MMC6400: Mass Communication Theory

UF CJC Online | Fall 2021 | Emily Young

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Social Media...Friend or Foe?

Have you ever wondered how researchers uncover new insights in the field of social science? There are several ways researchers can go about determining whether a theory is true or false.

There are two basic approaches to research methods in the social sciences: positivism and interpretivism. The positivist approach uses scientific quantitative methods, while the interpretivist approach uses qualitative methods. Both of these approaches help explain social behaviors and contribute to making discoveries.

This web by Revise Sociology is very helpful for understanding the differences between positivism and interpretivism.

Mehmet Aksoy conducted qualitative research within the interpretivist approach to determine the causes of social media addiction in individuals. Qualitative research typically involves participant observation or unstructured interviews. This particular study made use of unstructured interviews to attempt to explain this human behavior. This study produced a valid contribution to the mass communication field because it determined the causes of social media addicts in a more clear way. The findings showed that common reasons for social media addiction were lack of friends, feeling of fulfillment, or fear of missing out. The researcher also discovered a beginning and continuity phase of social media addiction.

Azam Shokri and Georgios Dafoulas conducted quantitative research within the positivist approach to analyze the role of social networks within educational contexts. With the rise of virtual and e-learning, these researchers wanted to examine the usefulness of Facebook on student performance. The study utilized official data collection through spreadsheets, surveys, and polls. This quantitative data provided hard evidence that the role of Facebook in conjunction with learning activities produced positive student performance. The researchers admit that further studies must be done to examine social behavior within this context.

Which study do you find to be more effective? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. I initially thought the quantitative study would be more clear and produce the most meaningful results. After reading through both studies, I find the qualitative study on social media addiction to be more clear.

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The Medium is the Message

Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian theorist, is well-known for his theory of Technological Determinism. He built upon the ideas of his mentor who believed forms of communication were related to social structures. This theory looks at the way technology determines the development of societal and cultural structures. Marshall McLuhan is most popularly known by his remark: “The medium is the message.”

He meant that how a message is delivered is more important than the actual content of the message.

There are both strengths and limitations to McLuhan's theory when applied to the 21st century.

3 Weaknesses

McLuhan's theory is technology-led, which means he views technology as the primary mover of change within a society. Personally, I think this is a weakness in the theory when applied to the 21st century. I don't see technology as being 100% responsible for shifting the culture and power structures within a society. I also find this concept somewhat misleading. These changes within society are most likely due to a variety of influencing factors, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

Another flaw in this theory is that it does not address the process of technological innovation. The very process of innovation provides the an explanation of how various technologies come to be. McLuhan's theory would be stronger if it addressed the process of technological innovation and advancement.

Another shortcoming of this theory is that technology never forces itself on anyone, which is what McLuhan's theory assumes. His theory views technology as the single driving force of cultural and societal change. But ask yourself this: What happens when all members of a society do not submit to the new technological advancement or change? Technology can't force itself on anyone and therefore cannot be the singular driving force of societal or cultural change.

3 Strengths

McLuhan's theory is helpful to examine the shifts culture and society have gone through alongside technological development. I find this concept particularly useful and transient across time.

Another strength of Technological Determinism is that it helps us understand the role of social media in our modern era. The growth of social media has impacted human patterns and social structures. This tool influences billions of people daily and paves a path for structural changes across the globe. McLuhan's ideas are incredibly helpful and relevant for understanding social media's role.

Artificial intelligence is a piece of technology that is bound to cause shifts in our culture and society. Some would say it is becoming one of the most influential pieces of technology ever.

What are your thoughts on McLuhan's Technological Determinism theory? Do you finds parts of it agreeable or are you a critique of the entire theory? I would love to hear your thoughts below!

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Got Persuasion?

Do you remember seeing the "Got Milk?" posters in your cafeteria in school? The posters featured famous celebrities or athletes with milk mustaches. Here's an iconic poster featuring Britney Spears in the early 2000s.

This campaign is actually a great example of what the Elaboration Likelihood Model looks like in real life. This communication theory is built upon the work of William McGuire, who developed a 6-step Model of Persuasion. The Elaboration Likelihood Model looks closely at what happens during the message-processing part of McGuire's Persuasion Model. There are two cognitive paths information is processed through which can lead to attitude change: the central route and peripheral route. This can be seen in the graphic below.

As a child, you probably didn't elaborate much on the health benefits of milk, but the celebrities on these posters immediately caught your eye. That is an example of message-processing through the peripheral route, which has a low elaboration level.

If you were more health-conscious and knew about nutrition, then you would probably elaborate more on the "Got Milk?" ads. It would take more to persuade you of its message. This is an example of the central route.

Essentially, the Elaboration Likelihood Model looks at the two ways people can be persuaded of things depending on their level of elaboration for a topic.

Now that you have a better understanding of the Elaboration Likelihood Model, let's pretend we're media practitioners and put this into practice.

If I were to market a product such as gummies to help sleep, I would use the Elaboration Likelihood Model to influence my messaging, branding, and overall marketing strategy. This means that I would consider an individual's level of elaboration throughout the marketing process.

This packaging for sleep gummies would appeal to someone who stumbles across our website and does not know much about health. Perhaps they just haven't been sleeping well lately. They would probably process this message through the peripheral route. The individual who takes this route does not analyze the message in-depth and instead can easily be persuaded by marketing and advertising elements.

The individual might buy this due to the bright colors and bold "SLEEP" on the front of the package. It appeals to their desire for "the ultimate sleep".

As a media practitioner, I would appeal to emotions such as desire to persuade low-level elaborators. I would also implement bright and eye-catching graphics. These are some ways you can persuade individuals who don't know much about your product or the topic.

What sort of design elements would you include on a website to persuade someone via the peripheral route?

This packaging would appeal to someone who is very health-conscious and has been doing in-depth research about natural remedies for sleep. They would process this message through the central route and require thoughtful consideration before buying.

This packaging contains much more information than the previous label and includes names of natural herbs that are in the capsules. It provides more detail and information that would help persuade this particular individual.

As a media practitioner, I would appeal to the customer's knowledge of the topic by including detailed information and facts to show our product is superior to the competition.

The Elaboration Likelihood Model is an excellent tool for media practitioners, web designers, and digital marketers to implement as part of their overall strategy. Feel free to share examples of how you've implemented or seen this theory play out in your role at work.

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Undercover Thought Leader

Have you ever read a news story and then shared the highlights with a friend? Congratulations, you just participated in the Two-Step Flow Theory.

The Two-Step Flow Theory examines the role of mass media, thought leaders, and the audience. This theory disrupts the traditional exclusivity of mass media and gives an active role to individuals in society. It also aligns with research that shows individuals are more likely to be influenced by other people than the mass media.

This image from Research Gate shows how the Two-Step Flow Theory works. Messages are communicated from the mass media to opinion leaders, thought leaders, and social media influencers. Those individuals decide to take what is interesting, helpful, or relevant and share it with their audience base.

This method of sharing and receiving news has risen in popularity in recent years due to global mistrust of the media. Individuals are now more likely to trust influencers to share factual information than they are the mass media.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Drop a comment below sharing your current view of mass media versus influencers.

#TeamMassMedia or #TeamInfluencers ???

My current news gathering routine actually consists of the Two-Step Flow Theory. I'm sure you'll find that yours does, too.

Here's how it typically goes down:

I watch some of my favorite YouTubers who happen to be a) influencers and b) sharing news updates in their videos. I also browse various news sites, but YouTube is the best example of the Two-Step Theory in action.

This is Kevin. With over 1.7 million subscribers, he can definitely be considered a thought leader and influencer. He posts videos on topics ranging from real estate, cryptocurrency, the stock market, and current events.

In this video, Kevin hosted a livestream of Biden speaking about new energy policies. What's interesting is that Kevin's commentary at the end is a perfect example of the Two-Step Flow Theory.

Kevin gives a brief summary of the new policies, but he focuses on how the policies will specifically affect the stock market. He typically shares news through this lens since that is what most of his audience is interested in.

Check out this comment on the video:

Mary Lee describes Kevin as her news source and thanks him for being trustworthy. Talk about a perfect example of the Two-Step Flow Theory! SO COOL.

I've realized that my husband and I both participate in the Two-Step Flow Theory almost daily. We share the most interesting parts of news article we've read or videos we've seen. In a way, we act as thought leaders to each other. I also share news via text with family, such as the latest travel updates concerning Covid.

I'd love to hear some of your favorite influencers or thought leaders that you get your news and updates from. Share them down below!

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Keto & Lectin-Free: A Magic Pill or Media Hype?

The Hypodermic Needle Theory gained popularity in the 1920s during World War I. It is one of the earliest attempts to explain mass media's effect on its audience. Researchers wanted to explain and predict the effect wartime propaganda might have on the masses. The theory describes media as a magic bullet that enters the minds of its audience to inject a particular message. One assumption of the Magic Bullet Theory is that the public is powerless to escape the media's influence. The Hypodermic Needle Theory is now outdated, along with its belief that audiences are vulnerable and passive.

Interestingly enough, I believe that the rise of social media and the overwhelming presence of technology brings validity back to the Hypodermic Needle Theory. Do you agree with this statement? Check out this study and share your thoughts in the comments. I believe the younger generation is potentially more susceptible to being swayed by the media.

With that being said, I am pretty confident that I'm more resistant to media influence than the Hypodermic Needle Theory would assume.

Let's look at clickbait, for example. While some may fall for the clickbait trap, I have always been very wary of these types of headlines.

Clickbait is really interesting. It often sensationalizes information. And sensationalism is designed to invoke an emotional reaction in readers. The Magic Bullet Theory would propose that individuals who receive these messages would immediately count them as fact (even without evidence of empirical data). Instead, I see headlines and articles like the ones above and judge them against my own experiences to determine if they are factual or not.

Another interesting example is found in the health industry. Every few years, a new health or wellness fad is introduced and spreads like wildfire. I'm curious to hear which ones come to your mind.

Recently, Dr. Gundry's "Plant Paradox" book rose to popularity. He claims that vegetables that contain lectins (a type of protein) can pose serious health risks.

I had friends reach out to me about this and even had someone lend me their copy of the book. It seemed like everyone was catching on to this diet.

Now, you can find many articles and doctors speaking out against Dr. Gundry's lectin-free diet.

It got so popular that apparently Kelly Clarkson was even following this diet trend.

Another example in the health and wellness industry is the keto diet. At first, every piece of media praised this magical new diet. Now, there is more science and data to show that it may not be all that healthy or safe. Check out the video below for an overview of its rise to fame and a breakdown of the science behind it.

What is your view on the keto diet? Did it change after watching Dr. Mike's video?

Many experts began to speak out against the keto diet, as seen in this screenshot from Healthline.

Below is an article published by the University of Chicago Medicine.

These health fads and clickbait truly didn't phase me. That leads me to believe I am not as susceptible to mass media as the Hypodermic Needle Theory would claim. What about you? Do you consider yourself vulnerable to mass media or more resistant? I would love to hear your thoughts down below!