The "Magic Bullet" or "Hypodermic Needle Theory"
The magic bullet theory, based on assumptions of the time, states that people react to whatever 'stimuli' came along (Lowery & DefFleur 1995). The "Magic Bullet" theory assumes that the media's message is a "bullet fired" from the "media gun" into the viewer's "head" (Berger 1995).
Similarly, the "Hypodermic Needle Model" uses the same idea of "shooting". It suggests that the media sends its message straight to the passive audience (Hoynes 1997). This audience is immediately affected by these messages. Therefore, the public cannot escape from the media's influence, and is therefore considered a "sitting duck".
