In this blog post, we examine why people believe the media’s influence is greater on others than on themselves, and the impact this perception has on society.
During World War II, in a battle in the Pacific, the Japanese military broadcast a message to African American soldiers in the U.S. Army, urging them to surrender because they had no intention of fighting people of color. Upon seeing this propaganda, white officers, concerned about its potential impact on the Black soldiers, hastily withdrew their units. While this incident may seem like a simple example of psychological warfare, sociologist Phillips Davison drew an important insight from it. Based on this case, he proposed a theory regarding the influence of mass media on its audience: the Third Person Effect Theory.
The core of this theory lies in the fact that people perceive the influence of mass media differently. Specifically, people tend to believe that the influence of mass media on the opinions and behaviors of the audience is greater for others than it is for themselves. For example, suppose you read a newspaper report during an election alleging that a candidate is suspected of tax evasion. In that case, people assume that other readers will be more significantly influenced in their choice of candidate than they themselves will be. Phillips Davison termed this phenomenon the “third-person effect.”
The intensity of the third-person effect varies depending on the nature of the content conveyed by the mass media. For instance, when mass media conveys harmful content, such as violence or pornography, people perceive its influence on others to be greater than on themselves, compared to when it conveys socially desirable content, such as health campaigns. This perception also influences the specific behaviors of the audience; those who experience a stronger third-person effect tend to support legal and institutional measures such as content review, censorship, and regulation.
This psychological phenomenon goes beyond mere differences in perception. For example, when negative reports about a specific group are repeatedly aired in the mass media, people come to believe that while they themselves will not be influenced by such reports, others will be. This belief ultimately reinforces negative prejudices against that group and can amplify social conflict. This serves as an example of the significant role the media plays in shaping public opinion and clearly illustrates why the third-person effect is important.
Traditionally, mass media research has examined the reactions of audiences exposed to the media—that is, changes in their attitudes or behaviors. In contrast, the Third Person Effect Theory is valuable in that it examines not the influence of the media itself, but rather people’s discriminatory perceptions of it and their resulting behavioral tendencies. In particular, it shows that concerns about the influence of socially harmful content may have been exaggerated compared to reality. It also provides insight into the mindset of those who support censorship and regulatory policies.
Over time, this theory has expanded and gained recognition for its importance in the process of public opinion formation. Linked to the theory that people can be influenced by what appears to be the majority opinion, the Third Person Effect Theory has also been used to explain the process of public opinion formation. According to this explanation, while people believe they are not easily influenced by mass media content, they determine their own attitudes and behaviors by considering how others might be influenced. In other words, out of fear of being alienated and isolated from others, they abandon their own opinions and follow what they perceive to be the majority view.
Furthermore, this theory has influenced discussions regarding media literacy in modern society. Understanding what perceptions people hold regarding their own and others’ media reception attitudes, and how these perceptions influence social discourse, is particularly important today as we live amidst a flood of information. Therefore, the Third Person Effect Theory is not merely a theory that explains past phenomena; it remains a crucial theoretical framework in the media environment of the present and future.
