MC 101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Mass Media

• School: University of Alabama
• Department: Mass Communication
• Course: MC 101
• Professor: William J Gonzenbach

Document Summary

Lacking objectively assembled facts and relying on hunches and opinions, each came to different and often contradictory views. The earliest research was guided by the assumptions of the magic bullet theory, later abandoned, which said the media have immediate, powerful, and universal effects. In a study of a presidential election campaign, it was found that media messages and influences often flow in a two-step process, first to opinion leaders who attend first-hand and then to others in the population. Aggressive behavior is more closely linked to the personal and social characteristics of individuals. However, televised violence may raise the probability of aggressive acts among certain categories of youths.