Media gatekeeping theory helps decides what information should move pass through the “gate”. The gatekeepers are a high level, data decision makers who control information flow to the entire social system. The gatekeepers are programmed to tell the difference between the two types of content so that the only preferred data points are consumed by people. These gatekeepers have the role of a watchdog with society and simply playing into the audience’s confirmation bias.

Spiral of silence is a political science and mass communication theory that was proposed by a German political scientist named Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann.  A social group or society might isolate or exclude members due to the members’ opinions. The fear of isolation consequently leads to remaining silent instead of voicing opinions.

The founder of the Cultivation theory is George Gerbner, he proposed the long-term effects of television. This theory declares that the more time people spend in the “television world”, the more likely they will believe social reality supports with reality that is reveals on television.  Gerbner believes that television was responsible for shaping viewers perceptions of social reality over time. This started the Mean World Syndrome, the heavy watchers (four or more hours) are more likely to view the world more dangerous than the light watchers which views less than two hours.

The Mean World Syndrome, I can relate. I am the baby in the family, my father was always worried about me. I could not walk alone; I could not go to my friends parties.  He was always worried that something could happen. I could get raped, I could get murdered, or I could get kidnapped. Even to this day my dad was pushing me to get a boyfriend so he could “protect” me at college. Like I get that parents worry, but it gets to the point where it is not healthy for either of us for him to worry nonstop.

Agenda setting theory was created in 1972, The media has a strong effect on what people think, media highlights certain events repeatedly which creates a sense of urgency about issues. It is a relationship between what the people think and what the mass media is telling us. The ability for news media to influence the importance placed on the topics of the public agenda.

The use and gratifications is an approach to understanding why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs. Its based on the socio-psychological communication tradition and focuses on communication at the mass media scale. In 1944, there was forms of uses and gratifications. There question was why people choose specific types of media. Herzog interviewed soap opera fans and developed three categories based on people that listened to soap operas. There was the emotional, wishful thinking, and learning.  In 1954, there was a dispute about people actively looked to satisfy their needs based on an order. Wilbur Schramm developed a method for determining on which form of mass media a person would select, this would help decide on the amount of gratification. A person would expect to benefit from the media and how much effort they had to make to achieve gratification. The modern applications of uses and gratifications is cellphones is the new technology that people are attached to. People use this technology because of fondness and sociability, entertainment, psychological reassurance, fashion, mobility, and immediate access.