Magic Bullet Theory - Essay Example

Magic Bullet Theory Abstract: Magic bullet theory of the media asserts that individuals are passive consumers of misleading information from the media. The theory asserts that the media acts as magic bullets that enter in to passive brains of individuals who are incapable of controlling the nature of the information. Many media practitioners have claimed that the “War of Worlds” propaganda is a definite of the magic bullet theory. This research paper will review whether magic bullet theory works and whether the audience is a passive consumer of information. Introduction Magic bullet theory assumes that the media injects messages directly to a passive audience. The public cannot control the media influence since the media first fires the message in to their minds without their knowledge. Needle (media) will inject the messages directly to the brains of the audience thus altering the psyche and behaviors since the audience is assumed to be passive thus the ‘Hypodermic Needle theory’. These two theories explains how the audience reacts to direct messages of the media especially propaganda news. Some instances that these behavioral theories of media have been applied include ‘the war of worlds’ and the ‘panic broadcast’ in the 1930s that reached more than 10 million American citizens with a majority of them believing the news. The two broadcasts caused chaos among the population. The theory suggests that the mass media has the capacity of influencing a large portion of the population by injecting certain messages that are designed to trigger a desired perception and response. The theory assumes that the media is a dangerous form of communication since the audience is powerless and cannot resist the impact of the messages (Bhatnagar, 2011). People receive information from the media and agree to it since no other forms of communication such as interpersonal communication (Ploy, G.M. (1995). This is an important topic since it is useful in understanding how the media manipulates the public. The theory will assist in understanding how the media directed the public as a single unit with propagandas during the First World War. The paper will also assist in showing how the magic bullet theory suffers shortcomings after the assassination of President John Kennedy (Severin & James 1979). Research questions I. Can the mass media succeed in issuing misleading information? II. Does the magic bullet theory work? III. Does the media audience respond the propagandas passively? IV. What are the main shortcomings of the magic bullet theory? Literature review According to the magic bullet theory, people in the society live an isolated lifestyle because of diverse origins, beliefs and norms. Likewise, media messages act as symbolic bullets that strike their ears and brains resulting to certain effects on their behavior. The effect of media messages on the passive audience is powerful and direct. An example of this theory was demonstrated by Orson Wells when Mercury Theater Group after starting the broadcasting of “War of the Worlds”. About 12 million Americans heard the ‘one the eve of Halloween’ and a section of the population started believing that a dangerous alien invasion was underway. Such misleading news led to household hysteria, and caused traffic jams. People also fled from their City houses to settle in rural areas and many groceries started limiting the food reserves. Accordingly, media practitioners have argued that the “War of Worlds” is an example of how propaganda can be utilized in the magic bullet theory to manipulate the emotions and beliefs of a gullible public (Gupta & Aggarwal, 2001). On the contrary, the magic bullet theory does not really work since no two individuals can react similarly to media misleading broadcasts. It can be said the pre-depositions, attitudes, prejudices and moods of an individual influence his reaction towards misleading information from the media (Davis & Baron, 1981). Media propaganda is a communication message that is intended to influence the attitudes and reactions of the pubic towards a particular cause by presenting one sided argument. The propaganda is used repeated several times in order to influence the attitudes of the public and usually contains limited facts. Magic bullet theory was used during the First World War propaganda efforts to influence the attitudes of the public through loaded messages that were emotional to the audiences. First World War propaganda escalated the War by motivating both sides to prepare their population and production to encounter the enemy. The governments used the media to convince the public that the war was necessary since the enemies presented imminent dangers. Most of the propaganda messages were misleading since it led to feelings of sadness and anger (Davis & Baron, 1981). The magic bullet theory is a controversial issue in the assassination of President Kennedy. Warren commission on the investigations of the assassination concluded that both President Kennedy and Connally were shot with a single bullet from the sixth floor of a building. This is a conspiracy theory since theory distorts the relative positions of Connally and Kennedy as it is impossible for the fired bullet to take a zigzag path. Additionally, no bullet fragments were located inside the body of President Kennedy especially in the neck or upper back. From the above, it is clear that two gunmen must have fired the bullets since the sitting position of the two could not have allowed the bullet to take a zigzag path (Davis & Baron, 1981). For all nations that participated in the First World War, propaganda messages especially posters were used as a method of justifying their involvement and as a tool of attracting more recruits. The propaganda was also used to champion the need of more resources for the militaries. For instance, Britain used the propaganda posters that emphasized on the Home front, the mocking of the enemy, the need of more recruitment and the glory of the war. These propaganda efforts were aimed at making the war more exciting by boosting the fighting morale of the soldiers and also demoralizing the enemies by making fun of the enemy. “I want you for the US army” was a propaganda poster that saw more than five million copies distributed. The poster aimed at encouraging US citizens especially young men to get recruited in the army and fight the enemies (Casmir, 1994). The British propaganda during the First World War included various forms of media messages such as films, posters, and literature. Both Britain and USA saw propaganda as the best method of mobilizing hatred towards Germany. Britain had established an agency at Wellington House solely for propaganda purposes. In the first days of the war, Britain distributed various forms of pamphlets to influential personalities such as journalists, and to foreign nations. The first film on propaganda was Britain prepared, and was distributed in 1915 and utilized the military footage to ridicule the enemy and convey the message that Britain had the military strength to confront the enemy. Recruitment posters in both Britain and America were central to propaganda messages and mainly concentrated on patriotism messages. Another form of propaganda was atrocity messages that aimed at mobilizing widespread hatred against the German by depicting German as a ‘Hun’ that had invaded Belgium (Davis & Baron 32). America was neutral since the start of the war but propaganda from friendly countries such as Britain and France influenced the decision to join the war. For instance, President Wilson joined the war after German submarines sunk British passenger ship Lusitania in 1915. Although there was suspicion that German had sabotaged Black Tom in Jersey City, the public opinion was divided as to whether America was supposed to join the World war. The American Home front mobilized food reserves, money and soldiers and joined Britain and other allies in fighting Germany. The American Committee on Public Information was crucial in spreading propaganda in public gatherings and also suppression the voices of citizens who were opposed to American decision to join the costly war (Baran & Davis, 2009). According to Klapper (1960), the magic bullet theory makes various forms of generalization on the impact of the mass media on the audience. His findings concluded that the ordinary mass media such as television does not sufficiently lead to audience effect but other mediating factors facilitate the influences. The mediating factors will make the mass media a contributor in the reinforcing the existing beliefs or conditions. According to his findings, the leading mediating factors include the selective exposure of the people to the communications that agree with their interests and attitudes. Another mediating factor in the magic bullet theory according to Klapper (1960) is the selective perception and retention of the messages which is the inclination of the audience in perceiving the messages and organizing the message according to their existing views of the phenomena. Research methodology According to Wimer and Dominick, survey method is the best research method for the magic bullet theory. The research will entail mailed questionnaires, personal interviews and reviewing existing literature on the theory. This is a non-experimental and descriptive research method that will be useful in understanding the opinions, thoughts and feelings of media audience on magic bullet theory. The survey will be useful in understanding the relationships between the magic bullet theory and the reactions of the population towards major events such as the World War 1 propaganda messages, the assassination of John F Kennedy and War of World’s. Some survey methods that will be utilized include mail surveys through questionnaires, personal interviews, and review of existing literature on the effect of magic bullet theory of communication during those major events (Wimmer & Josep, 1997). A representative sample will be selected from the population. Stratified random sampling will be used in selecting the research sample. A sample of 5,000 respondents will be selected to participate in the research study from a population of 40,000 people. The research population will be first grouped in four strata comprising 10, 000 people. The strata include aged individuals, journalists, former military officials and finally consumers of television news. A sample of 1, 250 will be selected from each strata through random sampling methods in order to attain a sample of 5,000 respondents. The research will use a qualitative research method that will entail answering open ended questions on the impact of magic bullet theory on the attitudes of the audiences. The research will also consider the effect of propaganda on the First World War through reviewing existing literature. Simple statistical software will be used in analyzing the strength of the respondents’ perception of the magic bullet theory. The hypothesis testing will involve analyzing the open ended questions answered by the respondents. The answers will be cross-checked against a rating scale of 1 to 4 points depending on the strength of the opinion of the respondent. The results of the tests will be able to show whether the mass media can be successful in communicating misleading information and propaganda according to the magic bullet theory. An average of the summary of the results will be used to show whether the mass media theory really works. This is a simple method of determining whether the magic bullet theory is successful and really works (DeFleur, 1989). The research will ensure that confidentiality of the respondents is maintained by changing the identity of the respondents. The respondents will be informed of the purpose of the research before participation. The research findings will not be used for any other purpose other than for the purposes of this research. Some limitations of the research include limited financial resources and time to interview a larger sample. Findings The magic bullet theory, otherwise referred as the Hypodermic needle theory makes an assumption that media stimuli will operate like bullets that pierce in to brains of the audience and instant create emotional stimuli. The theory is of the opinion that the masses are passive and cannot resist the intention of the propagandist. The messages are powerful and transforms how the public feel and think about the propaganda. 70 percent of the respondents indicated they the question the authenticity of information reported by the media. 80 percent of the respondents asserted that their attitudes, notions and beliefs were the main driving factor in believing information delivered by the mass media. Discussion of findings The magic bullet theory implies that the mass media has direct and powerful effect on the emotions of the audience. In 1930s, the mass media was a powerful tool of audience behavioral manipulation and change. Some factors that contributed to the magic bullet theory and its effect on the audience include the rise and popularization of the Television and radio of channels of conveying news to the public and the emergence of new persuasion methods such as propaganda and advertising. For instance, monopolization of the media during the Nazi war unified the German people. From the above, the magic bullet theory does not really work. Individual reaction towards misleading information is influences by his prejudices and already existing notions. Majority of the respondents are of the opinion that their beliefs and attitudes influence the consumption of mass media information. According to the respondents, the media is incapable of changing the notions of an individual and two individuals are incapable of making the same decision. Individuals are capable of resting media messages if they do not conform to their attitudes and beliefs. Informal communications between individuals will influence the decision making regarding misleading information from mass media. The magic bullet theory lacks empirical observation and failed to factor the ability of individuals to select their own channels of information. Conclusion The magic bullet theory of communication does not really work. The main essence of the theory is that individuals are incapable of resisting media influence. It holds that the audience will remain passive rather than impartially investigations the information that has been presented by the mass media. The theory makes numerous unrealistic assumptions that cannot hold in the modern society. For instance, messages cannot be injected in to the minds of the audience since their brains are not passive. The theory is of the opinion that the media is dangerous in communication and can lead to more chaos in the society. The audience is powerful and will resist messages that are not in line with the established perceptions of the audience. Interestingly, the magic bullet theory asserts that communications are one way and interpersonal communications are limited (DeFleur, 1989). All participating nations in the First World War used propaganda messages to justify their involvement in the war and shape the public perception of the war. The messages were geared at raising awareness on the need of more resources for the militaries and patriotism of the citizens. The messages especially posters were placed in schools, and railway stations. From the above findings, it is clear that misleading propaganda led America to join the First World War. Although America had remained neutral for many years since the onset of the war, propaganda from German, France and Britain influenced the American decision to go to war. America suffered more than 100,000 deaths including other soldiers who died from pandemics while on the war front. According to the existing literature, the magic bullet theory is wrong since the gunman must have fired at President Kennedy. The theory is controversial since a bullet could not have hit President Kennedy in the back and exited in his neck without leaving any metal fragments in his body. According to autopsy photo F5, there is clear evidence that the bullet that was alleged fired from the sixth floor could not have exited through his throat as claimed by the magic bullet theory. From the above findings, the research paper concludes that magic bullet theory does not work since individuals are not passive and perceive information according to their unique attitudes and beliefs. References: Baran, S.J & Davis, D.K. (2009). Mass communication theory: foundations, ferment, and future. Boston. Wadsworth Cengage learning. Bhatnagar, N. (2011). Effective communication and soft skills. New York. John Wiley. Casmir, Fred L. (1994).Building Communication Theories New Jersey: Laurence Erlbaum Associates. Davis, D.K. & Baron, S.J. (1981). A History of Our Understanding of Mass Communication. In: Davis, D.K. & Baron, S.J. (Eds.). Mass Communication and Everyday Life: A Perspective on theory and effects (19-52). Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing. DeFleur, Melvin L. (1989).Theories of Mass Communication New York: Longman Inc., Gupta, V.S & Aggarwal, V.B. (2001). Handbook of journalism and mass communication. New York. Wadsworth. Ploy, G.M. (1995). Introduction to communication. Kenwyn. Juta. Severin, Werner J. and James W. Tankard, Jr. (1979).Communication Theories: Origins, Methods and uses New York: Hastings House. Wimmer, Roger D & Joseph.R.Dominick (1997): Mass Media Research: An Introduction. Belmont, MA: Wadsworth. Read More