Hypodermic Needle Theory
The hypodermic needle theory looks at how the mass media has a direct, immediate and
powerful effect on its audiences. Based in the 1940s and 1950s the media was perceived
as a powerful influence on its audiences behaviour. Several factors contributed
to this strong effects of media theory of communication:
•The fast
rise and popularization of radio and television
•The emergence
of the persuasion industries, such as advertising.
The idea of the hypodermic needle theory is that through injecting or shooting the audience with
direct messages the mass media is able to influence their behaviour. The appropriate
messages they ‘inject’ are designed to trigger a desired response.
The theory suggests a powerful and direct
flow of information from the sender to the receiver. Hypodermic model suggests
that media messages are injected straight into a passive audience, which is
immediately influenced behaviour.
Media is a dangerous way of communicating
an idea because the receiver or audience is powerless to resist the impact of
the message. It expresses the view that people are passive and are seen as
having a lot of media material ‘shot’ at them. If there is no other source of
information people listen and believe what they’re told as there is no other inputs. The theory is under the assumption that as an
audience we believe everything we see/hear in the media.
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| This could be an example of what the hypodermic needle theory explains that the audience are subject to the media's messages and are influenced so powerfully the message immediately effects their behaviour which they act upon. |
Criticisms of the theory:
Out of date and invalid:
In modern times people are more aware of society and how institutions operate. To add to this technology has developed and how we consume media and the sources of where it originates have changed.
Not everyone watches the news/ consumes it
in the same way:
It is too much to assume that audiences are simply passive to believe media, more recent theories have proved this. Unlike in the 1950s, society is now surrounded by technology and media therefore individuals are so used to consuming media texts that they understand conventions and
know when to reject messages if they deem them insignificant.
Stanley Cohen's Book: Folk Devils And Moral Panics (1972)
Cohen believes that the media creates folk devils out of subcultures, particularly youths. The 'moral panic' is the reaction to a group or what the media has created, the reaction will view it as a threat to society. A recent example would be the fear of terrorism, through media amplification a moral panic is the result of how the media represents terrorism. The media has then created 'folk devils' out of Muslims, people may 'fear' Muslims because of how they have been represented in the media and linked to terrorism. When in actual fact it is a small number of Muslim extremists which have committed acts of terrorism, however, through how the media has reported on it heavily it creates fear in people and could effect their behaviour towards Muslims. Muslims may be more subject to be searched in airports and have people negatively react to them because of the folk devil which is imposed upon them. This links with the idea of the hypodermic needle as media is delivered to the audience and can have an immediate effect to influence their behaviour in this case, it creates a moral panic and folk devils.
Cohen's case study was based on how 'the battle' between the Mods and the Rockers was represented in the media in the 1960s. What he found was that through media amplification it showed the mods and rockers as folk devils. Through the moral panic which was created it put pressure on the police to sort out the battle. The police's response was harsh sentences and increased arrests. The police only reacted in this way because of the moral panic and pressure which the media placed upon them.
Stanley Cohen's Book: Folk Devils And Moral Panics (1972)
Cohen believes that the media creates folk devils out of subcultures, particularly youths. The 'moral panic' is the reaction to a group or what the media has created, the reaction will view it as a threat to society. A recent example would be the fear of terrorism, through media amplification a moral panic is the result of how the media represents terrorism. The media has then created 'folk devils' out of Muslims, people may 'fear' Muslims because of how they have been represented in the media and linked to terrorism. When in actual fact it is a small number of Muslim extremists which have committed acts of terrorism, however, through how the media has reported on it heavily it creates fear in people and could effect their behaviour towards Muslims. Muslims may be more subject to be searched in airports and have people negatively react to them because of the folk devil which is imposed upon them. This links with the idea of the hypodermic needle as media is delivered to the audience and can have an immediate effect to influence their behaviour in this case, it creates a moral panic and folk devils. Cohen's case study was based on how 'the battle' between the Mods and the Rockers was represented in the media in the 1960s. What he found was that through media amplification it showed the mods and rockers as folk devils. Through the moral panic which was created it put pressure on the police to sort out the battle. The police's response was harsh sentences and increased arrests. The police only reacted in this way because of the moral panic and pressure which the media placed upon them.
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