Second Era of Mass-communication Theories

 

REPORT BY SHAHZAIB IKRAM

Second Era of Mass-communication Theories

LIMITED PROSPECTIVE THEORY

Slide 1

 

Firstly, I am greatly thankful to you ma’am! Thank you for providing me this opportunity to present before you and everyone else. Well, the topic on which I am going to speak is “THE SECOND ERA OF MASS-COMMUNICATION THEORIES” which is ‘LIMITED EFFECTS PERSPECTIVE THEORY”. In the coming slides, we will analyze limited effects theory from different angles and perspectives.

Reference:

LINKS: https://www.slideshare.net/sarahghost/paul-lazarsfeld-limited-effects-theory

Title: Lagerfeld limited effects theory-slid show

Slide 2

In this slide, I am discussing the relation between media and its Audience. As you can see in the picture above the media is feeding its audience, giving the Idea of “MAGIC BULLET THEORY”. As my friend explained the magic bullet theory in depth thus, I will just give a brief outline. According to this theory, the audience is passive and the media is powerful, the message converted through media directly influences the mind of the audience just like a bullet. This theory portrays that audience is defenseless before Media.

Limited perspective theory contradicts magic bullet theory. In the next coming slid we will put a light on the Limited perspective theory.

Reference:

LINKS: https://www.slideshare.net/sarahghost/paul-lazarsfeld-limited-effects-theory

Title: Lazerfeld limited effects theory-slid show.

Slide 3

The limited perspective theory was prosed in the 1940s. This theory was propose by an Australian Scientist, named Paul Lazarsfeld. According to this theory, Media has a very limited effect on its audience. We will discuss this theory concerning the mass-society theory.

The mass-society theory is base on the concept that media is very influential. Whereas the limited theory contradicts the concepts proposed by Mass-society theory. Lazarsfeld proposed this theory after a lot of experimentation. He conducted these experiments on a very large scale. He studied the behaviour of the audience in different situations while using mass media. Lazarsfeld found out that media does not affect its audience as mentioned in the earlier theories. According to him, there are a lot of factors that effects the media's influence on the mind of its audience.

The second the ef theories directly challenged the dominant and powerful notion about the media and countered that the media could not be considered as a ‘pied piper’ but rather as a reinforcer/endorser of pre-existing ideas, attitudes and opinions. Unlike what was the belief up to then, the limited effects theory gave more credit to a person’s ability to control what he saw, learnt or opined, while consuming the media. It also posited the media’s influence was not direct but rather functioned through an interconnected web of mediating factors.

Reference:

Links: https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100106197

Title: Limited Effects Theory- Oxford reference

Slide 4

In this slid, I will discuss the nature of the audience concerning the concepts and notions derived from Limited perspective theory. The profile of an average media consumer was changed after this theory was introduced. Before it, The audience was considered to be an active consumer who was well interconnected, far from being a disassociated member of society. The audience considers what they want from the media and what they are not interested in. Often what an individual chose was in line with their existing beliefs and value system (essentially selective perception).

From the name ‘LIMITED PERSPECTIVE’ it is clear that media influence is interrupted by different causes including the interests of its audience, life problems, family influence, political thinking ability and personal beliefs of the audience. Thus, all these factors play a crucial part in depicting the role of media influence to the mind of its audience.

Reference:

Link: https://youtu.be/BUPXj5DFZ1I

Title: Four Eras of Mass Communication | Ms. Madhusmita Boruah

Slide 5

In this slid we will put a light on the theory named “Two step flow theory” In this, we will study the conclusions of Lagerfeld Idea about mass media and its effect on the audience and how this message reaches the audience. When we studied the basic experiments of Lazerfeld we found that his systematic and empirical study of US voters enabled him to classify them into three categories: converts, wavers and crystallizers. His findings showed that interpersonal influence was much stronger than that of the mass media. This realization helped him conceive and later develop the ‘Limited Effects Theory. In the coming slid we will discuss ‘Two-step flow theory’ in-depth.

Reference:

Link: https://www.communicationtheory.org/limited-effects-theory/

Title: Limited Effect Perspective| Communication Theories

Slide 6

The Two-Step Flow Theory is under the influence of Limited perspective theory. We will put a light on the methods of communication and how it is done in two steps. The main players in this theory are

a) Media

b) Gate Keepers

c) Opinion Leaders

c) Opinion Followers.

The flow of information moves in this above order and gets massively filtered and reinterpreted by the time it reaches the opinion follower.

 

Lagerfeld credits the elite high and educated class to be the primary gatekeepers and consumers of media whose biases affect how and what information gets redistributed among those who consume media at much lower levels. Opinion leaders especially lessened or mitigated media effects through their discussions and interpretations of mass media messages with their peers.

 

By the time adulthood is reached, people have their own perceptions and opinions that are independent of the media. Therefore, their peers and social institutions in general influence people more. The influence of opinion leaders in particular far outweighs that of the media.

 

Further support for their limited effects paradigm was provided by other studies about the effects of the media. For example, in one study by Carl Hovland, he found that soldiers, who viewed motivational/training films during a series of controlled experiments, were not affected by what they viewed. Rather at an individual level, there were various independent factors (mediating/ intervening variables) that affected their attitudes or motivation levels.

Reference:

Link: https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100106197

Title:: Limited Effects Theory- Oxford reference