大眾傳播理論評述

Mass Communication Research and Theory: An Overview

本文首先介紹和評鑑歐美重要之大眾傳播理論：早期功能說、加強效果說、兩級傳播、創新傳佈說、使用滿足說、媒介體系依附效果說、信仰潛化說、議題設定說、資訊差異說、文化進步演化說、霸權說、文化研究、法蘭克福學派，Innis的社會組織說等，其次，以知識論、本體論和政治情況為判準將這些理論定位，並分析其研究主題和研究方法之異同，最後建議大眾傳播研究應加強社會結構因素的基礎研究，以平衡過份偏倚個人行動的研究。美國大眾傳播研究始於一九二０年，六十年來一直是公私立機構支持的行政研究，探討相當標準化的問題：受眾的特徵為何，訊息內容的影響為何。一九三０年代是媒介效果萬能的時代，一九四０－五０典範轉換成媒介有限效果論，一九六０年代末期又恢復強大媒介效果論。現將六０年來，美國行政研究典範的重要理論評述於下。

The field of mass communication research and theory continues to grow at a rapid rate. Rather than making an attempt to summarize the many fine recent studies, this overview will present an analysis the current status of this developing research field. At first, we introduce some important models of mass communication research which are developed by the American and European researchers. Secondly, we are trying to construct a fourfold typology of four main paradigms: the humanist, the structuralist, the interpretative and the functionalist. By means of this typology, the fairly large number of mass media studies constituting presentday mass communication theory can be classified in a meaningful way. Finally, because mass communication research has been preoccupied with the Individually functional perspectives, especially in the United States, we make a plea for returning toward a grand theory or a societal theory.