Media Systems Dependency Theory (MSD) was first proposed by Sandra Ball-Rokeach and Melvin Defleur in 1976, and consists of a complex system in which the media, individuals, their interpersonal environment, and the social environment have dependency relationships with each other; Each component depends on the other components in a system by drawing on resources in order to satisfy goals. Particular attention is given to the resources of media systems in modern society and the consideration of conditions which will increase or decrease individuals' reliance on media systems.[1]"The more complex (specialized) the society and differentiated its culture, the broader the scope of personal and social goals that require access to media information resources.[2]"
Contents |
"Media system power derives from control over information resources that others –individuals, groups, organizations, social systems, societies– must access to attain their goals."[3]
Because media control critical information resources, individuals develop dependency relationships around the need for understanding (of self and others), orientation (regarding action and interaction) and play (in both solitary and social settings); the audience member’s relation to the media is one of inherent subordination. The theory posits three types of needs across each relationship: understanding, orientation and play. In other words, dependency increases when the need for understanding increases. The more we have a need to understand an issue, the more dependent we will become on media to help us reduce ambiguity or uncertainty. The more we depend, the more our attitudes, cognition, emotional states or behavior will change.[4]
Dependency relationships within the MSD theory go both ways; Media sources may adjust their content based on audience dependency relationships, and audiences may adjust their choice of media sources based on media dependency relationships. MSD relations and media-specific dependency relations derive from the personal goals individuals pursue and from the media resources employed to attain them. As individuals develop expectations that the media system can provide assistance toward goal attainment, individuals generally develop dependency relations with the media or medium perceived to be the most helpful in the goal pursuit.[5]
MSD's system components are divided into three levels: macro, micro, and meso. Macro includes the social environment and media systems. Micro includes individuals with goals, and positions within a social environment. Meso involves interpersonal relations.
Microscopic and macroscopic factors influence dependency. Two play a rather large role: social climate and an individual's social environment. Dependency increases during times of conflict because of an increased need for information and orientation. Social relationships alone will not provide enough information. In times of stability, only limited effects are observed. MSD also states that industrialization and urbanization have decreased the influence of interpersonal social networks, and, therefore, increased the role of media systems.
There are three main paradigms in media effects: "hypodermic needle model" (direct, or strong effects), limited effects, and the powerful to limited effects. The “hypodermic needle” or “magic bullet” effect, first introduced in the 1920s, suggested that mass media had a profound, immediate psychological effect on its audience. It implied that the communicator, in this case the media, had significant control over the message receiver. That idea is no longer seen as valid by social science scholars. However, the public at large still views the media as having a significant effect on public opinion and behavior.[6]
MSD is said to have grown out of the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UG), which falls under the second paradigm listed above. UG is an approach to understanding mass media and mass communication, and describes how users proactively search for media that meets a need, as well as enhances knowledge, social interactions, and diversions.[7] It assumes that audience members take an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives, and are responsible for choosing media sources that meet certain needs. In other words, individuals use the media to fulfill specific gratifications, and media compete against other information sources for viewers' gratification.[8]
MSD has been regarded as an extension of the UG approach to media, though there are difference between the two theories. MSD states that an audiences' goals are the origin of the dependency, while the UG approach focuses more on audience needs.[9] Still, they are the same in their metatheoretical commitments, and both emphasize the link between individual purposes and the large social apparatus of mass media.[10]
Though scholars have begun to investigate small portions of MSD, like the ways in which other dependency relationships contribute to the process, but more research is needed. MSD does, however, have a wider scope and greater explanatory power than the Uses and Gratifications Theory.
The relevance of MSD in modern times has increased with the rise of new information communication technologies (ICTs) and internet usage. Researchers are responding to the need to understand the influence of the Internet and World Wide Web on media use and media effects. Research tends to focus on political topics like abortion,[11] health care,[12] internet usage,[13] and the proliferation of ICTs, as well as news consumption following September 11 attacks.
A key area for development of understanding links between individuals and the media involves a move away from the post-positivist roots of the theory, and consider the complexities of content in which individuals consume media presentations, and that such an understanding can only be developed through interpretive research and the study of audience members as they interact with both the media and with others in their social environments.[14]