POL369Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Hypodermic Needle, Msnbc, Ath
Document Summary
People heard wells mercury theatre (cid:862)(cid:449)ar of the (cid:449)orlds(cid:863) the radio, and people thought it was actually happening. Hypodermic needle theory assumes all audience members are empty vessels, communicator can inject ideas/information/concepts into your heads. Elites in the us, britain, etc. were nervous because people believe everything they hear in the media. 1940s studies made that the hypodermic needle theory is incorrect: minimal effects era variety of ways we can actively interpret materials. Selective exposure motivated selection of pro-attitudinal messages and the avoidance of counter-altitudinal messages: watch/pay atte(cid:374)tio(cid:374) to thi(cid:374)gs you like, a(cid:374)d if you do(cid:374)"t like it, you ig(cid:374)ore/do(cid:374)"t (cid:449)at(cid:272)h it, motivated by 3 possible mechanisms. Partisan polarisation argument among people interested in politics, there is the tendency for partisans to avoid information that counters their view and follows ones that agree with it. In the usa, on cable news, where generally right wings watch fox and left wings watch cnn, Msnbc etc. , yet avoid the other sides channels.
