W. James Potter guides readers through the extensive body of research on the effects of mass media by organizing the book around two Media Effects Templates—the first examines media influences on individuals and the second looks at media influences on larger social structures and institutions. By foregrounding the different types of effects upon individuals and institutions—influences on behavior, attitudes, and beliefs, for example—Potter helps students to understand what the effects of media are, how they manifest themselves, and the factors that that are likely to bring these effects into being. Throughout the book, Potter encourages students to analyze their own experiences to look for evidence of these effects in their own lives.