The hypodermic needle theory implies that the mass media has a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences.
The mass media in the 1940’s and 1950’s was 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 1930’s, which focused on the impact of films on children
- Hitlers monopolization of the mass media during World War II to unify the German public behind the Nazi party.
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