In this presentation we will learn ‘’ Evolution of Communication Theories’’ Before starting this we are discussing about basic communication and communication theories. Communication: Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place, person or group to another. Communication theories: Communication theory is a proposed description of communication phenomena, the relationships among them, a storyline describing these relationships, and an argument for these three elements. Communication theory provides a way of talking about and analyzing key events, processes, and commitments that together form communication

1. Evolution of Communication Theories
In this presentation we will learn ‘’ Evolution of Communication
Theories’’ Before starting this we are discussing about basic
communication and communication theories.
Communication: Communication is simply the act of transferring
information from one place, person or group to another.
Communication theories: Communication theory is a proposed
description of communication phenomena, the relationships among them,
a storyline describing these relationships, and an argument for these three
elements. Communication theory provides a way of talking about and
analyzing key events, processes, and commitments that together form
communication.

2. Evolution of Communication Theories
Communication has led to the formulation of many theories:
Structural and functional theories
Cognitive and behavioral theories
Interactionist theories
Interpretive theories and
Critical theories
The earliest theories were those propounded by Western theorists Siebert,
Paterson and Schramm in their book Four Theories Of the Press (1956). These were
termed "normative theories" by McQuail in the sense that they "mainly express
ideas of how the media ought to or can be expected to operate under a prevailing
set of conditions and values." Each of the four original or classical theories is based
on a particular political theory or economic scenario.

3. I) CLASSICAL THEORIES
• Authoritarian Theory: According to this theory, mass media was not directly
under the authority of the State, the ruling class zealously guarded freedom of
thought because they were anxious about the rise of a new middle class and the
impact of printed material on their way of thinking. The freedom of expression
has been restricted. As a result, total dictatorship was promoted.
This theory was inspired by Plato's authoritarian philosophy (407–327
B.C. ), who believed that the State was safest in the hands of a select
group of knowledgeable men. British academician Thomas Hobbes
(1588–1679) claimed that maintaining order was a sovereign function
and that personal objections should be disregarded. German
philosopher Engel furthered the argument by claiming that freedom
only attained its highest form under authoritarianism.

4. • Libertarianism or Free Press Theory: This theory is based on the right of an
individual. The origin of this argument may be traced back to 17th-century
England, when the invention of the printing press allowed for the inexpensive
mass production of books and pamphlets. The State was viewed as a significant
source of interference with a person's and his property's rights. Taxation was seen
as institutional theft by libertarians. Vox populi, or popular will, was given
primacy over governmental authority.
Advocates of this theory were Lao Tzu, an early 16th century
philosopher, John Locke of Great Britain in the17th century, John
Milton, the epic poet and John Stuart Mill, an essayist. Libertarians
argued that the press should be seen as the Fourth Estate reflecting
public opinion.

5. • Social Responsibility Theory: Wilbur Schramm, Siebert, and Theodore
Paterson were strong opponents of the Free Press Theory. They said that "pure
libertarianism is outmoded, outdated, and obsolete" in their book Four Theories
of Press. They argued that the Social Responsibility theory should take its place. It
might be stated that the Commission on the Freedom of the Press launched this
approach in the United States in 1949. The commission concluded that the free
market approach to press freedom had not advanced the interests of the lower
classes, but rather merely boosted the power of one class. The development of
radio, television, and film hinted at the necessity for some kind of accountability
mechanism. Therefore, the theory promoted a responsibility of the media to
society.

6. • Soviet Media/Communist Theory: This theory is derived from the ideologies of
Marx and Engel that "the ideas of the ruling classes are the ruling ideas". It was thought
that the entire mass media was saturated with bourgeois ideology. Lenin thought of
private ownership as being incompatible with freedom of press and that modern
technological means of information must be controlled for enjoying effective freedom
of press.
Two more theories were later added as the "four theories of the press" were not fully
applicable to the non-aligned countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, who were
committed to social and economic development on their own terms. The two theories
were:
1. Development Communication Theory: The fundamental truth that gave rise to this philosophy was
that communication is essential to development. The four traditional theories justified capitalism, but the
development communication theory, also known as development support communication, assigned the media
the responsibility of implementing effective developmental programs while tolerating limitations and directives
from the government. The media gave in to the demands of politics, business, society, and culture.
2. Democratization/Democratic Participant Media Theory: This theory vehemently opposes
the commercialization of modern media and its top-down non-participant character. The need for
access and right to communicate is stressed. Bureaucratic control of media is decried.

7. 2) MAGIC BULLET/ HYPODERMIC NEEDLE THEORY
Although there was no distinct discipline of study for communication prior to the
First World War but knowledge regarding mass communication was growing. The
Magic Bullet or Hypodermic Needle Theory emerged as a result of World War I
propaganda operations. It advanced the idea that the media had a significant
impact on the general public and could purposefully change or control people's
behavior.
The main mediating factors which he considers responsible for the functions and
effects of mass communications are
- selective exposure i.e., people's tendency to expose themselves to those mass
communications which are in agreement with their attitudes and interests; and
- selective perception and retention i.e., people's inclination to organize the
meaning of mass communication messages into accord with their already existing
views.

8. 3) TWO STEP FLOW THEORY
The Two-Step Flow of Communication was first established in 1944 by
American social researcher Paul Lazarsfeld (1901–1976), Bernard
Berelson (1912–1979), and Hazel Gaudet in the book "The people's
choice: How the voter makes up his mind in a presidential campaign."
The study's focus was on the presidential election campaign and how voters made
decisions regarding the campaign. All three researchers were interested in
determining how the messages in the media actually affected people's decisions to
vote. Unexpectedly, they discovered that informal, personal contact has a much
greater influence on voting behavior than mainstream messages (such those from
radio and newspapers). The Two Step Flow Communication Theory of Mass
Communication was created by Katz and Paul Lazarsfeld based on this research
results.

9. • Katz and Paul seems “the flow of media messages from radio and
print to opinion leaders and then the leaders leads the messages to
lesser active users in the population”. Through this transformation of
message, the leaders may add their opinion on the actual content
which may affects the low active users. In some cases the Opinion
leaders are filtering the actual content ensures the information is
needed by the people. Mostly the opinion leaders are selective and
they pass the messages to the group.

10. 4) USES AND GRATIFICATION THEORY
This theory propounded by Katz in 1970, is concerned with how people
use media for gratification of their needs.
The Uses and Gratifications approach reminds us that people use
media for many purposes. As media users become increasingly
confronted with choices, this approach should direct our attention to
the audience. Lull's television research found that families used
television for communication facilitation, relationship building,
intimacy, and for structuring the day.

11. 5) SPIRAL OF SILENCE THEORY
This theory, put out by Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, contends that
people change their opinions in order to avoid being marginalized by
the media's promotion of conventional viewpoints. People who believe
their views are widely held will express them, whereas those who
believe they are in the minority will keep their opinions to themselves.

12. 6) AGENDA SETTING THEORY
According to this theory, the media can affect how important events
are seen by the general population. The media cognitively order and
organize the audience's world and determine the discussion's agenda.
The theory adheres to the "use and gratification" theory. According to
McCombs and Shaw, the association between the media and the
public's prioritization of issues is due to the media's agenda-setting
role. Those with a strong need for orientation are the ones who are
most impacted by the media agenda.

13. 7) CULTIVATION THEORY
George Gerbner tried to determine the influence of television on
viewers" ideas of the environment they lived in. He found that the
dominance of TV created a common view of the world and that it
homogenized different cultures. TV portrayed society as a bad place to
live leading to people becoming distrustful of the world. Over time,
particular symbols, images, messages, and meanings become dominant
and are absorbed as the truth. Cultural stereotypes, ways of assessing
value, and hierarchies are established.

14. 8) Diffusion of innovations theory
This theory, which was developed in 1943 by Bryce Ryan and Neil Gross
of Iowa State University, charts the process by which a new concept or
behavior is transmitted through time among members of a social
system through particular channels. The model explains how people
accept new ideas and technologies as well as the elements that affect
their attitudes and behaviors.

15. 9) Social learning theory
This theory, developed by Albert Bandura at Stanford University, claims
that messages in mass media give viewers the chance to identify with
likeable characters who show behavior, evoke emotions, and permit
mental rehearsal and modeling of new behavior. Vicarious
reinforcement from models' actions in the media encourages audience
members to adopt the behavior.

16. That’s all
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