Influence of mass media  

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In psychology, communication theory and sociology, media influence or media effects refers to the theories about the ways in which the mass media affect how their audiences, think and behave.

The growth of media as an industry has accelerated over the past few years with new forms such as DVD and the internet changing the way we, the audience, consume and receive media. This has caused some media theorists to call into question the influence that the media have over our attitudes and beliefs.

Urbanization, industrialization and modernization have created the societal conditions for the development of mass media. The bulk of the content of the mass media is not designed to challenge or modify the social and political structure of a nation, either in a one party state or in a democratic society. The mass media plays a crucial role in forming and reflecting public opinion: it communicates the world to individuals, and it reproduces modern society's self-image. Critiques in the early-to-mid twentieth century suggested that the media destroys the individual's capacity to act autonomously - sometimes being ascribed an influence reminiscent of the telescreens of the dystopian novel 1984. Later empirical studies, however, suggest a more complex interaction between the media and society, with individuals actively interpreting and evaluating the media and the information it provides. The consequences and ramifications of the mass media relate not merely to the way newsworthy events are perceived (and which are reported at all), but also to a multitude of cultural influences which operate through the mass media. Thus Lang and Lang claim that "The mass media force attention to certain issues. They build up public images of political figures. They are constantly presenting objects suggesting what individuals in the mass should think about, know about, have feelings about."

See also

• Censorship
• Communication theory
• Controversy
• Copycat
• Cultivation theory
• Culture of fear
• Information theory
• Media controversy
• Media ecology
• Media studies
• Moral panic
• Public sphere
• Video game controversy

See also

While Media Influence Theories are often used to demonstrate the negative effects of the media on society, it is also of note that media can influence in a good way. The following are of note:* Strategic media

• Tactical media
• Censorship
• Communication theory
• Controversy
• Cultivation theory
• Orwell Rolls in His Grave
• Sonia Livingstone