Mass Communication: Definition & Theories
                     MASS 
COMMUNICATIO
N - DEFINITION 
& THEORIES
Introduction
Mass communication is a 
process in which a person, 
group of people, or an 
organization sends a 
message through a channel 
of communication to a large 
group of anonymous and 
heterogeneous people and 
organizations. 
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Theories of 
mass 
communication
Cultivation 
theory
The credit for cultivation 
theory of mass 
communication is attributed 
to Marshall McLuhan and 
George Gerbner. The theory 
was created to understand 
the influence of television on 
the perception and ideas of 
the viewers and its impact on 
the environment they lived 
in.
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Magic bullet 
theory
The hypodermic needle 
theory or the magic bullet 
theory associates 
information with bullets that 
are fired at passive 
audiences. It believed that it 
was easy to transfer feelings 
or ideas or motivations from 
one person to another via 
the mass communication 
process.
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Authoritarian 
theory
This theory emphasizes on 
the point that it is necessary 
to have control over the 
media to protect masses 
from national threats through 
news or information. The 
authorities will have control 
over media and create 
censorship to keep a vigilant 
eye in its activities.
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Agenda 
setting 
theory
The agenda-setting theory is 
about media effects and how 
its three agendas, namely 
policy agenda, public 
agenda, and media agenda, 
are interrelated.
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Semiotic 
theory
The study of semiotic theory 
does not believe in literal 
reading. It considers that 
situations, gestures, images, 
and words are interpretive.
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Media 
ecology
The theory of media ecology 
hypothesizes about people 
and how their views and 
perceptions are shaped and 
altered by their media 
interaction.
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Framing 
theory
Framing is often known as 
second-level agenda-setting. 
It hypothesizes on the fact 
that the mass 
communication process puts 
its onus on specific issues 
and creates related pictures 
in our minds to influence us 
in believing it to be true.
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Social 
responsibility 
theory
As per the social 
responsibility theory, the 
press is given a free hand 
without any censorship. But 
it also says that the content 
should be discussed in public 
panels and the media should 
accept the obligation of 
public interference.
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