The Transformation of Mass Communication Theories in the Digital Media Age - Preprints.org
preprints.org
The digital age hasn't just changed media — it's shattered the one-to-many broadcast model that every classic communication theory was built on, and this study maps the wreckage.
Agenda-Setting TheoryUses and Gratifications TheoryGatekeeping TheoryTwo-Step Flow Theory
Theory Briefing
- Classic theories like Agenda-Setting and Uses & Gratifications were built for broadcast media — digital interactivity has fundamentally broken their core assumptions.
- User-generated content and algorithmic feeds shift power from gatekeepers to platforms and audiences, demanding entirely new theoretical frameworks.
- The study's qualitative synthesis argues that no single legacy theory survives the digital age intact — hybrid models are now essential.