This chapter compares and contrasts the more traditional communication science paradigm and effects tradition with what communication theorist Denis McQuail has called the “alternative paradigm” of interpretive and critical views of the way media institutions and content affect society and culture, and how it developed to counterbalance the limited effects paradigm. It defines key terms and concepts used in this area of inquiry, such as ideology, hegemony, and institutional reinforcement of the elite power structure. This leads to discussions about how the paradigm’s emphasis is on reforming a system in which elite hegemony disempowers marginalized groups. The chapter further provides an overview of some of the most popular approaches within this paradigm, including Marxist critical theories based in political economy. Also covered are the Frankfurt and Birmingham (British) schools of cultural studies, Schiller’s commodification of culture theory, Chomsky and Herman’s propaganda model, Blumler's symbolic interactionism, Berger & Luckmann's construction of social reality, postmodernism, and media ecology, including both McLuhan and Postman’s contributions. The chapter also briefly discusses the different research methods and techniques required for formulating theory in the alternative tradition as compared to the effects tradition.