Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future, 6th Edition (Wadsworth Series in Mass Communication and Journalism)

Cover page......Page 1
MASS COMMUNICATION CHRONOLOGY......Page 3
Title Page\n......Page 7
Front Matter......Page 8
Copyright Page......Page 9
Dedication Page\n......Page 10
PREFACE......Page 19
A UNIQUE APPROACH......Page 21
NEW TO THIS EDITION......Page 22
THE USE OF TOPICS FOR CRITICAL THINKING......Page 23
THE SUPPORTING PHILOSOPHY OF THIS BOOK......Page 24
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 25
CONTENTS......Page 11
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION THEORY......Page 27
CHAPTER 1: UNDERSTANDING AND EVALUATING MASS COMMUNICATION THEORY......Page 29
Defining and Redefining Mass Communication......Page 31
Science and Human Behavior......Page 33
Defining Theory......Page 37
Postpositivist Theory......Page 38
Hermeneutic Theory......Page 39
Normative Theory......Page 40
Evaluating Theory......Page 42
Mass Communication Theory......Page 43
Summary......Page 45
Critical Thinking Questions......Page 47
CHAPTER  2: FOUR ERAS OF MASS COMMUNICATION THEORY......Page 48
Overview......Page 51
Four Eras of  Media Theory......Page 52
The Era of Mass Society and Mass Culture......Page 53
A Scientific Perspective on Mass Communication Leads to the Emergence of the Limited-Effects Perspective......Page 55
Ferment in the Field: Competing Cultural Perspectives Challenge Limited-Effects Theory......Page 60
Emergence of Meaning-Making Perspectives on Media......Page 61
Ongoing Debate over Issues......Page 64
Summary......Page 65
Critical Thinking Questions......Page 66
SECTION 2: THE ERA OF MASS SOCIETY AND MASS CULTURE......Page 68
CHAPTER 3: THE RISE OF MEDIA INDUSTRIES AND MASS SOCIETY THEORY......Page 71
Overview......Page 72
The Beginnings......Page 73
Cycles of Mass Media Development and Decline......Page 75
Mass Society Critics and the Debate over Media......Page 78
Assumptions of Mass Society Theory......Page 81
Early Examples of Mass Society Theory......Page 89
Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft......Page 90
Mechanical and Organic Solidarity......Page 91
Mass Society Theory in Contemporary Times......Page 93
Summary......Page 96
Critical Thinking Questions......Page 97
CHAPTER 4: THE RISE OF MEDIA THEORY IN THE AGE OF PROPAGANDA......Page 99
Overview......Page 100
The Origin of Propaganda......Page 102
Propaganda Comes to the United States......Page 105
Behaviorism......Page 107
Freudianism......Page 108
Harold Lasswell’s Propaganda Theory......Page 109
Walter Lippmann’s Theory of Public Opinion Formation......Page 111
Reaction against Early Propaganda Theory......Page 112
The Institute for Propaganda Analysis......Page 114
Modern Propaganda Theory......Page 117
Libertarianism Reborn......Page 119
Summary......Page 120
Critical Thinking Questions......Page 121
CHAPTER 5: NORMATIVE THEORIES OF MASS COMMUNICATION......Page 122
Overview......Page 125
The Origin of Normative Theories of Media......Page 126
The Origin of Libertarian Thought......Page 127
The Marketplace of Ideas: A New Form of Radical Libertarianism......Page 131
Government Regulation of Media......Page 134
Professionalization of Journalism......Page 135
Limitations of Professionalization......Page 137
Social Responsibility Theory of the Press: A Postwar Compromise......Page 140
The Cold War Tests Social Responsibility Theory......Page 142
Using Social Responsibility Theory to Guide Professional Practice......Page 143
Is There Still a Role for Social Responsibility Theory?......Page 145
The Public Interest in the Internet Era......Page 147
Other Normative Theories......Page 152
Summary......Page 155
Critical Thinking Questions......Page 156
SECTION 3: FROM LIMITED-EFFECTS TO CRITICAL CULTURAL THEORIES: FERMENT IN THE FIELD......Page 158
CHAPTER 6: THE RISE OF LIMITED-EFFECTS THEORY......Page 161
Overview......Page 162
The Development of Limited-Effects Theory......Page 164
The Two-Step Flow of Information and Influence......Page 168
Limitations in the Lazarsfeld Approach......Page 172
From Propaganda Research to Attitude-Change Theories......Page 174
Carl Hovland and the Experimental Section......Page 175
The Communication Research Program......Page 177
Mass Communication Research and the Focus on Media Effects......Page 179
The Selective Processes......Page 180
Limitations of the Experimental Persuasion Research......Page 183
Contemporary Selective Exposure: The Return of Minimal Effects......Page 186
Information-Flow Theory......Page 187
Joseph Klapper’s Phenomenistic Theory......Page 190
Elite Pluralism......Page 192
C. Wright Mills and The Power Elite......Page 194
A Summary of Limited-Effects Generalizations......Page 195
Drawbacks of the Limited-Effects Perspective......Page 196
Contributions of the Limited-Effects Perspective......Page 197
Summary......Page 198
Critical Thinking Questions......Page 199
Overview......Page 200
Theories of the Middle Range and the Functional Analysis Approach......Page 202
Systems Theories of Communication Processes......Page 209
Modeling Systems......Page 210
Applying Systems Models to Human Communication......Page 211
Adoption of Systems Models by Mass Communication Theorists......Page 212
Functionalism’s Unfulfilled Promise......Page 214
Focus on Children and Violence......Page 215
Television Violence Theories......Page 218
Social Learning......Page 219
Social Cognition from Mass Media......Page 221
Aggressive Cues......Page 223
The Context of Mediated Violence......Page 226
Active Theory of Television Viewing......Page 227
The Developmental Perspective......Page 228
Video Games Reignite Interest in Media Violence......Page 229
Media and Children’s Socialization......Page 230
Summary......Page 232
Critical Thinking Questions......Page 234
CHAPTER 8: THE EMERGENCE OF CRITICAL AND CULTURAL THEORIES OF MASS COMMUNICATION......Page 235
Overview......Page 236
Changing Times......Page 237
The Cultural Turn in Media Research......Page 238
Macroscopic versus Microscopic Theories......Page 239
Critical Theory......Page 240
Comparing Cultural Theories with Those Based on Empirical Research......Page 241
The Rise of Cultural Theories in Europe......Page 242
Marxist Theory......Page 243
Textual Analysis and Literary Criticism......Page 244
The Frankfurt School......Page 245
Development of Neo-Marxist Theory in Britain......Page 246
Political Economy Theory......Page 249
The Debate Between Cultural Studies and Political Economy Theorists......Page 250
Cultural Studies: Transmissional versus Ritual Perspectives......Page 253
Research on Popular Culture in the United States......Page 254
Marshall McLuhan: The Medium is the Message and the Massage......Page 255
Harold Innis: The Bias of Communication......Page 256
McLuhan: Understanding Media......Page 257
Summary......Page 261
Critical Thinking Questions......Page 262
SECTION 4: CONTEMPORARY MASS COMMUNICATION THEORY: FROM ACTIVE-AUDIENCE TO MEANING-MAKING THEORIES......Page 264
CHAPTER 9: AUDIENCE THEORIES: USES, RECEPTION, AND EFFECTS......Page 267
Overview......Page 269
Audience Theories: From Source-Dominated to Active-Audience Perspectives......Page 271
Limitations of Early Audience-Centered Research......Page 272
Confusion of Media Functions and Media Uses......Page 273
Revival of the Uses-and-Gratifications Approach......Page 275
The Active Audience Revisited......Page 277
Uses-and-Gratifications Research and Effects......Page 281
Development of Reception Studies: Decoding and Sensemaking......Page 283
Feminist Reception Studies......Page 286
New Directions in Audience Effects Research: The Rise of Moderate-Effects Theories......Page 288
Information-Processing Theory......Page 289
Processing Television News......Page 292
Elaboration Likelihood Model......Page 294
Entertainment Theory......Page 296
Summary\n......Page 300
Critical Thinking Questions......Page 302
CHAPTER 10: MEDIA AND SOCIETY: THE ROLE OF MEDIA IN THE SOCIAL WORLD......Page 304
Overview......Page 306
Information (Innovation) Diffusion Theory......Page 307
Social Marketing Theory......Page 310
Media System Dependency Theory......Page 314
The Knowledge Gap......Page 317
Agenda-Setting......Page 319
The Spiral of Silence......Page 324
News Production Research......Page 329
Media Intrusion Theory......Page 333
Summary......Page 337
Critical Thinking Questions......Page 338
CHAPTER 11: MEDIA AND CULTURE THEORIES: MEANING-MAKING IN THE SOCIAL WORLD......Page 339
Overview......Page 341
Symbolic Interactionism......Page 342
Pragmatism and the Chicago School......Page 345
Current Applications of Symbolic Interactionism......Page 347
Social Constructionism......Page 349
Framing and Frame Analysis......Page 356
Recent Theories of Frames and Framing......Page 361
Framing and Objectivity......Page 362
Effects of Frames on News Audiences......Page 364
Reforming Journalism Based on Framing Theory......Page 365
Cultivation Analysis......Page 366
The Products of Cultivation Analysis......Page 369
The Mean World Index......Page 370
A Final Note on Cultivation......Page 371
Media as Culture Industries: The Commodification of Culture......Page 373
Advertising: The Ultimate Cultural Commodity......Page 376
The Media Literacy Movement......Page 377
Two Views of Media Literacy......Page 379
Summary......Page 380
Critical Thinking Questions......Page 381
CHAPTER 12: AFTERWORD: THE FUTURE OF MEDIA THEORY AND RESEARCH......Page 383
Challenges......Page 386
The End of Mass Communication Theory: The Rise of Media Theory......Page 388
REFERENCES......Page 390
C......Page 409
H......Page 411
M......Page 412
O......Page 414
S......Page 415
T......Page 416
Y......Page 418