Definititions

Just a few definitions to start with in heling understand media theories and effects.

1. Theories of Uniform Influences: Members of society all have similar in human nature and are alike in terms of emotions and outlook. A message seen in the media is precieved the same way and reactions are similar. Using a direct influence.

2. Theories of Selective Influences: Members of society recieve and interpret messages from the media selectively. The variations occur because each individual has a unique personal organization of beliefs, attitudes, values, needs, and modes of experiencing things.

3. Disinhibition Theory: Individuals of society aquire a set of moral and personal ethics. These ideas prohibit us form engaging in certain behaviors, called inhibitions. Overtime, if we come into contact with a number of mass-mediated messages that seem to disregard this behavior and we may lose these inhibitions.

4. Desensitization Theory: Overtime, heavy media use can cause people to become less sensitive to certain topics and issues.

5. Sensitization Theory: This is the complete opposite. Viewers will react so strongly to seeing certain mediated content that they will be traumatized by it and actually become more sensitive to such topics and issues.

6. Modeling Theory: Viewers learn behaviors by observing others performing those behaviors and imitating them.

7. Cultivation Theory: Viewer's repeated exposure to media over time shapes their view of the world and social reality.

8. Socialization Theory: Viewer's prolonged exposure to media comes to teach them about the world and their role in it.

9. Uses and gratifications Theory: Shows the active role of the audience in making choices in media-use behavior. Media being used as entertainment or information-seeking.

10. Agenda-Setting Theory: The way the media gives emphasis to certain stories or topics by using headlines, placement of story, use of photos/videos, etc. The media do not necessarily tell us what to think, but rather what to think about.

11. Reinforcement Theory: All people posses mental collections (schema) of possible behaviors that can be used in various situations. When come into contact with mediated content that reminds them of their schema, that schema is reinforced.

12. Schema Theory: Referring to knowledge of frameworks that organize an individual's memory for people and events. This helps guides the perception, comprehension, and memories of information. A person holds mental schemas based on past experiences and schemas are typically culture-specific.