ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a definition and description of mass communication as a social practice. It describes how mass communication research is rooted in older social sciences, especially psychology and sociology. The chapter also describes some of the earliest research into mass communication processes by researchers in those fields, often considered the founders of communication research. It outlines bullet theory, propaganda and public opinion studies, information theory and cybernetics, Lasswell’s structure-and-function models, two-step-flow and reinforcement theories and limited effects paradigm. The chapter further discusses how theory evolves and changes over time, and relates these historical developments to the current era of research. Social science is a more recent intellectual development than natural science, which has been around for thousands of years. Natural sciences such as astronomy and chemistry trace their roots to efforts of ancient civilizations to develop “scientific theories” to explain the natural world around them.
