Hypodermic Syringe Model

The  hypodermic-syringe model or magic bullet model, is a linear model of communication which implies that an intended message is directly received and wholly accepted by the receiver. The roots of this theory lies in 1930s behaviourism and was largely considered old-fashioned for a long time, but big data analytics-based mass customisation has led to a modern revival of the basic idea.

It wasn't until 1938, when HG Wells performed a radio dramatization known as 'War of the Worlds' , in which people began to accept and believe in the powerful influence of mass media. In this broadcast, HG Wells told the world that it was under attack, from aliens from the planet of Mars. The public believed in the supposed attack, so they hit the roads, hid in their homes, and loaded their weapons as a way to defend themselves.

The magic bullet and hypodermic needle models originate from Harold Lasswell's 1927 book, Propaganda Technique in the World War. In this book, he said; "From a propaganda point of view it was a matchless performance, for Wilson brewed the subtle poison, which industrious men injected into the veins of a staggering people, until the smashing powers of the allied armies knocked them into submission."

The model is based on early observations of the effect of mass media, as used by Nazi propaganda and Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. It suggests that the media injects its messages into a passive audience, who are immediately and powerfully affected by these messages in the same way - proposing that we are all the same. The public cannot escape from the influence of the media, and is therefore considered a "sitting duck."

 

Modern ideas such as Grand Theft Auto having a violent influence on children contribute to the model.

 

 

Two-step flow

 

This concept suggests that most people form their opinions under the influence of opinion leaders, who in turn are influenced by the mass media. So, according to this model, ideals flow from mass media to opinion leaders, and from them to a wider population.