20130412164339753295_book_an-introduction-to-political-communication
20130412164339753295_book_an-introduction-to-political-communication
20130412164339753295_book_an-introduction-to-political-communication
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3<br />
THE EFFECTS OF POLITICAL<br />
COMMUNICATION<br />
This chapter:<br />
• Outlines the main approaches <strong>to</strong> the effects of <strong>political</strong> <strong>communication</strong><br />
within media studies<br />
• Examines the evidential bases of effects research.<br />
As with all categories of media output there is a wide variety of approaches<br />
which one c<strong>an</strong> take <strong>to</strong> the ‘effects issue’ in <strong>political</strong> <strong>communication</strong>, none of<br />
which produces easy <strong>an</strong>swers <strong>to</strong> the question, ‘does it work?’ For the sake of<br />
clarity, this chapter approaches the effects issue from three broad perspectives.<br />
First, we shall consider the extent <strong>to</strong> which the purposeful communicative<br />
behaviour of <strong>political</strong> ac<strong>to</strong>rs, such as <strong>political</strong> advertising <strong>an</strong>d conference<br />
speeches, c<strong>an</strong> influence the attitudes <strong>an</strong>d behaviour of the intended audience.<br />
Effects of this type c<strong>an</strong> be examined at the micro-level of the individual<br />
consumer of the message, or at the macro-level, when individual responses<br />
<strong>to</strong> <strong>political</strong> <strong>communication</strong> are aggregated <strong>to</strong>gether in the form of public<br />
opinion polls <strong>an</strong>d other indices of collective <strong>political</strong> will.<br />
Second, we shall examine how the <strong>political</strong> process of democratic<br />
societies – their procedures <strong>an</strong>d practices – has been affected by the growing<br />
import<strong>an</strong>ce within them of mass <strong>communication</strong>.<br />
And third, we shall consider the systemic impact of the rise of <strong>political</strong><br />
<strong>communication</strong> on adv<strong>an</strong>ced capitalist societies such as the UK <strong>an</strong>d the US.<br />
Political <strong>communication</strong>, as already noted, is largely mediated <strong>communication</strong>,<br />
tr<strong>an</strong>smitted through the print <strong>an</strong>d electronic media. The media<br />
alter the message, in their roles as reporters of <strong>an</strong>d commenta<strong>to</strong>rs on it. They<br />
are, therefore, <strong>political</strong> ac<strong>to</strong>rs in their own right. Chapter 4 considers the<br />
effects of media coverage of politics, as discussed in the vast volume of<br />
research which has been conducted in<strong>to</strong> the subject over m<strong>an</strong>y years.<br />
Before considering <strong>an</strong>y of these different types of effect, a few words on<br />
the difficulties associated with the ‘effects issue’ in general are appropriate.<br />
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