Communication Theories: Weeks 1 & 2

Week 1: A Cultural Approach to Communication

• Transmission View (James Carey): Communication as sending information, akin to moving goods. Historically connected to spreading religious beliefs and influencing transmission of messages (e.g., missionaries using the telegraph).
• Ritual View (James Carey): Communication as creating shared cultural experiences and affirming values. Reading newspapers to reinforce beliefs, not just gather information. Highlights media's role in reinforcing social bonds and shared values.
• Communication as Symbolic Reality: Media doesn't just describe reality; it constructs it. Framing a news event as "robbery" versus a "product of poverty" influences perception of the event. Media and symbols help us understand and navigate complex social spaces, akin to using maps to navigate.

Week 2: How Are Media Born and Developed?

• Technological Determinism: Technology drives societal changes independently. Technological innovations (e.g., the telegraph) create societal changes such as easier communication and the spread of capitalism/colonialism.
• Cultural Determinism: Social needs and economic pressures drive technological growth. For example, adding sound to film was a business strategy to outpace competitors and gain advantage. Demonstrates how social situations often drive technology.
• McLuhan's "Medium is the Message": The medium (e.g., print, TV) shapes how we interact with its content. Print encourages linear thinking while TV creates a more holistic, communal experience. Each medium has unique impacts on social habits and perceptions.

Week 3: Media Effects

• Magic Bullet Theory/Mass Society Theory: Media has a direct and significant effect on individuals, assuming a passive audience. This theory suggests that media wields an overwhelming and easy-to-manipulate influence. Used as an example for how media was thought to be used during wartime propaganda times.
• Two-Step Flow, Limited Effects: Media influence is indirect. Opinion leaders interpret and shape how media messages are understood within social groups. This theory presents a more nuanced interaction between the audience and media, emphasizing the role of intermediaries.
• Uses and Gratifications Theory: Focuses on how individuals use media to satisfy their needs (e.g., information, social connection, entertainment) rather than how media affects them. This theory recognizes that individuals actively choose media based on personal needs.

Week 4: Agenda Setting and Framing

• Agenda-Setting Theory: Media doesn't dictate what people think but what they should be thinking about. Prioritizing issues in news (e.g., front-page articles) influences public perception of importance.
• Framing: How media presents an issue to shape audience perception (e.g., reporting an event as an individual's fault vs. a social one). This involves using images, language, and context to emphasize particular aspects of a story. The way a story is presented alters public perception to create either an isolated incident versus a widespread problem.
• Social Media and Agenda Setting: Social media alters traditional agenda-setting by enabling individuals to shape content and disseminate information. It shifts control of media's agenda away from only mainstream forms. Mainstream media is still highly influential, impacting social media trends and vice-versa.