Theories Of Mass Communication

845 Words4 Pages

Jonas Ian Pacheco Theories of Mass Communication M. L. DeFleur, and S. Ball-Rokeach (1975) Media System Dependency Theory asserts that the more a person depends on having his or her needs met by media use, the more important will be the role that play in the person’s life, and therefore the more influence those media will have on that person. From a macroscopic societal perspective, if more and more people become dependent on media, media institutions will be reshaped to serve these dependencies, then the overall influence of media will rise, and media’s role in society will become more central. Thus there should be a direct relationship between the amount of overall dependency and the degree of media influence or centrality at any given point in time. Melvin DeFleur and Sandra Ball-Rokeach (1975, pp. 261-263) have provided a fuller explanation using several assertions. First, the “basis of media influence lies in the relationship between the larger social system, the media’s role in that systm, and audience relationships to the media.” Effects occur not because all-powerful media or omnipotent sources compel them, but because the media operate in a given way in a given social system to meet given audience wants and needs. Second, “the degree of audience dependence on media information is the key variable in understanding when and why media messages alter audience beliefs, feelings, or behavior.” The ultimate occurrence and shape of media effects rests with audience members

Open Document