Political Communication and Media Effects Theory Political leaders have always needed to communicate with other groups. While political communication has therefore existed since the dawn of political activity – from the time of the ancient Greeks to the Roman Empire (Lilleker, 2006) and perhaps even earlier – there remains no single, overarching theory for the field (Rogers, 2004). It is instead made up a range of theoretical themes, many of which have changed over the years through the progression of democracy, technology and legislation. Theories of political communication evolved simultaneously with the study of communication and mass media, particularly as the first studies of political communication focused on mass media effects on political behaviour, specifically voting choice (Rogers,
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Researchers in this area have therefore included political scientists, sociologists, social psychologists and mass communication researchers (Kraus & Davis, 1976; Graber, 2005). In the 1930s, cultural and political elites suddenly found that developing media technologies and increasing literacy levels meant they were losing their power over social and information control. As such, they began to see the need to understand the impact of media on the non-elite population and its potential to disrupt the existing social order (Fortner, 2014). The purpose of such research can effectively be summarized by Harold Lasswell’s 1948 model of communication: Who says what to whom via which channels with what effects? Over twenty years earlier, however, it was Walter Lippmann (1922) who first identified the role of mass media in a democratic society with his theory of public opinion. Around Lippmann’s time, the prevailing theory of media effects was that of the hypodermic
Researchers in this area have therefore included political scientists, sociologists, social psychologists and mass communication researchers (Kraus & Davis, 1976; Graber, 2005). In the 1930s, cultural and political elites suddenly found that developing media technologies and increasing literacy levels meant they were losing their power over social and information control. As such, they began to see the need to understand the impact of media on the non-elite population and its potential to disrupt the existing social order (Fortner, 2014). The purpose of such research can effectively be summarized by Harold Lasswell’s 1948 model of communication: Who says what to whom via which channels with what effects? Over twenty years earlier, however, it was Walter Lippmann (1922) who first identified the role of mass media in a democratic society with his theory of public opinion. Around Lippmann’s time, the prevailing theory of media effects was that of the hypodermic