Theories

Hypodermic syringe model - a model of communications suggesting that an intended message is directly received and wholly accepted by the receiver. For example, a person absorbs the intended message shown to them by a film. The phrasing "hypodermic needle" is meant to give a mental image of the direct, strategic, and planned infusion of a message into an individual. But as research methodology became more highly developed, it became apparent that the media had selective influences on people.

Two-step flow model - Also known as the Multistep Flow Model is a theory based on a 1940's study on social influence that states that media effects are indirectly established through the personal influence of opinion leaders. The majority of people receive much of their information and are influenced by the media secondhand, through the personal influence of opinion leaders. For example, Oprah Winfrey’s backing of Barack Obama.

Uses and gratification theory - popular approach to understanding mass communication. The theory places more focus on the consumer, or audience, instead of the actual message itself by asking “what people do with media” rather than “what media does to people” (Katz, 1959). It assumes that members of the audience are not passive but take an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives. For example, a person may choose to watch a film due to personal connections with the story line.