Abstract:
It was of vital importance to firstly discuss various theories concerning the visual mass media
and how it has caused social pressure on the individual, resulting in man's identity crisis. These
theories were selectively chosen as the most prominent (n the field and would supply a sufficient
understanding of the visual mass media and how it affected man's identity crisisJ he theories
will specify which elements of the visual mass media affect the individual and also which type
of individual is affected by the media. Another important aspect was the !_ll_anipulation of the
audience and how man was influenced to self idolize or to be manipulated so as to cause an
identity crisis.
Before various contemporary theories of mas! media and its effects on man were to be
examined, it was of considerable importance to review earlier theories concerning the visual
mass media and how it affected the individual.\ These earlier theories are significant as they
-....)
were the forerunners or influential elements in the construction of the more contemporary
ideas. A brief review of these theories will be sufficient in furthering understanding of their
basic principles.
Some media research had taken place before the television became widespread in the 1950's,
but the advent of this new highly distributed medium then prompted researchers to look more
deeply into the media's effects.
