Media Term Thursday #43
/Hypodermic Needle Theory
Magic Bullet Theory
The theory suggests that a media message is injected straight into the mind of a passive audience who are immediately influenced by the message (or a ‘’bullet’ from a ‘media gun’’). Therefore, the mass media can influence a large group of people directly and immediately and trigger a desired response.
It is a negative perception of the media as being dangerous and suggests the audience is powerless to resist.
