How the Mass Media Communication Theories Inform Public Relation Practices

Mass Communication Theories
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Mass Communication Theories
Mass communication is the process of transmitting and exchanging information via mass media to people. Various theories are used in illustrating how information and message are structured based on the intended purposes. Mass communication theories are explanations used to delineate the relationship between mass communication and social systems. Mass media theories entail mass media, agenda-setting, selective exposure, and cultivation theories. The objective of this paper is to analyze how the mass media communication theories inform public relation practices and the considerations that public relation professionals should make regarding these theories when making media influence-related decisions.
Mass media theory illustrates that communication media channels directly send their message to the audience without filtering (DeFleur & DeFleur, 2016). The media will not filter or act as opinion leaders in certain issues they display to their audience or listeners. The idea of the theory is that the message is intended to influence and manipulate public opinions. It is a sender-receiver-centric model and is a credible theory with an example of how the federal government instituted rules intended to control the media and encourage fairer competition. This theory illustrates how the media can easily influence the audience's perceptions and thinking on particular issues. The audience is regarded as passive and accepts every content presented by the media. The sender is active and can easily control the received with the perception and ideas of why they are against or support certain preferences. An example is whereby the media can easily influence the voting opinions of the audience based on the active sender’s supportive or objective ideas.
Agenda setting is a theory that explains how the media can set a scheme or plan intended to draw public discussion (Atkin & Rice, 2009). The theory allows the media to act as opinion leaders in terms of creating persuasion in public. For instance, newspapers can tel...