Critical Evaluation of the Media Effect Studies: A Systematic Review

The effect of media content on individuals, institutions and the general public can be measured and identified. Media effect studies have been the focus of communication and media scholars around the world since the beginning of the twentieth century; And The number of domestic studies has also been growing in recent years, but the qualitative evaluation of this trend can make researchers aware of the criticisms and gaps in existing research to pave the way to improve the quality and improve the research process in this area. Therefore, after presenting the model of media content effects, this study examines 39 selected articles using a systematic review method. The findings of this study show; Despite the quantitative growth of media effect studies in recent years, these studies have often focused on the tangible cognitive and behavioral effects of the individual and have ignored the intangible effects of emotion, attitude, belief on institutions and the public. Ignoring the active role of the audience in the effects of the media, the dominance of quantitative methodology, ignoring the macro public and institutional effects, short-term studies of media effect studies and inaccuracy of metrics are among the criticisms of most of these studies. In the continuation of this article, while presenting a proposal to address these criticisms the existing gaps of each field of cognitive, belief, attitude, emotional and behavioral effects are presented as a guide for the qualitative development of this field of study.