ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to analyze several situations in which the mass media have strong effects. We seek to identify when and why such relatively rare but important situations occur. We argue that the finding of strong versus weak media effects may depend in part on the research designs and the research methods used in an investigation. Further, intermedia processes, when the mass media stimulate interpersonal communication about a topic, often considerably magnify the effects of direct exposure to media messages.
