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Limited Effect Theory
Articles and Work on Limited Effect Theory.
Mass Media is a primary dispenser of Propaganda and
has an important role in influencing the public opinion.
However, media researchers have varied and contrasting
opinions on the extent and type of such influence and
whether mass media has the power to sway public
discourse.
Paul Lazarsfeld research findings were methodological in nature, based on statistical survey analysis and empirical media measurement. He conducted a survey on thousand voters, before the US Presidential elections of 1940. He classified around 3000 voters, basis their voting patterns into early deciders, wavers, converts and crystallizers.
Lazarsfeld noted that wavers and converts were comparatively more influenced by interpersonal communication than by mass media. These people followed influencers and their opinions rather than what was broadcast by mass media. Lazarsfeld hence, classified voters into the following categories
Opinion Followers
Gatekeepers
Media
Opinion Leaders
This model stipulates that the mass media content is first filtered by gatekeepers, whose personal bias affects the interpretation. Thereafter, it reaches opinion leaders i.e people who are active media users. The filtered version is then diffused to the less active media consumers. Lazarsfeld’s theory can be termed as a classist theory as it assumes that media influence is subject to interpretation by the elite and the educated. It also implies that interpersonal communication has a greater role to play in shaping opinions than mass media. Another insight it provides is on the prominent role of influencers and gatekeepers in mass media.
During the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections, political strategist Prashant kishore employed the old fashioned door to door campaigning as a part of JDU’s outreach initiative. “Har Ghar Dastak” helped the party to connect with grassroots and build local support. Volunteers were roped in to campaign for the party on cycles and cover remote areas.
In a way, limited effects theory questioned the paradigm of direct media influence, a notion that prevailed till late 1930’s. McQuail recognises four stages of research in media effects. The first stage, dominated by the experience of propaganda during World War one, recognised media’s role as decisive, opinion shaping and with the capability to change attitude and lifestyle. This gave emergence to the “Hypodermic needle” model. The second stage, which extends from 1940s to late 1960s, questioned the paradigm of direct media and was called the theory of “Limited Effects”. This theory established that an individual is selective in terms of his exposure, retention and perception. The theory concluded that
engage for only a few moments with a particular television program to understand that it is a news show, a comedy, or a reality show. The pervasiveness of these formats means that our culture uses the style and content of these shows as ways to interpret reality. For example, think about a TV news program that frequently shows heated debates between opposing sides on public policy issues. This style of debate has become a template for handling disagreement to those who consistently watch this type of program.
Media logic affects institutions as well as individuals. The modern televangelist has evolved from the adoption of television-style promotion by religious figures, while the utilization of television in political campaigns has led candidates to consider their physical image as an important part of a campaign (Altheide & Snow, 1991).
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The cultivation analysis theory states that heavy exposure to media causes individuals to develop an illusory perception of reality based on the most repetitive and consistent messages of a particular medium. This theory most commonly applies to analyses of television because of that medium’s uniquely pervasive, repetitive nature. Under this theory, someone who watches a great deal of television may form a picture of reality that does not correspond to actual life. Televised violent acts, whether those reported on news programs or portrayed on television dramas, for example, greatly outnumber violent acts that most people encounter in their daily lives. Thus, an individual who watches a great deal of television may come to view the world as more violent and dangerous than it actually is.
Practitioners of the uses and gratifications theory study the ways the public consumes media. This theory states that consumers use the media to satisfy specific needs or desires. For example, you may enjoy watching a show like Dancing With the Stars while simultaneously
tweeting about it on Twitter with your friends. Many people use the Internet to seek out entertainment, to find information, to communicate with like-minded individuals, or to pursue self-expression. Each of these uses gratifies a particular need, and the needs determine the way in which media is used. By examining factors of different groups’ media choices, researchers can determine the motivations behind media use (Papacharissi, 2009).
Another commonly used media theory, symbolic interactionism, states that the self is derived from and develops through human interaction. This means the way you act toward someone or something is based on the meaning you have for a person or thing. To effectively communicate, people use symbols with shared cultural meanings. Symbols can be constructed from just about anything, including material goods, education, or even the way people talk. Consequentially, these symbols are instrumental in the development of the self.
This theory helps media researchers better understand the field because of the important role the media plays in creating and propagating shared symbols. Because of the media’s power, it can construct symbols on its own. By using symbolic interactionist theory, researchers can look at the ways media affects a society’s shared symbols and, in turn, the influence of those symbols on the individual (Jansson-Boyd, 2010).
