Media system dependency theory

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/media-system-dependency-theory

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the originating researchers?Sandra Ball-Rokeach and Melvin Defleur
2. What is the year of publication?1976
3. Why do people watch more shows or read more news when things are uncertain?When the world feels confusing or scary, people turn to news to understand what’s happening. This extra watching lets the news help set the topics people talk about.
4. How does media help us learn about the world?Media gives us facts, shows how other people act, and helps us decide what we believe. It’s like a guide that shows us the big picture.

Social Systems: Interconnected networks of social institutions, structures, and relationships that constitute society.
Media Effects: The cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioral impacts that media messages and systems have on audiences.
Dependency Hypothesis: The central tenet that increased reliance on media for need satisfaction correlates with heightened media influence.
Agenda-Setting: The process by which media influence the salience of topics in the public mind by giving them prominence.