Hypodermic needle theory

The "hypodermic needle theory" implied mass media had a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences. The mass media in the 1940s and 1950s were perceived as a powerful influence on behaviour change. Several factors contributed to this "strong effects" theory of communication, including: the fast rise and popularisation of radio and television. The emergence of the persuasion industries, such as advertising and propaganda; the Payne Fund studies of the 1930s, which focused on the impact of motion pictures on children. Hitler's monopolization of the mass media during WWII to unify the German public behind the Nazi party.