Hypodermic Needle Model or Magic Bullet theory or Strong Effect theory

 There are many theories of mass communication. But some important theories of mass communication are given below.

Hypodermic Needle Model or Magic Bullet theory or Strong Effect theory:

It is a model rather than a well developed theory. Infact, it is one of the earliest models of mass communication to have developed naturally in America. Because mass communication became popular in America first. The escalation of radio and cinema in America led to the development of this model.

Hypodermic Needle theory, or Magic Bullet theory (Hypodermic syringe model or transmission-belt model) was proposed by Harold Lasswell in his celebrated book "Propaganda Technique in world war" (1927).

Definition:

This model implied mass media had a direct immediate and powerful effect on its audience. This model was powerful so much so that mass media in the 1940s and 1950s were perceived as a powerful influence on behaviour change.. 

Factors that contributed to 'Strong Effect theory' of communication:

1. The fast rise and popularisation of radio and television.

2. The emergence of the persuasion industry, such as advertising and propaganda.

3. The Payne Fund industries of the 1930s which focused on the impact of motion pictures on children. The concluded that media has negative impacts on children because of too much of sex or violence was depicted on tv. This also raised an alarm bells.

4. Hitler's monopolization of mass media during WW2 to unify the German public behind the Nazi Party.

Core assumptions and statements of theory:

The theory suggest that mass media could influence a very large group of people directly and uniformly by shooting or injecting them with appropriate messages designed to trigger a desired response.

Features of Magic Bullet theory:

1. Human are believed to act uniformly to their stimuli and instincts. You may give same stimulus to all the human beings. They are basically a human being. So their response to the stimuli will be same ( this ia is a flawed assumption). 

2. Media injects or inserts messages into people brian as propaganda and manipulation like that by a syringe or bullet.

3. Messages have their own intention and are sent to get desired outcomes.

4. The effects of messages is supposed to be encompassing, strong, immediate and dangerous.

5. Messages are supposed to create public opinion and change behaviour of audience. And mass of people is made to think in a similar way by the media.

6. The audience is always thought to be vulnerable and passive.

This theory got acceptance from the radio show of Orson Welles named 'war of worlds' in 1938 who let people believe that there is life in Mars. And believed it actually.

How this theory was disapproved?

Paul Lazarsfeld, Herta Herzog, and Hadley Cantril conducted a reaserach about this theory on the voting pattern of American people in 1940s, during the election campaign of F.D. ROOSEVELT. And when they presented their survey questions to the people, they were flabbergasted. The people answered that they don't totally rely on mass media but on their peer groups i.e what the head of family or community says or whatever they discuss with the people.

 In a nutshell, people said they rely on interpersonal communication rather than media. This proposition sounded death-knell for the magic bullet theory. Because these people had conducted a scientific data and have gathered information through interviews. And then they brought out a book called 'The People's Choice' in 1968. This book disapprove the hypodermic Needle Model.

This theory work in a extreme situation like war or terrorist attack. Because at that time interpersonal communication is of no use. People rely on mass media and get attracted to the contents of media.