Theories in Mass Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Theories in Mass Communication - Essay Example It provides different and revealing perspectives on issues and represents the desire for knowledge through 'aposteriori' methods of discovery rather than 'apriori' methods of tradition. There are different schools of thought on how social phenomena should be discussed and interpreted. Post-positivist theories are those that reject the view of the world in a purely scientific manner. This is because human knowledge is not founded on unchallengeable, rock solid-foundations and is in fact fallible. While experimental methodology can be used to investigate social phenomena, it is often impossible or unethical to use the kind of carefully controlled laboratory studies characteristic of physics or chemistry for social phenomena. Conceptually, it is often noted that unlike the subjects of natural science, people are reflexive. That is, they may alter their behavior based on the presence or findings of the researcher. This implies that there is no single, unifying all-encompassing truth emphasizing the need for multiple measures and observations.