Magic Bullet Theory (Hypodermic needle model) - Communication Models

Magic Bullet Theory (Hypodermic needle model)

Magic Bullet Theory, also known as Hypodermic needle model or Hypodermic-syringe model is one of the communication models which was proposed by Harold Laswell and was originally written in the book "Propaganda Technique" during the World War.



Magic Bullet Theory says that media's message is a bullet fired from the media gun to the people's head. It means that media fires or injects message or different messages into the audience like a bullet and the audience believes in what they are seeing or hearing from the media. Magic Bullet Theory says that the audience is passive and they are dependent totally on the media to know about what is happening around them and the world and the media keeps on injecting the media's message to the passive audience like a syringe or shooting into their head like a bullet. Masses of people are made to think as the same way media wants them to think and create public opinions and change the behavior of the audience.

However it is not prevalent anymore in the modern day world and has been criticized by a lot of people. As there are many media options available now, earlier only radio and newspapers were popular and were the main source of media. The message flow is always from the sender to the receiver. It's not always necessary that the audience is always passive, even in the earlier times and it is one of it's criticisms.

The theory was popular during the World War Second time in USA and Germany. That time people were completely dependent on the media to get information. 

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