Mass media refers to any form of communication – written, broadcast or spoken – which reaches a large group of people. Television, radio, newspaper, advertisement, etc. all lie in this bucket of mass communication.

Mass Media has had a profound impact on modern culture, and ever since the advent of the Internet, the effect of mass media has risen. Pioneers of the industry have come up with a phrase called the ‘mediated culture’, where media is primarily responsible for shaping up culture and giving birth to trends. The general population daily is being bombarded with plenty of advertisements, TV commercials etc. which aside from product marketing, is shaping the mood, behaviour etc. of the population and is in some way or other responsible for deciding what is wrong and right.

What is causing this effect? Has this always existed?

The history of mass media traces back to the times before the recorded history. For, e.g. painting on the wall of a cave, or just by telling a story to a group of people, however, the effect back then was not so profound. Even in the early 1970s and 60s didn’t see this level of media saturation. Television, for example, mainly had three networks which consisted of, public broadcasting, a few independent stations. These channels were aimed mostly at middle‐class families. Even so, some households did not own a television. Today, one can find a TV in almost every home and multiple TVs in most middle‐class homes. While availability has increased, the broadcasting is increasingly diverse with shows aimed at all ages, incomes, backgrounds, and attitudes.

This widespread availability is making the television the main focus of most mass‐media discussions. More recently, the rising accessibility to the Internet has increased its role exponentially. While TV and the Internet have dominated the mass media, movies and magazines also play an influential role in culture, as do other forms of media.

The Effect Of Media – Does it have one?

While there has been a widespread discussion on this topic from various decision-makers, thought leaders and industry veteran, all their ideas mainly converge on to three main effects.

1. Limited Effects Theory

Formulated in the early 1940s and 50s, the limited effects theory argues that media has little to no influence on people. According to the theory, people themselves choose what they need to believe in, and the media does not affect shaping their thoughts or decisions. The theory had critics arguing, that limited effects theory ignores the effect of media in limiting discussions and leaving audiences with a limited choice. For example, the questions the media asks is sufficient to change the outcome of a decision or possible conclusions driven by the audience.

2. Class Dominant Theory

The class-dominant theory is especially prevalent in today’s time when most of the media outlets are being controlled or operated by a few elite ones. According to this theory, a fraction of individuals, for their interest, chose what goes to the public. Due to this control, they are at all times, are in charge of the audience’s decisions and behaviour. Because media in today’s time cannot survive without the ‘advertising dollars, every media outlet will try and maintain a positive image, not presenting audiences with complete information and thus controlling their decisions.

3. Culturalist Theory

This theory which originated in the late 1980s and 90s is a combination of other two approaches laid down by veterans of the field. According to culturalist theory, people are only influenced by media to level they allow them to be. Even when presented with limited information, the audience has the calibre to decipher its true meaning and draw conclusions based on their experiences and age. According to the theory, audiences in current time are active and not passive compared to those in early times, and they chose what to watch, listen, read, etc. and are in all times in control of their decision. This theory, however, emphasises on the fact, that the decisions made by the audiences are based on their experiences and assumptions, and hence are not entirely effect free from the media.

Over the period, countless theories about the effect of media on the population have been laid down by thought leaders. However, none of them can for sure say if the result is significant or not. While there continues to be in-depth research on the topic, there cannot be a denial that the media doesn’t have a role in shaping our decisions in some manner or other. Or else, why would big shots like Google, Apple, Microsoft spend billions on advertising.

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