Media Effect Essay ⋆ Political Science Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

A media effect is a way in which the content presented by the mass media influences the interest, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors of an individual regarding politics. Early theories suggested that media had what was called a “hypodermic needle” effect on individuals; that is, they immediately and uncritically accepted information presented in the media. Subsequent research in the United States focusing on vote choice and the decision to vote found that media have minimal effects on political behavior. Later research broadened the concept of the media effect to more subtle influences on the political opinions of the individual and found that media have conditional effects on individuals, depending on individual characteristics. Three widely recognized political effects of mass media on individuals are framing, priming, and agenda setting.

Other recent studies have found the media effects approach too narrow, because it focuses on effects of particular outlets or stories and because it attributes too much power to the individual. The recent studies have focused more on the overall media environment created by institutions, and individuals have less power than was previously assumed to choose the media content to which they expose themselves. Though disputes remain over theory and methods in studying media effects, the approach to the study of politics and media has been a fruitful area of research in political science.

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