“Glad I dodged that (Magic) Bullet.”
The Hypodermic Needle Theory is one based on the power that media has on the influence of an audience. This theory is also referred to as the Magic Bullet Theory.
We intake all kinds of information from different media platforms every single day without even thinking about it. Whether that’s your morning Twitter scroll, your daily Instagram check-in, the latest trending topic on Tik Tok or the news that plays on your television at work or at home. Seeing so many messages at once can make it easy to forget exactly how we are digesting them. Are we feeding into the power of media and directly taking in information as it is served to us? Or are we breaking it down for ourselves before believing everything we see?
I can admit that I let the media influence me quite a bit. But I try to stay aware of who my messenger is and if it would benefit me to receive the message as it is being given. It’s important to resist potential propaganda before immediately succumbing to the power that the media has over the masses.
Here are a few examples from current events:
New Orleans has been set to be hit by Hurricane Ida. As of yesterday, Ida was strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane. New Orleans is now under a flash flood warning after Ida leveled up to a Category 4. This city has a destructive history with hurricanes after Katrina. New Outlets have reported stories of citizens evacuating as quickly as possible. Even New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell advised citizens to leave if they wished to do so. Her power and influence on the city is an example of the Magic Bullet theory at use. You would think most locals would follow her advice and leave to avoid danger.
Another example of the Hypodermic Needle Theory is Forbe’s recent attempt at cancelling Google Chrome. They argue that the browser is a mess and fails at protecting its user’s privacy compared to its competitors. Would a trusted source such as Forbe’s convince you to switch browsers?
One last example of this theory at work would be the way influencers use their large followings to advertise and endorse products. Jackie Aina, famous Beauty Guru and YouTuber, is using her Tik Tok platform of 900K+ followers to review Ariana Grande’s new perfume. She gives God Is A Woman high praise and invites her audience to revisit her profile for more similar content. She is a trusted veteran of the makeup and beauty community and her supporters are likely to respect her opinions and input.
