Hyperdermic Needle Theory

The "Hyperdermic Needle Theory" says that mass media had a direct, immediate and powerful effect on it's viewers and consumers. The mass media in the 1940s-50s had a massive impact on society's behaviour change. This was becasue:

• Radio and television was rapidly rising in popularity
• Advertising and propaganda made its way into peoples lives for the first time

This the0ry suggest that a large group of people could be 'injected' with a message designed to trigger a response, directly and uniformly. Mass media could also induce social concern over an issue, therefore creating a Moral Panic (a feeling of fear spread among a large number of people that some evil threatens the well-being of society.)