Communication Theories Overview

Communication Theories

• Spiral of Silence Theory: Media publicizes mainstream opinions, and people adjust their views to avoid isolation.
• Social Responsibility Theory: Media represents societal interests and the public.
• McCombs and Shaw's Agenda-Setting Theory: Media highlights certain issues, influencing public perception of their importance.
• Soviet Media/Communist Theory: Government controls all media and uses it to achieve communist goals.
• Media Dependency Theory: Individuals reliant on media for needs will be influenced by media content.
• Modeling Behaviour Theory: Media behavior is adopted if useful and reinforced, seen in therapy settings.
• Cultivation Theory: Frequent television viewers are more likely to perceive the world as presented in media.
• One Step Flow Communication Theory: Mass media directly communicates with audiences.
• Two Step Flow Communication Theory: Opinion leaders, directly influenced by mass media, shape the views of the public.
• Multi Step Flow Communication Theory: Communication flow includes multiple relays from source to audience.
• Social Learning Theory: Media provides opportunity to learn and model behavior from attractive characters.

The Spanish Colonial Rule (1521-1898)

• First Newspaper: Established in 1811 called "Del Superior Govierno", edited by the Spanish Governor General.
• La Esperanza (1846): The first daily newspaper, covering non-controversial subjects, including religion, science, and history.
• Diario de Manila: Best edited newspaper, suppressed after 38 years for allegedly inciting Filipinos to rebel against Spain.
• El Ilocano (1893): First regional publication.
• El Hogar: First publication for and by women.
• Kalayaan (1898): Advocated political reforms and served as the official organ of the Katipunan, resulting in its rapid growth.
• La Independencia (1898): The most widely read newspaper during the revolution.
• Other publications: La Libertad (1898) and El Heraldo de Iloilo (1898).
• Use of Literature, Music, and Arts:
  • Cenaculo, Pastores, Pasyon, Awit, and Corrido: Folk media forms that spread discontentment and anti-Spanish sentiment.
  • Balagtas' Florante at Laura: Criticized Spanish rule through literature.
  • Balagtasan, Balitao, Duplo: Other forms of folk media.

The American Colonial Period (1898-1946)

• New Newspapers: The Manila Times (1898), The Bounding Billow, Official Gazette (1898), Manila Daily Bulletin (1900), Philippine Free Press (1908), and The Philippine Herald (1920).
• Nationalistic Newspapers: Faced suppression by the American government.
• El Nuevo Dia (The New Day): Pro-Filipino newspaper established by Sergio Osmeña, Rafael Palma, and Jaime C. de Veyra.
• Sakdal: Attacked American abuses, gaining popularity with the masses, and eventually becoming a political party.
• First Radio stations: Established for entertainment and owned by department stores.
• Films:
  • Appeared in 1904, preceding broadcasting.
  • Two silent movies about Jose Rizal's life were produced in 1909.
  • Early films often depicted nationalism and Filipino heroism during the Spanish regime.
  • Movie censorship was introduced in 1929.

Japanese Occupation (1942-1945)

• Suppressed Publications: All publications, except those used by the Japanese, were disbanded.
• Allowed Publications: Manila Tribune, Taliba, and La Vanguardia, published under Japanese censorship.
• Osaka Mainichi Publishing Company: Aimed to control and coordinate information for the Japanese-sponsored government.
• Underground Papers: Served as alternative media, providing counter-information to the public.
• Vodavil: Stage shows offered an alternative medium, providing entertainment and social commentary. Comedians who mocked the Japanese faced imprisonment.

General Information

• KZRC (1929): First provincial radio station in Cebu City.
• Board of Censorship for Moving Pictures: Introduced in 1929 to censor films deemed immoral or against government interests.
• Philippine Social Media Usage: Filipinos spend an average of 4 hours and 6 minutes daily on social media, ranking 3rd globally.
• SMS Usage: 37% of Filipinos reported sending SMS messages regularly.

This quiz explores key communication theories that shape our understanding of media influence on society. Dive into concepts like the Spiral of Silence, Social Responsibility, and Agenda-Setting theories, among others. Test your knowledge on how different theories explain the dynamics between media and public perception.