The Magic Bullet Theory

Magic Bullet Theory also known as Hypodermic Needle Theory. This theory is a model of communications. This theory has been around since 1920s and mostly used to explain how mass audiences might react to mass media. According to University of Twent in the Netherlands, the theory states that the mass media has a huge, powerful and also direct effect to the audiences. The mass media in the 1940s and 1950s were perceived as a powerful influence on behavior change. In the theory, bullet represents message, where gun represents the media. This theory function is that, mass media will helps to fire the bullet or the message directly to the audience and create a huge impact or influence in their mind. Like a bullet that give direct impact to the person

During the campaign, posters were posted up on everywhere such as, government premises, newspapers and magazines to attract the public attention towards the campaign. Meanwhile, television and radio advertisements were bought and played on air. (The Star 2013). This campaign was designed to increase the awareness of the negative consequences of smoking to the society and persuade them to quit smoking and never pick up this habit.
According to a research done in 2006 by National Health Morbidity 21.5 percent Malaysians in the age of 18 years and above are smokers and RM8.6 million were spent every day for smoking. At the same time, the statistics also shows that, 10,000 people died a year with 90% due to lung cancer, 75% due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and 25% of cardiovascular disease (Ahmad Saufi Mansor, n.d). This is one of the reasons why Malaysia becomes one of the 170 countries that has agreed to implement the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

With the help of media, it can send the message out easily but there are still some limitations on this theory. Therefore, in my opinion, magic bullet theory maybe can be improve in line with the changing of human lifestyle and daily technology that around. For example, except the media, they can expend to include social media such as Facebook, WeChat and etc. This can increase the effectiveness and increase the number of target audience.
Besides that, the quality of information and truth is under the control of media and by some organization. Therefore, if they set up their own social media, the individual campaign management can control the message and information that they want to share to the publics on their own. They can make sure the message send is correct without any important info missing or being censored. Most importantly, if the media send the wrong and harmful message, it will bring huge negative impacts and harm the campaign image and