DefinitionIt is a linear communication theory which suggests that media messages are injected directly into the brains of an audience.

It suggests we are all the same and we all respond to media messages in the same way.

Mass Media

Opinion Leaders

Followers

Some Information…

It was developed in the 1920s and 1930s after researchers observed the effect of propaganda during World War I and events like Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast.

Although…

In the 1930s, many researchers realized the limitations of this idea and some dispute whether early media theorists gave the idea any serious attention at all.

This way of thinking about communication and media influence is no longer really accepted.

Still Influences People Today…

The Hypodermic Needle Theory continues to influence the way we talk about the media. People believe that the mass media has a powerful effect.

For example, parents worry about the influence of television and violent video games. News outlets run headlines like ‘Is Google making us stupid’ and ‘Grand Theft Auto led teen to kill’.

How Did This Develop?

Back in 1927, Harold Lasswell – an American political scientist and communication theorist – published a book called Propaganda Technique in the World War.

Harold Lasswell…Lasswell wrote:

“From a propaganda point of view it was a matchless performance, for Wilson brewed the subtle poison, which industrious men injected into the veins of a staggering people, until the smashing powers of the Allied armies knocked them into submission.”

The Payne Fund Studies…The Payne Fund Studies, which were conducted between 1929-1932 and looked at the effect movies have on children, also contributed to this idea that the mass media has a powerful and direct influence on audiences.

Yet, these studies were criticised for their lack of scientific consistency. They were essentially, one of the first, but most widespread examinations of how the media works.

The Influence of Movies…

The Chairman of The Payne Fund Studies, WW Charters, wrote that “they have the potential to profoundly affect the way children behave”.

War Of The Worlds…In 1938, Orson Welles broadcast a dramatization of War of the Worlds. The program, which was presented in the format of a news bulletin, caused some listeners to believe that Earth was being invaded by martians.

The New York Times claimed that thousands of people were gripped by mass hysteria, while thousands may have been “panic-stricken”.

To Conclude…On the surface, events like these seem to suggest that the media can have a powerful influence on audiences.

Nevertheless, The Hypodermic Needle Theory is kind of inadequate to describe communication and media influence.

So, overall, it doesn’t work very well.