Theories of Mass Communication

Concept of Theory

Theory is an assumption or system of assumptions, accepted principles, and rules of procedure based on limited information or knowledge, devised to analyze, predict, or otherwise explain the nature or behavior of a specified set of phenomena; abstract reasoning which is acquired by Scientific Method on the basis of  systematic approach of research in a given discipline. The philosophy of this empiricist approach is described in Western Philosophy: Pragmatism. Various methods of obtaining data are used using various Research Techniques. So, theory related to various subject is also different from place to place.

Hypotheses are the first step in creating a theory. Hypothesis formation is discussed in Psychology: Methods of Research. Falsifiability is the most important feature of hypothesis testing. Methods of testing (falsifying) hypotheses include Dialectic, Logic, Probability, and Statistics.

So, all the established set of belief with the formulation of research and its generalization related to mass media especially to press is taken as press theory.

Approaches of theory

Approaches of theory

a.       Media-culturalist perspective: This perspective is based on the concept of media centric point of view which has focused on subject matter of media as culture of the given society. Those cultures which are supported by the media will be continued in the society. Otherwise, such culture will be replaced by other media culture.

b.      Media technology perspective: Mass communication is also the process supported by media technology like radio, TV, computer, printing press etc. In the absence of those technologies, communication behavior of society will be dark and there will be information gap that will expand the bay of the poverty. The entire social patterns are dominated by different mass media.

c.       Society technological perspective: This perspective is related to the society centric point of view which believes that technologies are innovated to fulfill the needs of society itself. It means technology is developed as the needs of society. So, communication technology can not be aloof from social system. Particular technology is required to be established in society or not, that is decided by the authority of society. The government is the authority of each level of society which will decide particular technology has to be allowed in society or not on the basis of their directives and legal provision.

d.      Society culturalist perspective: Culture is language, rites, rituals religion, social attitude and social behavior. These all cultural background is the consequences of society. Therefore, the language pattern and coverage of media are directed by social system including social structure. No media can go beyond social structures and practices. In that sense, media are also the sub system of society.

Theories of communication and mass communication

·         Mass society theory: According to this theory, media are operated in highly atomic structure which means centralization of different media to reach into large numbers of people. However, government allows those private media to operate large-scale private media which supports particular government as a whole. Though there is democracy, government will be biased to give permission, license or registration to every qualified person. This theory was prevalent from 1890's to 1930's basically. This theory rejects complete freedom of speech and expression.

·         Marxist theory: According to the Marxist theory, media are operated for class interest. Wealthy people use media to exploit the working class people without giving them proper facilities. Media are also the tools of economical exploitation. With the changes of the time, media started to spread ideology rather than the exploitation of working class people economically. Therefore, neo-Marxist believes that media are operated to spread false consciousness to manipulate the ideology in their favor by capitalist people. In capitalist system, no coverage of working class people is possible taking them as a opposition. They only follow one way flow of capitalistic information.

·         Functionalist theory: According to this theory, media are operated only for the positive purpose in the society which believes that media helps to establish peace, order, justice and equality in society.  With the operation of media, society will be integrated with harmony which also acts as a bridge between and among different people. As a result, cooperation and coordination are possible in the society. This theory has only focused positive function of media in society and never pinpoints the dysfunction. Media has also negative effect in society which is not evaluated by this theory.

·         Critical political economy theory: This theory is also based on critical tradition of Marxism. However, this theory believes that politics and economics will be mixed to get maximum benefit. First of all, that person who has huge amount of capital easily makes influence on politician. In their favor, politician will also help to change the existing laws and regulations. As a result, private sector will invest for media on those sectors where they get only the profit, with this process; poor people do not have access to media information whereas wealthy people will easily get information that prolongs the information gap between have and have-not. In fact, each and every audience is commoditized as a goods and services. This theory also deals with the negative aspects of globalization.

·         Modernization and development theory: According to this theory, media are the revolutionary tools to change the social system of any nations. Media provides information to follow particular method of development. This concept is based on small is beautiful which is followed by Japan and South Africa. Gradually other countries are also following different method of modernization and development. No development is possible in the absence of media information is the key concept of this theory.

·         Technological determinism theory: This theory is propounded by Innis and McLuhan. Innis established Toronto University to study the technological strength of particular media. Later, Marshal McLuhan became the director of this university who propounded the theory of technological determinism. According to this theory, each media has distinctive types of content bias. In the beginning, books and newspaper dominated the world. Later, radio replaced the domination of books and newspaper. Now, TV replaced all other media. He came into conclusion that medium is always message. Ultimate domination of TV will be prevalent in communication world. He also classified hot and cold media for the effectiveness of media in market.

·         Information society theory: According to this theory, huge volume of information will support each and every life style of society with the support of new technology. The concept of new technology includes amalgamation of internet, computer, satellite and telephone with optical fibers. The connection of such technology with each and every nation is information superhighway. This information highway further develops into full-fledged application and interconnection of technology of every nation, which is possible with the huge investment from multinational company in communication sector. Two-way communication, globalization of communication, diversity in information flow, plurality of channel are the basic characteristics of information society theory which has been developing after 1990's but it does not get its ultimate point.

·         Hypodermic needle theory: Media has hundred percent effect on audience is the key concept of this theory. This theory believes that each and every media has immediate effect on target group like the bullet shot or injection of syringe. This theory was appeared in early 1920's that attracted propaganda theory. This theory also believes that audiences are passive with one way flow of information. 

·         Two-step flow theory: This theory is developed by Katz and Lagerfeld in 1942 which rejected the one step flow of the communication. In this theory, source disseminates information to receiver. Active receiver receives information in his own language and understanding and sends this information to other passive receiver as a source. This reflects the two step flow of communication. Later, multi-step flow theory came as a expansion of same theory. This theory closed the effectiveness of hypodermic needle theory of full effect of media on audience.

·         Opinion leader theory: This theory is developed with the process of two step flow theory. In this theory, active receiver acts as an opinion leader who can either distort or exaggerated or original information received from media directly. Such opinion leader may misuse this information for personal benefit and selfishness.

·         Effect theory: Media provides information to change society to make effect on already established norms and values of society on audience. Media has both planned and unplanned, short term and long term effect. Criminal acts, suicide, assault are the negative effect of media whereas development, education, quality of life is the examples of positive effect of media. Until and unless the proper understanding of such effect of media, no media content can be changed or improved to make it compatible to the society. After 1990's, the effect of media was started to be studied on the positive or negative effect of media.

·         Play theory: According to this theory, media should convey information to audience with the support of entertainment oriented program as infotainment. All human beings are playful by nature. To make certain effect over them, media content should be presented playfully, humorously.

·         Media interdependency theory: No media is itself perfect which should be interdependent with other media either for promotion or goodwill as per this theory. For example, the advertisement of Himalayan Times in NTV.

·         Uses and gratification theory: Audiences uses media for the satisfaction of their expectation. Otherwise, they never use particular media. Therefore, media should be operated as per the interest of the audience and target group. However, there are different kinds of audience category in society. No single media can fulfill the interest of as a whole audience.

·         Motivation theory: Media should motivate the people toward development, social change and quality of life according to this theory. Media are operated especially to form the positive attitude of audience to encourage them for particular deeds.

·         Individual difference theory: According to this theory, every individual is different from other because of their various backgrounds like behavior, attitude, knowledge, skill. Same media may be effective for some individual and same is meaningless for other because of their variety of nature.

·         Social categorization theory: There are different demographic distributions of society on the basis of age, gender, religion, occupation, educational status, economical status. So the effect of media is different as per their strata is the key concept of this theory.