MEDIA DEPENDENCY THEORY IN USE

Dependency theory is a mass communication theory that seeks to explain the long term effects of
media on the audiences and a society. This theory states that the more dependent an individual is
on the media for having his or her needs fulfilled, the more important the media will be to that
person. The originators of this theory are Sandra Ball-Rokeach and Melvin Defleur

The theory of media dependency came about because the inventors saw the need to integrate the
findings of a large body of media effects research that had been done at that point. DeFleur and
Ball-Rokeach (1975) suggest that a general theory of the effects of mass communication is
lacking and that it is important to move toward a higher level of abstraction in order to
understand where our research and analyses appear to be leading us. (DeFleur and Ball-
Rokeach P.256). This need came about because the majority of scientific evidence gathered
through lab and survey research show that media have little direct influence on people, yet
many notable scholars and most people know that the coming of new media to a society makes
a tremendous difference in the lives of people. So DeFleur and Ball-Rokeach (1975) purport that
the kinds of effects that occur and are measurable are not those that are easily detected in
laboratory experiments, or in before-after studies of people who have been exposed to specific
messages. (p. 260) Instead these effects are the kind that enlarge peoples belief systems,
change peoples attitudes, motivate delicate shifts in individual or collective sentiment as well as
other kinds of society-wide changes. (DeFleur & Ball-Rokeach, 1975, p. 260)they further
recommend, instead of looking solely at the individual to assess media effects, that it is
worthwhile to consider the entire social framework within which the media function.

The central point of the theory is that people in modern society depend on the media to
comprehend and understand the world around them. This basic idea was developed by Melvin
Defleur and Sandra Ball-Rokeach in the mid-1970s in their article A dependency Model or
Mass-Media effects1. Dependency theory conceives of dependency as a relationship in which
the fulfillment of one partys needs and goals is reliant on the resources of another party. The
main focus of this theory is the relationship between media and its audiences. In the present

1
Ball-Rokeach, Sandra J; DeFleur, ML (1976321). "A dependency model of mass-media effects". Communication
Research 3 (1): 321

1
modern world, you will find that individuals highly depend on media to satisfy a range of their
needs. These needs could range from political, to fashion to entertainment.

The Dependency theory became the initial mass communication theory that considered its
audience as an active part of the process of communication. The theory developed from the
follow-up of researches from the parent theory uses and gratification which is considered as an
expansion. Dependency theory indicates that there is a fundamental connection between media,
its audiences and the social system. They assume that since learning from experiences has
constraints in practical life, human beings who are largely the audiences rely heavily on media to
gather more information about what they need. Therefore, an extended use of the media causes a
close relation of dependence in the audience

Sandra and Melvin indicate that the basis of the dependency theory comes from an ecological
model2.They perceive a complex of web links encompassing the Mass media and the audiences.
The society has various parts that interact with each other. Each link in the chain is a separate
entity. They come together to form the larger mass media which is composed of Radio, print,
television and internet. Because of the need for more information, people depend on mass media
for this more information. People have different goals that they would want to satisfy and media
always has a solution for them.3For example, during elections, people would want to know how
their political candidate is fairing in terms of votes, and the most viable place to source for this
information is through media. Apart from this, Defleur and Ball-Rokeach (p 302) note how
political candidates depend on the media to communicate their message. In Western society, it
would be impossible for politicians to reach people in direct meetings. In Kenya, this applies as
well. Candidates of political office constantly struggle to convince people that their versions of
what should be done will lead to the best consequences. (Ball Rokeach & De fleur) This
struggle is lessened by the mass media as it is the main way that candidates deliver their key
messages to the public. Because of this, the media, large media corporations, individual
journalists and the public all have a dependency-based relationship that is organic in nature; on
where interacting with each other is a symbiotic relationship. Defleur and Ball-Rokeach make
the point that even though the parts may depend on each other, it is a kind of ecological

2
DeFleur, M & Ball-Rokeach, (1989, p302) Theories of Mass Communication: Fifth Edition, Longman, New York
3
Ibid p303

2
relationship, not one amongst equals that form what is a dependency relationship.

They also note that the level of media dependency varies according to a societys level of
modernization. For instance, in modernized countries like the United States, there are many
media outlets and they serve highly centralized social functions. In the United States alone, the
media act as a "fourth branch" of government, an alarm system during national emergencies, and
as a tool for entertainment and escape, whereas in the underdeveloped world the media are not as
numerous and serve far fewer functions. As such, the media have a greater opportunity to serve
needs and exert effects in contemporary America than in a third world country. In Kenya, we got
media freedom in 1990 when multi-party regime came into practice. A significant growth on
media freedom has been seen so far and this has seen a level of media dependency from Kenya
being developed. This was most evident during the post election violence in the period 2007-
2008.The magnitude of the inter-clan clashes was much higher as compared to the PEV in 1992,
all because of media4

ASSUMPTIONS OF THE MEDIA DEPENDENCY THEORY

Sandra Ball Rokeach and Melvin Defleur in their dependency theory assume that the degree of
dependency on media is directly proportional to;5

a) The capacity of a medium to satisfy the needs of an individual as much as possible. A

person /society will be highly dependent on a medium if it meets a greater percentage of
his needs than if it meets a smaller percentage.
b) Social stability. During a period of an extreme social change, such as elections. People
are called to reassess their values, beliefs and practices and consider other new choices.
In such instances, the degree of dependence goes up drastically because there is need for
strong advice. Therefore, media becomes a focal point for getting such information to
guide its audience. When the situation stabilizes, people reliance on medium decreases.
c) As an active component of the communication process. Audiences select their ideal
media based on individual needs and other external factors such as culture, social
political and economical conditions. This indicates that an individual will be less

4
Maureen Anne Syallow, (2012,p50), Electronic Media in Electoral conflict, case study of Kenya, Research Thesis
5

3
 dependent on a medium if there are more alternatives, also non media ones, to satisfy
his/her needs. A good example is in Kenya where we have different kinds of FM stations
broadcasting different contents. Those people who are saved are more likely to depend on
Hope fm for their daily nourishment of the word of God as compared to the other
individuals, who will most likely listen to Classic 105 FM.
d) The psychological traits of an individual may also determine the level of dependence on
media. The media are aware of their ability to create a dependent relationship with their
target audience; hence they use this power to achieve their goals.

Weaknesses and strengths of Media Dependence theory

Media dependency theory states that the more a person depends on having needs or goals met by
media use, the more the medias role will be important in the persons life and, therefore the
more influence those media will have. However, the theory has its strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths;

i) The theory is elegant and descriptive: Meaning its well organized and has been put in a way
that anyone can understand.
ii) The Theory allows for systems orientation;6 MSD ties together the interrelations of broad
social systems, mass media and the individual into a comprehensive explanation of media
effects. Hence its gives direction of where its coming from and why it has made its conclusion
as dependence
iii) integrates microscopic and macroscopic theory: Microscopic Theories are those theories that
focus on how individuals and social groups use media to create and foster forms of culture that
structure everyday life. While Macroscopic theories that focus on how social elites use their
economic power to gain control over and exploit to propagate hegemonic culture as a means of
maintaining their dominant position in social order; they are called political economy theories
because they place priority on understanding how economic power provides a basis for
ideological and political power(examples in kenya).Hence the MSD theory in its assumptions

6
Ognyanova, K.; Ball-Rokeach, S. J. (2012). "Political Efficacy on the Internet: A Media System Dependency
Approach". Academia.edu.

4
incorporates both categories and helps us understands its argument from both views7
iv)It explains the role of media during crisis and social change: This theory gives a clear
explanation of how media plays an important role during crises and this makes it easy to
understand why media is quite vital during this period.
Weaknesses:
i) It is difficult to verify experimentally: As much as the theory explains how an audience
becomes quite dependent on the media for information, its quite hard to proof this practically.
As the information being sought varies from one individual to another.
ii) Meaning and power of dependency are unclear: Its also quite hard to measure the amount of
addiction one has on media. First of all, there different kinds of media i.e. Print, Electronic and
internet hence the importance varies with each kind and measuring each is tricky.
iii) Lacks power in explaining long term effects: The MSD theory has successfully explained on
how its audiences are dependent on media during crises such as political changes and during
conflicts but its has not explained on how long the effects have on the audience.

APPLICATION OF THE MEDIA DEPENDENCY THEORY

According to Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur the cognitive, behavioral and affective consequences of
media use are premised upon characteristics of both individuals and their social environment8.

First, the cognitive is affected mostly when the information being received by people is not
sufficient hence people seek more information from the media. When there is high ambiguity,
stress is created, and audiences are more likely to turn to mass media to resolve ambiguity.
Ambiguity might be especially prevalent during times of social change or conflict. A good
example is during the 2007/2008 post election violence in Kenya. Most people heard that
Hon.Mwai Kibaki had been announced as the new president of Kenya. In Nairobi this could be
seen by the citizens who had flocked KICC to verify for themselves. The people who were at
KICC then rang to their counterparts from various parts of the country. To clarify the matter,
most people ran to the nearest places where they could access the T.V sets just to confirm the

7
http://www.zeepedia.com/read.php/revision_microscopic_theories_mediation_of_social_relations_theories_of_
communication
8
Ball-Rokeach, Sandra J; DeFleur, ML (1976). "A dependency model of mass-media effects". Communication
Research 3 (1): 321.

5
news and clear out the ambiguity. Hence the media dependency theory played out pretty well in
this scenario.

Secondly, the affective is also mentioned by Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur as a possible way in
which an audience can be affected by the media. There is the desensitization, the creation of
anxiety and fear due to exposure to bad news and feelings of alienation due to the degree of
positive or negative news from the media about a certain group or a certain issue. 9A good
example is during the terrorist attack that happened in Kenya in west- lands at the west gate mall
on 21st of September 2013. The Media brought news about how bad the situation is, people are
being shot dead, children have been shot dead, the police are not helping much and people are
dying. This was a very scaring moment for the whole country. The following day, this was
Sunday 22nd September, the Sunday Nation newspapers front page had a very nasty photograph
of a man who had opened wide his mouth with lots of blood all over his face. This created a lot
of panic and on face book; people really disliked this photo since it showed pain and horror.
With such kind of news from all kind of media, both print and electronic, people feared to visit
Malls especially Nakumatt malls. It also made people fear Muslims as they were depicted as the
terrorists.Lastly, Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur also identify behavioral as one of the effects of
media dependency. People either activate a certain behavior or deactivate due to messages
received from the media.10Behavioral effects are largely thought to work through cognitive and
affective effects. These refer to instances in which audiences would have otherwise done
something, but don't do or do as a consequence of media messages. For example, the media
really publicized how people from the kikuyu community were being slaughtered in rift valley
during the post election violence in the period 2007/2008.As a result most Kikuyu given a
chance, would not buy land anywhere near Eldoret or Timboroa or Kericho for fear of a repeat of
the situation in other electioneering period. We reckon that ,in 1990, just before Kenya became a
democratic country, there was very little media freedom and thus during the 1992 multi-party
elections, the inter-tribal fights were not as fierce as what was experienced in 2007/2008 as
people did not hear much or see much to fuel the hatred and violence.

9
Ball-Rokeach, Sandra J; DeFleur, ML (1979). "A dependency model of mass-media effects". In G. Gumpert & R.S.
Cathart, (eds.), Inter/Media: Interpersonal communication in a media world.: 8196
10
Ball-Rokeach, Sandra J; DeFleur, ML (1976). "A dependency model of mass-media effects". Communication
Research 3 (1): 321

6
A Research Problem: Dependency on Sunday program Church Live on Citizen
Television.

Accurate news is the utmost priority of responsible media because it makes it live up to higher
values. Communicating media can however have an increasingly positive or negative influence
on processes of social communication and societal change. According to Ball Rokeach and
Melvin Defleur the more a person depends on media to meet needs, the more important media
will be in a person's life, and therefore the more effects media will have on a person.11 In the
recent past, its become evident that most people depend on media for more information
especially during a crisis or an important change like the elections period. The question is, how
well do the audiences use this information to better their lives? Does the information being
received from media have a lasting effect on an audience? Does it answer all the questions that
an audience has regarding a certain issue?

Thus the objective of the study will seek to find out the effects of Gospel Sunday a Christian
program that is aired on Citizen TV every Sunday and from the program, we have Church Live
that airs from 9am to 11am

The basis of this study will be drawn from the Media dependency Theory function of the media
and from the idea that if a person depends on media to meet needs, the more important media
will be in a person's life, and therefore the more affects media will have on a person. This
program usually has different churches bringing their service on air. Does it have a long lasting
effect on its viewers? Has it bridged a gap for those who are unable to attend church to trust the
program and remain in the house to watch it for spiritual nourishment? The Media Dependency
theory states that in modern society, the print media is forced to adapt to a world where people
do not need a physical newspaper to fulfil most of their news-seeking goals as much of it is
obtainable over the Internet in a number of forms. Is this slowly creeping into other social lives
as the church? The media is now offering Sunday services and one finds people avoiding to
attend church physically because they can as well follow it on television. One could argue that
watching Sunday services on TV would not be compared to going to church since there is lack of

11
Ibid

7
interaction. A study done by Nathaniel Collins Ouma on effects of the social media on TV
programming indicates that people interact with the show staff through Facebook and twitter
hence the issue on linear communication has been limited. This therefore encourages
dependency on the programme hence the number of church goers slowly decreasing. In the same
study carried out in 2011, 85% of the respondents agreed that social media should be taken
seriously as it helps media to interact with its audience. The study sought to find out the
various strategies that can be put in place by television programmers to ensure that they keep
in touch with their audience through constant interaction. This would only encourage
dependency on media to go up. Some literature review indicates that; dependency on media for
church services was not encouraged as:

The church needs you; your physical presence, words of encouragement, and acts of
servicecombined with what others bring, is what makes the people of God. You engage
in conversations with other followers of Jesus, you look for people who need to be
encouraged and you lean into "coincidental" conversations with people that God will
bring along your path. Therefore, media cannot offer this.
It's not just about spiritual food the purpose of church is so much broader than
watching a service on television. It is about corporate worship, praying and studying the
Bible together, serving one another and reaching out in mission together. This can't be
done in media
You need the church There is so much in Scripture about the relational aspects of the
church-love one another, be devoted to one another, encourage one another, instruct one
another, greet one anotherand these can't be done as well in a virtual environment.
The church is a living organism you remove your pancreas or esophagus or left arm,
and it will cease to live outside your body. The New Testament knows nothing about a
Christian who is not connected to a church. Your gifts, skills, ideas, service, leadership,
resources, loveeverything you have to offeris a crucial part to a congregation
thriving.
Your presence matters more than you think Many times we think we won't be
missed. You underestimate the significance of your presence when you think it doesn't
matter. You undervalue the power of the Spirit of God residing within you when you

8
 believe staying home is just as good as showing up. You possibly miss what God wants
to do through you and for you when you stay home.

Therefore, the above reasons would definitely be good reasons why we should avoid
depending on media for church service. The reasons given to those who might need to
watch Church live and avoid going to church were:

In a society, we cannot miss isolated who just want to be alone, such then provides a
bridge to them so they can eventually take a step into a community of faith.
It is a fact that the program and internet at large reaches billions of people all over the
world, some who are not close enough to participate in a vibrant church, hence the church
live would be a benefit to them (E.g those in hospitals and cannot move)
There are times when you are out of town, on vacation or away at college and it give you
a link to stay connected to your church.
It serves as an easy invite tool for your friends, who aren't ready to step into a physical
gathering, but they are hurting and need Jesus, and an online service can help you reach
them.

Therefore, the pros and cons of the program church live have been clearly spelt out and
people are encouraged not to depend on media for spiritual food as that is not the only reason
why we go to church.

Does the Media Dependency theory require a modification?

a) This theory requires a little modification in the sense that, it has assumed a lot from its
audiences. One of the assumptions indicate that A person /society will be highly
dependent on a medium if it meets a greater percentage of his needs than if it meets a
smaller percentage. How does the theory manage to measure the amount of information
its audiences picks from its broadcast? In communication, it is indicated that a
communication process is deemed as relevant when the receiver is able to decode the
message, which means mentally processing the message into understanding. If you can't
decode, the message fails. For example, sending a message in a foreign language that is

9
 not understood by the receiver probably will result in decoding failure.12 Hence the media
dependency theory must not assume that its audience will always rely on the information
from media to make decisions. ALot of factors are considered by the audience in the
process of making their decisions.
b) Secondly, this theory considers its audience as active and will always act in a certain
way. As much as this might have been tested with some data, the theory should not
ignore the grey areas that might accompany this. In reality, audiences are made of human
beings and human beings are different. Some individuals may be more active than others.
c) Thirdly, the theory does not mention the repetitive behaviors of people. To say the truth,
people watch a certain medium because it has proven to be a habit, and as usual, habits
generate dependency, hence the theory needs to be modified to capture this.

A Proposed theoretical/conceptual framework of MSD

The media dependency theory states that the more dependent an individual is on the media for
having his or her needs fulfilled, the more important the media will be to that person.

When an individual is used to watching a certain program, it becomes a habit which is hard to
drop. This then turns out to be important to the individual and he cannot do without the program
at some point. My theoretical framework would put the dependency theory in terms of certain
programs on media and not generalize it as dependency on media as whole. The Media
dependency theory assumes that people become dependent on media to receive information,
whereas, when more research is done, you will find that people do not use media at all times,
they use media i.e. Television or radio or internet because of one certain program that really
made an impact on them, hence they formed a habit of turning to that program if they required a
certain need met. For example, there is this lady who woke up one night and could not sleep fast;
she decided to switch on the television to keep her busy until she could fall asleep again. When
she did this, she found T.D Jakes preaching on TBN and the topic was about Stress, she really
enjoyed the program which uplifted her. The following night, she decided to check out on the
same station to find out what was happening, and she bumped into Joyce Meyer, this motivated

12
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/what-is-the-communication-process-definition-steps.html#lesson

10
her to be checking out on this station every night and soon it became a habit; hence she could not
do without it. This lady could have easily gotten inspirational talks from the internet or any other
television station or even her church blogs but she was hooked up to TBN because of this one
instance that really made a difference to her. Therefore, the theory is about dependence on a
certain program to meet certain needs and not media as a whole.

My concept would be that, when a certain media has a program that interests an individual then it
has made itself relevant and important to that individual/audience. The conceptual framework
shows that media has several programs but there is one which interests a certain audience and
hence it would be shown at a certain time in order to receive the attention rendering it relevant
and important. For example, we usually have most television stations in Kenya at least the 3
leading media houses i.e Citizen, Nation and KTN broadcast their Swahili bulletins at 7pm and
English bulletin at 9pm.This is because, they have assumed that most people who watch the 7pm
news are those who do not go to work (according to Nairobi culture) hence it would be relevant
to transmit it in Swahili, and by the time 9pm reaches, most white collar job workers would have
reached home hence broadcast news in English.

Media House
No -Addiction
Addicted

Program
Relevant Audience Program
Irrelevant

Fig.1 : Conceptual framework of program dependency

11
Therefore, programs are preferred rather than media houses to conceptualize the motivations that
affect media behavior. Programs are the key dimension of individual choice of a medium.

CONCLUSION

The Media Dependency theory as developed by De Fleur and Ball-Rokeach has helped many
scholars to examine social behavior around the world in relation to the media. Although the
theory has some gaps, It has given a direction that helps people understand or comprehend
certain behaviors. This could be explained by Haacks understanding of what qualifies as a
theory in her book Defending science within reason. She claims that theorys arent made to
prove true or false. A good theory evolves and changes over time based on the input of those
who use the theory. Although in the case of MSD, there arent many notable changes seen.

When it comes to value clarification and conflict, Media helps citizens clarify values (equality,
freedom, honesty, forgiveness) often by precipitating information about value conflicts. When
such conflicts play out in the mass media, the value conflicts are identified, resulting in
audiences forming their own value positions. Such a position can be painful to articulate because
it can force a choice between mutually incompatible goals and the means for obtaining them.
However, in the process of trying to decide which is more important in a particular case, general
value priorities can become clarified. Therefore, the effects of media can no longer be ignored.
We can only help by boosting its effectiveness.

12
References

1. Ball-Rokeach, S. J. (1971). The legitimization of violence. In J.F. Short, Jr. &

M.E.
2. Ball-Rokeach, S. (1998). A theory of media power and a theory of media use:
Different stories questions, and ways of thinking. Mass Communication &
Society, 1(1/2), 5-40.
3. DeFleur M., and Ball-Rokeach, S. (1975). Theories of mass communication
(3rded.).New York: David McKay Company, Inc.
4. Emerson, R.M. (1962). Power-dependence relations. American Sociological
Review, 27, 31-41.
5. Emerson, R.M. (1964). Power-dependence relations: Two experiments.
Sociometry, 282-298.
6. Gatlin, T. (2001). Media Unlimited. New York: Metropolitan Books. Grant, A.,
Guthrie, K.K. & Ball-Rokeach, S.J. (1991). Television Shopping: A Media
7. Haack, S. (2003). Defending science within reason: Between scientism and
cynicism. New York: Prometheus Books.
8. http://www.zeepedia.com/read.php/revision_microscopic_theories_mediation_of_
social_relations_theories_of_communication
9. Ker linger, F. (1964). Foundations of behavioral research: Educational and
psychological inquiry. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.
10. Maureen Anne Syallow,(2012 p50), Electronic Media in Electoral Conflict, case
study of Kenya, Research Thesis

11. Nathaniel Collins Ouma;(2011,p 39), Effects of social media on content of local
television programs in Kenya: a case study of citizen TVs gospel Sunday show;
Communication research
12. Ognyanova, K.; Ball-Rokeach, S. J. (2012). "Political Efficacy on the Internet: A
Media System Dependency Approach". Academia.edu
13. Sebastian Nystrm & Anton Rosenblad; 2011p57; Pamoja FM The voice of
Kibera. How young Kenyan adults in Kibera perceive the local urban community
radio and how it influences the community; Communication research
Dependency Perspective. Communication Research, 18(6), 773-798.

13
14. Wolfgang (Eds.), Collective violence (pp. 100-111). Chicago: Aldine.

14