The Dynamics of
Mass Communication
Seventh Edition
Joseph R. Dominick
Part 5
Regulating the
Mass Media Industry
Chapter 18
Social Effects
of Mass Communication
INVESTIGATING MASS MEDIA EFFECTS
There are several ways to study the media’s effect on individuals
and society. Our studies will focus on two methodologies:
Surveys Large groups of people answering questionnaires;
surveys can’t prove cause and effect relationships, but
they can suggest associations. Panel studies, more
reliable, study the same groups over long time periods.
Experiments Done in the lab or in the field, designed to
manipulate experimental factors to determine impact on
other factors to better help establish causality.
Effects on Knowledge and Attitudes
Media and Socialization
Socialization is the ways in which an individual comes to
adopt the behavior and values of the group over time.
These groups, or agencies of socialization, contribute to
the socialization process.
The Media as a Primary Source of Information
Learning is an important part of the socialization process, and
the media (primarily TV) serve as important sources of
information, if not the prime sources, for a wide range of
topics such as politics, crime, health, and the environment.
Shaping Attitudes,
Perceptions, and Beliefs
•
Creating Stereotypes
•
The Effects of Heavy Viewing
•
The Absence of Alternative Information
Cultivation Analysis
Cultivation analysis says that heavy TV viewing
“cultivates” perceptions of reality consistent with
the view of the world presented in TV programs.
Cultivation analysis concentrates on the long-term
effects of exposure rather than the short-term
impact on attitudes and opinions.
Cultivation Analysis
(Con’t)
Methodology
Step 1: Identify predominant themes and messages
Step 2: Examine what viewers absorb from heavy exposure
to TV. Viewers respond to questionnaires with
“real world” or “TV world” answers
Cultivation Analysis
(Con’t)
Research Findings
Most findings suggest that, among some people, TV
cultivated distorted perceptions of the real world. Though
promising, CA studies are enveloped by three problems:
•
it’s difficult to determine cause and effect
•
people differ in ways other than their TV habits
• The mainstreaming factor
•
• The resonance factor
measurement variables can impact findings
Children and TV Advertising
Since the 1980s, it’s been generally acknowledged that
children deserve special consideration from advertisers for
the following reasons:
•
Children are a vulnerable audience, subject to
exploitation.
•
Children, especially the younger ones, might be easily
deceived by sophisticated TV ad techniques.
•
Long-term effects of exposure to TV ads could negatively
affect a child’s socialization as a future consumer.
Agenda Setting
By saying the media have an impact on agenda setting, we
mean that they have the ability to choose and emphasize
certain topics which can cause the public to perceive
these issues as important. So far, the research suggests:
•
•
•
•
Cause and effect relationships are still unclear.
The results can hinge on the medium being studied.
Topic covered can influence agenda setting.
A person’s experience with topic will influence results.
An agenda-setting effect can also be influenced by other
factors, such as a person’s interest in and experience with
the topic, his age, education, and political involvement
Agenda Setting
(Con’t)
Agenda research has two general fields of study:
•
Framing, how topics are treated by the media
•
Agenda building,
examines how media build
their agenda of newsworthy items
Television and Cognitive Skills
Studies on how, or if, heavy TV viewing adversely
affects a child’s IQ are so far inconclusive.
Other environmental factors seem to weigh into the
ultimate effect much more heavily.
Heavy TV viewing, has however, been linked with
decreased intellectual performance.
Short History of Media Effects on Behavior
•
1930s: media effects studies begin with gangster movies
•
1940s: concerns mount over political influence when Huey
Long, President Roosevelt take to air waves
•
1950s: concern over how TV might influence children rises
•
1960s: concerns focus on excessive media violence
•
1970s: studies look at TV violence and media pornography
•
1980s: focus expands to sexual content, strong language
•
1990s: studies on media violence continue; inconclusive
results, but Congress mandates new TV rating
system and use of “V” chip
Impact of Televised Violence
A representative summary of research findings might conclude:
Evidence indicates that there’s a significant correlation between
viewing violent TV shows and day-to-day aggressive behavior.
Nevertheless, a relationship is not necessarily evidence of a
cause and effect. In 1986, a five-country panel study research
project came to two conclusions about TV violence, children, and
aggressive behavior:
•
relationship between viewing violence and aggression is weak
•
there’s a circularity in causation. Viewing violent TV caused
some children to become more aggressive, and being
aggressive caused them to watch more violent TV
Experimental Results
•
Catharsis Theory
(Aristotle)
watching violence purges the urge to be violent
•
Stimulation Theory
watching violence stimulates you to be more violent
•
Bandura’s Experiment
watching violence may not cause violent behavior, but it
may well encourage it
Experimental Results
(Con’t)
Factors that could complicate lab and field research
•
age, sex
•
length and type of violent media content
people with whom the subject watches the media
social class, family history, economic background
real-world influences (field experiments)
•
•
•
What Can We Conclude?
Study threads suggest that watching television violence does
increase aggressive tendencies; but while the effects may be
small, they’re not necessarily trivial
Encouraging Prosocial Behavior
Prosocial Behavior: cooperation, sharing, self-control, etc.
Developing Self-Control: data shows films, TV shows can
affect child’s self-control
Cooperation, Sharing, and Helping: data shows kids
willing to imitate cooperative, generous, and helping
behavior they see portrayed in films or TV
Survey Data: data suggests children do perceive prosocial
messages within a film or TV show, but two studies found
little relationship between viewing prosocial messages and
actually transferring those actions into everyday behavior
Other Behavioral Effects
Political Behavior
• voter turn out studies
• negative political advertising
• effects on voter choices
• the difficulty of candidate conversion
• reinforcement
• crystallization
Other Behavioral Effects
Political Behavior
• Presidential debates and public impact
• TV and political behavior of politicians
Obscenity and Pornography
Studies here vary widely, often more because of the prevailing
political climate rather than the empirical evidence itself.
A 1960s study suggested pornography was more or less limited
to middle-age, middle-class men, no evidence that it resulted in
antisocial behavior, was actually a “healthy” pursuit, and that all
laws against distributing pornography be repealed.
By contrast, a 1980s study concluded pornography should be
curtailed, that it was linked to aggressive behavior, and that there
was a link between it and a growing callousness toward women.
Research on the Social Effects
of the Internet

Does Internet use have an effect on other media?

Is there a link between heavy Internet use and a user’s
social involvement?

Can heavy Internet use turn into an addiction?
The Future of Communication and
Its Impact on Society
Any discussion about the future is, by definition, speculative. But
that said, careful observers can already recognize a few likely
problems and social issues that the mass media may bring us.
Privacy
Information Fragmentation
Communication Overload
Escapism
End of Chapter 18
Social Effects of Mass
Communication