The Persuasive Power of the Media Research Paper

The Persuasive Power of the Media - Research Paper Example In addition to that, the paper seeks to find out which models are most genuine when it comes to explaining the influence of media on society (Wimmer, 2010). Lastly, the paper will apply one of the theories to a current example in the media with the purpose of critiquing the model. The theories Various theories have been put forward to actually explain how media influences people and the power it has to do so. These are Cognitive dissonance theory, Communication accommodation theory, Spiral silence theory, Uses and Gratification theory and Symbolic interaction theory. Cognitive dissonance theory Proponents of this theory argue that experience of dissonance is always aversive and people always tend to ensure that they avoid it completely (Niklas, 2000). Dissonance, in this case, means incompatible believes and actions. In so doing, the theory puts it that people tend to seek and find out something that does not contradict their opinion or belief. They also seek to hear something that i s in line with their thinking and therefore make decisions that do not bring about feelings of dissonance. In explaining the influence that the media has on society, the theory argues that information delivered to the people through the mass media is made to be in line with what those in societies expect. The end process of all this is where the mass media is able to change the beliefs, attitude, and actions of people thereby influencing them. Communication accommodation theory The theory originated from the speech accommodation theory in communication skills. The main interest of this theoretical perspective is to explain what happens whenever two people are communicating and they shift their communication style. The theory argues that whenever people are communicating to others, they will always ensure that they shift their communication style to fit that of others (Stay, 2006). To ensure that this is achieved people always tend to either use convergence or a divergent approach to communicate to the mass.