence of the issue at hand rather than on a particular
topic.

The basis of this theory is that the media focuses attention on certain
events and then places them within a field of meaning that the media
establishes.

Spiral of Silence
Individuals are less likely to express their opinions if they perceive
themselves to be in the minority.

This phenomenon occurs because people fear social isolation or backlash

for voicing unpopular views.

As a result, the dominant opinion becomes increasingly pronounced in

public discourse, leading to a "spiral" where minority opinions are further
silenced, reinforcing the perception that the majority view is more widely
accepted than it may actually be.

Uses and Gratification

Places more focus on the consumer than the actual message itself by
asking, “what do people do with media?” rather than, “what media does
with people?”

It assumes the audience to be an active entity than a passive being,

assuming them to have an active role in interpreting and integrating media
into their own lives.

It holds the audience accountable and responsible for choosing media to

meet their needs, suggesting that people use the media to fulfil specific
gratifications.

It implies that the media competes against other sources of information for
the viewers’ gratification

FMC NOTES 3
 Criticism
Many many people have criticised this theory as they believe the public has
no control over the media and what it produces. It can also be said to be too
kind to the media as they are being ‘let off the hook’ and do not take
responsibility for what they produce.

The theory also takes out the possibility that the media can have an
unconscious influence over our lives and how we view the world. The idea
that we simply use the media to satisfy a does not seem to fully recognize
the power of media in today's society.

Limited Effect Theory

The Limited effects theory was proposed by Austrian–American sociologist
Paul Lazarsfeld. The theory states that even if there is an effect created by
the media on the thoughts and opinions of individuals; this effect is minimal
at best or limited.

Gatekeeping Theory
Gatekeeping is the process of selecting, and then filtering, items of media
that can be consumed within the time or space that an individual happens
to have.

This means gatekeeping falls into a role of surveillance and monitoring

data. These gatekeeping decisions are made every day to sort out the
relevant items that audiences will see.

Models of Communication
→ Linear Models

1. Lasswell’s

2. Aristotle’s

3. Berlo’s SMCR

→ Transactional Models

1. Barlund’s

2. Shannon & Weaver

FMC NOTES 4
 → Interactive Models

1. Schramm’s

2. White’s

Linear Model Characteristics

One way communication

Used for mass comm

Senders send message and receivers only receive

No feedback

Concept of noise

PROS CONS

Good at audience persuasion and No way to know if feedback was

propaganda effective

Gets intentional results Comm is not continuous as

there’s no feedback

Components of LC
Sender- person who sends a message after encoding it

Encoding- process of converting messages into codes compatible with the

channel and understandable for the receiver

Decoding- process of changing the encoded into understandable language

by the receiver.

Message- information sent by S to R

Channel- medium through which the message is sent

Receiver- person who gets the message after decoding

Noise- disruption caused in the comm process inn channel or in the

understandability of the message

FMC NOTES 5
 Lasswell’s Communication Model
→ Developed by Harold D. Lasswell

→ aka Action Model/One way model of comm

WHO→SAYS WHAT→CHANNEL→TO WHOM→WITH WHAT EFFECT

SENDER→MESSAGE→MEDIUM→RECEIVER→FEEDBACK

Aristotle’s Model of Communication

→ First and earliest model of comm

SPEAKER→SPEECH→AUDIENCE→EFFECT

Criticism
No concept of feedback, its a one way process

No concept of comm failure like noise and barriers

Can only be used in public speaking

David Berlo’s Sender-Message-Channel-Receiver

→ Focuses on encoding and decoding

FMC NOTES 6
 Criticism
No concept of criticism, so effect is not considered

No concept of noise or barrier, one way process

Both the S and R must be similar according to all the factors mentioned
above

Transactional Models of Communication

Used for interpersonal comm

Senders and Receivers exchange roles

Simultaneous feedback

Context of environment and noise

Feedback is taken as a new message

PROS CONS

Simultaneous and instant Encourages non verbal comm

feedback which maybe difficult to decode

No discrimination b/w sender and More noise due to

receiver communicators talking at the
same time

(Draw a diagram of the transactional process w noise as a component

Criticism
W/o verbal response, S cannot ensure that R got the message as intended

Gives opportunity for a lot of noise cause comm is simultaneous

Shannon & Weaver Model of Communication

→ Gave the concept of noise in 1948

FMC NOTES 7
 → aka Telephone Model, cause its based on having the message be inferred w
noise from the telephone switchboards back in the 1940s

→ Some details may go unheard by the receiver due to the noise

PROS CRITICISMS

Concept of noise helpful in Can be applied more for

making comm effective by interpersonal comm than group
removing the noise/root of it and/or mass comm

Shows comm as a two way R plays the passive part here as S

process, makes it applicable in plays the primary role, sending
general comm the message

Comm is quantifiable here Misrepresentation of the nature

of human communication as it is
not mathematical in nature.

Dean Barland’s Transactional Model of

Communication
→ Basic interpersonal communication which articulates that sending and
receiving messages happens at the same time b/w people, both S and R have
to be active participants in this process
→ Adapted and reformed into General Transactional Model

→ Shifted from linear to two way

PROS CRITICISMS

FMC NOTES 8
 Shows shared field of experience Very fucking complex
of S and R
Both S and R must understand
Same time message sending, the codes sent by e/o, and if they
noise and feedback don’t, comm doesn’t happen
smoothly and the output of it may
Understood as the most
not be the intended mess
systematic model of comm

Interactive Model
aka Convergence Model

Deals w exchange of ideas and messages taking place both ways from S to
R and vice vera.

Whenever a source sends a message to an R, they encode the message

first, which is then received by the R who decodes it to get the og
information. Then, the R acts as the source and sends a message back to
the sender.

Comm process takes place b/w humans/machines in both verbal and

nonverbal ways.

Relatively new model of comm for new tech like websites etc and slower in
terms of feedback

Concept of field of Experience

Comm becomes linear if R does not respond

PROS CONS

feedback even in mass comm feedback can take long

New comm channels S and R might not know e/o

Indirect

Wilbur Schramm’s Field of Experience

→ Father of Mass Comm
→ Asserts that comm can only take place if there is overlap in the FOP of the S
and R.

FMC NOTES 9
 What is Field of Experience?
The things that influence the understanding and interpretation of the message
like culture, social background, beliefs, experiences, values and rules.

PROS

Circular communication gives opportunity to both parties to give their

opinion

Dynamic model, helpful in general practice

S and R Interchange and are equally active

Semantic noise included as a concept

Presence of feedback makes it easier to know if R has received the

message as intended

Concept of interpretation makes comm effective

Field of experience helps understand comm process in many other ways

Concept of context makes the environmental factor be included in the

interpretation of the message and brings change in the message value

CONS

Model cannot deal with multiple levels of comm and complex comm
processes

There can be only two sources communicating, too many sources and it
becomes complicated

Messages sent and received might be interpreted differently than intended

FMC NOTES 10
 Eugene White’s Model of Communication

→ He thought the process of comm had 8 stages.

Folk Media
→ Mediums through which cultural traits passed from generation to generation.
It is born and expressed in the idiom of paper's culture and has always seemed
to entertain educate and propagate existing ideas and attitudes.
→ At a local level media channels proved to be powerful tools of
communication in rural society.

→ Indian folk forms have a generous mix of dialogue, dance, song, clowning,
moralizing, and prayer.

Advantages
Increased credibility and familiarity

Highly personal and intimate appeal (traditional beliefs attitudes and values)

Familiar format content and colloquial dialect brings clarity in

communication

Rapport is immediate and direct

Barriers to communication are almost nonexistent

Face to face communication, clarification of doubts- possible

Types of traditional / folk media

Puppetry

Drama

Street theater

FMC NOTES 11
 Folk song and dance

Mela and festivals

Storytelling/ riddles /proverbs

Wall paintings

painting

Sculpting

motifs and symbols

Media and Democracy

A democracy is a government of the people for the people and by the
people where people elect a representatives therefore the public opinion is
an important aspect.

Hence there is a need to inform the people of the things around them so
that there is a check on the government and the media is the one who
informs them.

Media plays a crucial role in shaping a healthy democracy. It is the

backbone of a democracy and acts as an interface between the common
man and the government.

It acts as the presenter of social political and economic activities happening

around the world. It is like a mirror which shows us our strides to show us
the bare truth and harsh realities of life.

It is of utmost importance for the media to stay true and unbiased.

In an uneducated democracy, Public opinion has to be generated and some

agency is required to do the work. An instrument of mass communication
can serve the requirement of effective mobilization of national opinion. That
is the only way a democracy can survive.

FMC NOTES 12