mass-communication-theory

SUMMARY
The theories reviewed in this chapter are diverse
but provide a surprisingly coherent and complementary
vision of contemporary American
society. Even though they are grounded in postpositivist
research, they have produced research
findings demonstrating that media have moderate
effects. Yet the picture of the role of media
these theories provide is troubling. What we
know about public issues, the terms we use to
define them, and the importance we assign to
various issues all might be strongly influenced
by media. Defenders of limited-effects notions
have questioned this “return to a powerful effects
perspective on media” (Noelle-Neumann, 1973).
In their view, the theories in this chapter often
go too far and make assertions unwarranted
by research findings. The theorists, they say,
are over-generalizing—they are speculating too
much. These defenders point out that there still
is no convincing evidence that media ever have
the power to alter attitudes on a large scale, especially
if these attitudes are well established and
associated with strong emotions. Audiences are
too “obstinate” to permit this manipulation.
Despite the erosion of social capital, American
society is still strong.
But if media can’t cause instant conversion of
vast audiences to new ideologies, then just how
powerful can they be? In Chapter 11, we will provide
an answer to this question by expanding
and extending the mantra of agenda-setting
theory to encompass a set of culture-centered
theories. Agenda-setting theory states that
media don’t tell people what to think (i.e., media
don’t directly influence attitudes), but
media do tell people what to think about—
they can and do affect the importance we assign
to various public issues.
If we take this a little further, we can argue
(as McCombs does in his second-order agendasetting
theory) that media also tell people how to
think about issues specifically and the social
world generally. In Chapter 11, we’ll look at
Chapter 10 Media and Society: The Role of Media in the Social World 311
how media frame issues for us and cultivate our
perceptions of the social world so we are more
likely to make sense of things in some ways
rather than others. We’ll also look at cultivation
theory, which asserts that heavy television viewing
can lead viewers to believe they live in a
world where crime is a direct threat. If we expect
to see a “mean world,” we will find our expectations
constantly confirmed by television violence
and on televised news.
Media might also tell people what to talk
about (spiral of silence) when they discuss issues
with others. Finally, media can have a profound
influence on the accessibility and quality of information
we use as we try to think, talk, and act in
our social world. If the only information we
can easily access is the information provided in
“infotainment” or political spectacle, or if it is
limited to a small range of agreed-upon legitimate
(and legitimized) issues and perspectives,
there will be many important things we never
learn about from the media. Moreover, our impressions
of the things that we do learn about
might be strongly affected by the “packaging”
of the information.
So how do you answer the questions raised
about media by the theories in this chapter? Are
you optimistic or pessimistic concerning the role
of media? Will the rise of new communication
technology like the Internet lead to important
changes in how electronic media influence our
views of the social world? Should media strive
to serve the purposes that Libertarian thinkers
assigned to them? Should we be demanding that
media provide a range of public services, or
should we be satisfied with the service that a
competitive market provides? Or were these purposes
too idealistic in the first place, given the
necessity for media to earn profits in an increasingly
competitive marketplace? Is it a problem if
media act as a powerful agent for the status quo?
To what extent do media shape your own view of
your world?
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