Monday, March 22, 2010

The Hypodermic Needle Theory

Communication, which is a vast concept (theory), has been naturally founded by human. In defining it, it is the means of transforming a message and information from the source to the receiver or it’s the process of creating shared meaning. (J. Baran, Introduction to Mass Communication ).On a broader spectrum, mass communication is the process of transforming a message created and packaged by a person to a group or large audience through a transforming device which is (serves as ) the medium.

Mass Media has become a part of human life and it making great impact .Due to this, Mass Media scholars have come up with theories (or models and approaches) to help understand these theories. This content will be limited to the Hypodermic Needle Theory. Hypodermic is a piston syringe that is fitted with a needle for giving injections (relating to or located below the epidermis ,ie, the outer layer of the skin covering the exterior body surface of vertebrates, cuticles ). A theory is a well substantiated (established facts or evidence) explanation of some aspect of the natural world. A theory could also be defined as a belief that can guide behavior. This “Hypodermic Needle Theory” propounded by Harold Lasswell (1935) suggests simple concepts about the media.

HYPODERMIC NEEDLE THEORY (Injection of Ideologies)

Audiences are the receivers of the message and also are the responders. These people can also be defined in others words as a “gathering of spectators or listeners at a (usually public) performance. One other person who can also not omitted in news manufacturing process is the PRODUCER. A Producer is one who manufactures something. In this context, a producer is manufacturer of news (from its raw state to a more presentable state) for broadcasting to unknown listeners. The producer draws (sketches) the format or trend the news casting should follow (ie.When, Why and How). He determines what news should be cast first or not. It is therefore essential for media producers to understand the process of manufacturing (processing), broadcasting and reception of message by the audiences. He must also put into consideration the recipients’ content, which is the state of audience, his ambience, location, mood etc. since they affect the audiences’ reaction and response to information. Various age classes, gender, location etc are elements that should be given thought by media producer since they help yield better and favourable responds and results from audiences. This study, concerning the producer’s mass audience enables him to package the message accordingly and appropriately to suit the audience. As regards the impact the media make, it is to a very large extent that the media has no idea of has no idea of. The media greatly influence the public(s) positively or negatively. Due to the power of the media, scholars of the course undertook studies, developed and designed several Effects Models. The models explained the media’s influence on the public and how they react to the message. One of these models is the Hypodermic Needle Theory or The Magic Bullet.

The Magic Bullet Theory suggests that mass comm. Is like a gun firing bullets if information at a passive audience and gradually diffuses into their system. It is one of the most famous theories that analysed the relationship between media and audience. It was developed in the early 1920s with the beginning of mass media, radio and cinema. It suggests that, mass media injects messages and information directly and uniformly into the audiences’ minds who are immediately influenced. When the media broadcasts any message, we the publics tend to accept it to be nothing but the whole and absolute truth. Notably, the theory did not agree with those who say that the audiences use their experience, intelligence and opinion to analyse the message. The media producers can manipulate the audiences by means of “Injecting” (Hypodermic) the messages they want. The model further explains that, if a person watches a violent movie, he will act as such. A typical example of this theory is the serial killer Jeffery Dahmar. This professional murderer watched a movie before each criminal act. The media men and producers know that people spend much of their time taking their information and means of entertainment from them. The commonest and effective channel of delivery is the television and radio. As the theory propounds, every news content for broadcast is injected into the listeners and viewers’ minds which influence them in one way or the other, consciously or unconsciously. The publics don’t challenge it because it is their only means or source of information and they believe anything sent to them is nothing but true. The publics tend to have no sense of doubt since it is from a reliable and famous source. For example, no publics would doubt or question news from BBC, CNN or Aljazeera. A vivid demonstration of the power of news (media) is the “war of the worlds”. On the eve of Halloween, there was the breaking news on radio saying that, Martians had begun an invasion of the Earth in a place called Grover’s Mill, New Jersey. About one out of twelve million in the U.S. who heard this news actually believed it. A wave of mass hysteria disrupted households, interrupted religious services caused traffic jams and clogged communication systems. Also, in the late 1990s, when a famous international media house aired that a big rock was expected to fall from the sky to the earth within a particular time, those who heard it passed it on as usual and were seeking for refuge. It rendered most people helpless and restless.

These examples strongly support the “Hypodermic Needle Theory” which is undoubtedly true but it is debatable in that, God dropped or granted each individual a sense of humour and reasoning which he or she could and should use to reason and make analysis.

For example, when the media aims that, henceforth Nim Trees (medicinal plant found in the tropics) who for no reason lost their medicinal values, one could analyse it before and decided whether to act accordingly or not.

Communication, which is a vast concept (theory), has been naturally founded by human. In defining it, it is the means of transforming a message and information from the source to the receiver or it’s the process of creating shared meaning. (J. Baran, Introduction to Mass Communication ).On a broader spectrum, mass communication is the process of transforming a message created and packaged by a person to a group or large audience through a transforming device which is (serves as ) the medium.
Mass Media has become a part of human life and it making great impact .Due to this, Mass Media scholars have come up with theories (or models and approaches) to help understand these theories. This content will be limited to the Hypodermic Needle Theory. Hypodermic is a piston syringe that is fitted with a needle for giving injections (relating to or located below the epidermis ,ie, the outer layer of the skin covering the exterior body surface of vertebrates, cuticles ). A theory is a well substantiated (established facts or evidence) explanation of some aspect of the natural world. A theory could also be defined as a belief that can guide behavior. This “Hypodermic Needle Theory” propounded by Harold Lasswell (1935) suggests simple concepts about the media.
HYPODERMIC NEEDLE THEORY (Injection of Ideologies)
Audiences are the receivers of the message and also are the responders. These people can also be defined in others words as a “gathering of spectators or listeners at a (usually public) performance. One other person who can also not omitted in news manufacturing process is the PRODUCER. A Producer is one who manufactures something. In this context, a producer is manufacturer of news (from its raw state to a more presentable state) for broadcasting to unknown listeners. The producer draws (sketches) the format or trend the news casting should follow (ie.When, Why and How). He determines what news should be cast first or not. It is therefore essential for media producers to understand the process of manufacturing (processing), broadcasting and reception of message by the audiences. He must also put into consideration the recipients’ content, which is the state of audience, his ambience, location, mood etc. since they affect the audiences’ reaction and response to information. Various age classes, gender, location etc are elements that should be given thought by media producer since they help yield better and favourable responds and results from audiences. This study, concerning the producer’s mass audience enables him to package the message accordingly and appropriately to suit the audience. As regards the impact the media make, it is to a very large extent that the media has no idea of has no idea of. The media greatly influence the public(s) positively or negatively. Due to the power of the media, scholars of the course undertook studies, developed and designed several Effects Models. The models explained the media’s influence on the public and how they react to the message. One of these models is the Hypodermic Needle Theory or The Magic Bullet.


The Magic Bullet Theory suggests that mass comm. Is like a gun firing bullets if information at a passive audience and gradually diffuses into their system. It is one of the most famous theories that analysed the relationship between media and audience. It was developed in the early 1920s with the beginning of mass media, radio and cinema. It suggests that, mass media injects messages and information directly and uniformly into the audiences’ minds who are immediately influenced. When the media broadcasts any message, we the publics tend to accept it to be nothing but the whole and absolute truth. Notably, the theory did not agree with those who say that the audiences use their experience, intelligence and opinion to analyse the message. The media producers can manipulate the audiences by means of “Injecting” (Hypodermic) the messages they want. The model further explains that, if a person watches a violent movie, he will act as such. A typical example of this theory is the serial killer Jeffery Dahmar. This professional murderer watched a movie before each criminal act. The media men and producers know that people spend much of their time taking their information and means of entertainment from them. The commonest and effective channel of delivery is the television and radio. As the theory propounds, every news content for broadcast is injected into the listeners and viewers’ minds which influence them in one way or the other, consciously or unconsciously. The publics don’t challenge it because it is their only means or source of information and they believe anything sent to them is nothing but true. The publics tend to have no sense of doubt since it is from a reliable and famous source. For example, no publics would doubt or question news from BBC, CNN or Aljazeera. A vivid demonstration of the power of news (media) is the “war of the worlds”. On the eve of Halloween, there was the breaking news on radio saying that, Martians had begun an invasion of the Earth in a place called Grover’s Mill, New Jersey. About one out of twelve million in the U.S. who heard this news actually believed it. A wave of mass hysteria disrupted households, interrupted religious services caused traffic jams and clogged communication systems. Also, in the late 1990s, when a famous international media house aired that a big rock was expected to fall from the sky to the earth within a particular time, those who heard it passed it on as usual and were seeking for refuge. It rendered most people helpless and restless.
These examples strongly support the “Hypodermic Needle Theory” which is undoubtedly true but it is debatable in that, God dropped or granted each individual a sense of humour and reasoning which he or she could and should use to reason and make analysis.For example, when the media aims that, henceforth Nim Trees (medicinal plant found in the tropics) who for no reason lost their medicinal values, one could analyse it before and decided whether to act accordingly or not.

Monday, March 15, 2010

FUNCTIONS OF THE MASS MEDIA


FUNCTIONS OF MASS MEDIA

L
ittle John and Foss (2005) define mass communication as “the process whereby media organizations produce and transmit messages to large publics and the process by which those messages are sought, used, and consumed by audiences” (p. 273). McQuail (1994) states that mass communication is, “only one of the processes of communication operating at the society-wide level, readily identified by its institutional characteristics”(p. 7). Simply put, mass communication is the public transfer of messages through media or technology driven channels to a large number of recipients from an entity, usually involving some type of cost or fee (advertising) for the user. “The sender often is a person in some large media organization, the messages are public, and the audience tends to be large and varied” (Berger, 2002, p.121).

FUNCTION is the act of executing or performing any duty, office or calling (serve a purpose or role).

The Functions of Mass Communication on the other hand, outline its roles with regard to the Economic , Social(Societal) and Political Roles which are outlined below;

SOCIAL ROLE
Create Awareness
Educate Employment
Investigate Analysis
Surveillance Agitate
Entertainment
Informing
Platform for Expression
Stability
Agenda Setting
Globalization
Knowledge Bank
Historical ((Keeping Records)
Mouth Piece

ECONOMIC ROLE
Encourage Initiative
Employment
Advertising

POLITICAL ROLE
Settle conflicts
Mobilise(r)
Agitate


It's been difficult outlining them in the order of Social , Economic and Political Roles.All except two, all fall under the Social Role .Making an individual or society aware of something, educating them, undertaking (undercover) investigations,establishing stability(political or economic) among others are all social functions.
One Wright(1960), simplifies and characterizes seven Functions of Mass Communication that offer insight into its roles in our lives.

Surveillance:
This function of Mass Media is to serve as the eyes and ears of those of us seeking information about our society , community and world .When we want to find out the latest news about what is happening , we surf the internet, read the newspaper etc. We rely on Mass Communication for news.

Correlation:Correlation addresses how the media presents facts that we use to move through the world .The information we get through Mass Communication is not objective and without bias. Wright states that, the media is credible.We can consume media without questioning motive and agenda.

Sensationalisation: There is an old saying in the news industry -" If it bleeds , it leads", that highlights the idea of sensationalisation . Sensationalisation is when the media puts foward the most sensational message to titiliate consumers ."Media managers think of consumers other 'than citizens"-Elliot.

Entertainment: Mass Media (Communication), like FM Stations and magazines provide us with an escape from daily routines and problems by entertaining us. (Zillman and Bryant, 1986 ,p.303). Media keeps us to date on the doings of our favourite celebrities . Most Mass Communication simultaneously entertains and informs .

Transmission: Mass Media is a vehicle to transmit cultural norms, values, rules and habits. It plays a significant role in the socialisation process. We look for role models to display appropriate cultural norms but all too often, we do not recognise inappropriate or stereotypical behaviour.

Mobilisation: Mass Media functions to assemble people during times with the motive or intention. (Denis McQuail 1994) .With instant access to media and information, we can collectively witness the same event taking place in real time somewhere else, thus, mobilising a population of people. The rising popularity of political websites such as "moveon.org" is another key example of the use of Mass Communication to gather people for political action.

Validation: Mass Media functions to validate the status and norms of individuals, movements, organisations or products. The validation of particular people or groups serve to enforce social norms (Lazarfeld and Merton, 1971) .A great deal of criticism focuses on how certain groups are promoted and others marginalised by how they are portrayed in Mass Media.