Accumulation Theory 402o2y

Communication

ACCUMULATION THEORY The view that the impact of any one message on any specific person may be minimal, but consistent, persistent, and corroborated (between media) messages result in minor changes among audiences that gradually add up over time to produce significant changes in society or culture. Propositions 1. The mass media begin to focus their attention on and transmit messages about a specific topic (some problem, situation, or issue). 2. Over an extended period, they continue to do so in a relatively consistent and persistent way and their presentations corroborate each other. 3. Individual of the public increasingly become aware of these messages and, on a person-byperson basis, a growing comprehension develops of the interpretations of the topic presented by the media. 4. Increasing comprehension of the messages regarding the topic supplied by the media begins to form (or modify) the meanings, beliefs, and attitudes that serve as guides to behavior for of the audience. 5. Thus, minor individual-by-individual changes accumulate and new beliefs and attitudes slowly emerge to provide significant changes in orms of appropriate behavior related to the topic.

This is very obvious and impressive evidence that powerful media effects are brought about in the manner can be found in changing pattern of public response to certain events in recent world history. 1. One example is ‘Watergate Scandal’ and the resignation of Richard Nixon from the U.S Presidency. It shows very clearly the dramatic consequences that can result from consistence and persistence media attention to a situation. Bob Wood and Paul Benston, two journalists of Washington Post published this news and the American President had to resign 2. The case of American President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky about their illicit affair the media published and telecasted several things but the people were in favour of the President because of media attention. 3. Lady Diana and her interview in BBC and repeated media attention caused her death 4. Kargil war and the mind of the India people have change about the military forces. Mass communication played a key role on this change. Early media effects research revealed many different things from many different views. The early researchers made hunches and opinions on the social effects of mass media. They believed that individuals, especially children, were greatly influenced by violent and vulgar media by making them violent and vulgar. They also believed that a population can be persuaded to think and/or act in a certain way because of mass media. This belief is known as the dead-level theory, where all people were effected by media uniformly. With this theory, many people believed that there would be a loss of individuality. There were other researchers, like Charles Horton Cooley, who believed that with new mass media there was the chance of developing diversity and differences among the population. This theory is called the theory of individuality. Another theory is the magic bullet theory. This theory theorizes that with mass media and propaganda the population can be influenced uniformly. This Arnab Mondal

Communication theory was especially popular during World War II, where it was practiced by both sides of the war with great effect. Today, many of these theories prove true and at the same time false. With new and ongoing research, new theories risen, like theory of the accumulation of minimal effects and social expectations theory, that state with the help of repeating, consistent, and corroborative exposure from all media that there is short-term, limited effects, the accumulation theory. Also, with organized coordinated actions from special interest groups, more long-term effects can be implemented into society by changing values, behaviors, and customs over long length of time, the social expectations theory.

Arnab Mondal