Cultivation theory focuses on the long-term effects of media consumption and posits that eventually, depictions of various cultural elements influence a viewer's perception of them in the real world. The implication is that consumers are taught how to think about the world through depictions in the media. A particularly vivid example is "mean world syndrome," which is a consumer being convinced that the world is more dangerous or deadly than it may actually be due to constant bombardment of violent content in the media.
Media dependency theory begins with the assumption that people use media for personal needs: the need for information, the need for personal reflection, the need for social interaction or the need for entertainment. While media can supplement these needs and provide them to some degree, many theorists believe that it is harmful to individuals to rely on media for these complex and important needs, as it results in a manipulated intellectual diet.
Social action theory is a rejection of the magic bullet theory, with the assumption that audiences are anything but passive or blindly accepting, but use their own interpretations of implicit messages within media to form their views and influence their actions. This is similar to the magic bullet theory, except that it contains the understanding that people understand, react to and interpret symbols and other figurative constructs.
Agenda setting theory follows from study of news media, in particular. Its main thrust is that media outlets create context for the tone and content of conversations about issues and events in various ways. This is not just limited to the way news is reported, but by what news sources choose to report on. Focusing viewer's attention on one or a few issues is the way media controls discussion.