Media Effects: What Have We Learned?

     Media effects research and cultural studies have had long histories in the United States. There have been many different types of research, analysis, and studies conducted throughout the years. Some of the early methods included propaganda analysis, public opinion research, social psychology studies, and marketing research. All four of these methods were extremely important to modern day studies of media effects research.

This is an example of a tv parental guideline
created because of early social psychology
studies.

From: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons
/3/35/Black_TV-14-LS_icon.png

     The first method, propaganda analysis, was a method important during the first World War. Researchers studied how governments used propaganda in everyday life to try to advance the war effort. Another method, public opinion research, went a step further than propaganda analysis and focused on how mass media affected public attitudes and opinion. Researchers conducted surveys on various topics in order to provide insight to the public's opinion. Researchers still conduct public opinion research today. The third method, social psychology studies, focuses on the individual rather than the public. An early study focused on how the motion picture influenced the behavior and cognition of frequent movie attendants. This study led to the creation of organizations that began to monitor movie content. The last method was marketing research. Marketing research started when companies conducted surveys on their consumers. The companies were able to "keep tabs" on how, where, and why the consumer spent their money. These four early methods for media effects research was the just the beginning of many years of studying and research. 

The book that challenged the hypodermic-
needle model.

From: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons
/8/8e/War_of_the_Worlds_original_cover_bw.jpg

     From all of the research, analysis, and studies conducted, researchers have learned a great deal about mass media and how it is affecting the public and individuals. Three major theories created by researchers following the early research on media effects were the hypodermic-needle model, the minimal-effects model, and the uses and gratification model. The hypodermic-needle model centered around the idea that media directly shoots their beliefs and content into their victims. One study that challenged this theory was when a radio broadcaster read War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells like a real news report. The results disapproved the hypodermic-needle model. The second theory, the minimal-effects model, focused on the idea that people expose themselves to media that they are most familiar with and retain only information that they had before the exposure to the media. The problem with this theory was that it assumed that passive audiences were acted upon by the media. Other studies have been conducted that prove that audiences are usually active when using the media rather than passive. The third theory, uses and gratifications model, studied how people use the media to satisfy their needs. This theory never became too popular because it addressed the function of media and not how media has impacted the public. 

Albert Bandura, the scientist that conducted
the "Bobo doll" experiments, thus developing
the social learning theory.

From: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia
/commons/c/cc/Albert_Bandura_Psychologist.jpg

     Now that we know all of this important information about the history of media effects research, what does this mean for us? In other words, why is this important? Through all of these studies we can see exactly how media affects the public and the individual. Many different theories have been proved and disapproved throughout the years. Theories such as the social learning theory, agenda-setting, the cultivation effect, the spiral of silence, and the third-person effect are contemporary media effect theories that give us more insight into the relationship between the audience and the media. 


      I think the real question everyone wants to know is what have we learned from all of this research? Do we truly know how media affects us? I think the answer to that resides with the surveys and experiments being conducted to this day. I do not think that we will ever know how much the media affects us. Everyone is different. Everyone is affected differently by the media. We are all shaped by the media, but we are all affected differently. The media affects me differently than it affects my sister. 

Does this tv show create murders
 and criminals?

From: https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/
6187/6069074735_a425c8887c.jpg

She is more impressionable. She has grown up in a world that has always had cell-phones, PCs, and the internet. I have not. We are affected by the media differently. One person might use the media as a excuse for their bad behavior. For example, young boys might say they were fighting because of a TV show they saw or a movie they watched. But, is that true? Were the young boys fighting because of the media or because they are naturally aggressive? Do murderers commit murders because of a cop show or because they were born with that instinct? It is hard to determine the effects of media on its audience. The more studies and experiments researchers conduct, the closer we are to an answer. But as for now, we can only study the past and hope for the best in the future. 

    The pictures below are all examples of types of media that affect and shape our everyday lives. We do not usually notice that media is affecting us, it is all the time. We should be more aware of how media is affecting us and what the media is trying to put into our heads. 

https://static.pexels.com/photos/3066/
smartphone-mockup-mobile-phone-screen.jpg

From: https://c1.staticflickr.com/
7/6054/6277208708_7e6607d601_b.jpg