The Challenge of Organizing Mass Media Effects

• In Event: Theoretical and Conceptual Issues in Mass Communication

Abstract

This paper provides a scheme to organize the large literature of mass media effects. An analysis of past organizational schemes along with their component dimensions builds to a pair of media effects templates – one for individual level effects and one for more macro level effects. It is argued that media effects are best organized by the dimensions of type (cognitive, attitude, belief, affect, physiology, and behavior) and media influence (acquiring, triggering, altering, and conditioning).

Author

• W. James Potter, University of California, Santa Barbara