The Effects Theory

• The Effects Theory was thought up by the Frankfurt School who were exiled to New York as their ideology was seemed left wing and they were accused of articulating criticism of a capitalist system. 
• Their argument for their ideology is the rise of the 'culture industry' resulted in increased standardization within the society.
•  under capitalism society controls almost everything and even culture is processed through the mass media as something which is bought and sold.
• The mass audience (it is seen as a passive 'thing', not a group of active consumers)is thus manipulated and indoctrinated by society (the hegemony of the ruling classes).
• the hypodermic needle model proposed to explain how this worked, which demonstrates the effect of the mass media on their audience.
• the supposed power of the mass media to inject the passive audience with ideologies.
• example: Nazi propaganda
• strict regulations in the media will help control the population.
• 'cultivation model'
• while a single text does not have effect, repeated exposure will make the audience less sensitive. critics call it becoming desensitized.
• two-step flow assumes a more active audience, who will discuss media texts with each other.
• if the text is discussed with someone we respect (an opinion leader) then we may well be passive enough to accept their received views of the texts