Media has been thought to have effects on people since its beginnings. When mass media first evolved, many people became concerned about the influence it had on society, and so various theories were used during this early period to try to explain exactly what were these effects. The reason for the concern about the media was mainly based on the change in society, so it was believed that the "powerful" media could take advantage of this situation and manipulate the "masses". This essay will discuss the relevance of early theories of mass society in today's media environment, as vast changes have taken place in terms of society as well as media. Before this discussion, the concepts of mass society must be examined in order to understand why scientists were concerned about society and how theories were developed around these ideas of society to understand the effects of media. transition. Society once considered “a traditional and stable social system” (DeFleur and Ball-Rokeach, 1989: 159) was becoming an atomized system where the values ​​of tradition, community and family began to decline; leaving a mass of isolated individuals that scientists call “mass society.” Various theorists have given their point of view on the concept of this transformed society, including the German sociologist Ferdinand Tonnies who established a “theory of social bonds” (ibid: 152). His analysis contrasts the characteristics of the “Gemeinschaft” (community) (Tonnies, 2002: 33) with the characteristics of the “Gesellschaft” (society) (ibid.) to explain the nature of mass society and the extent to which it was corrupt compared to traditional society. of the pre-industrial period. Tonnies explains...... middle of article...... The Culture Industry: Selected Essays on Mass Culture, New York: RoutledgeAdorno, TW and O'Connor, B. (2000) The Adorno Reader, Oxford: The Blackwell Publishers Ltd. Boyd-Barrett, O. and Newbold, C. (1995) Approaches to Media: A Reader, New York: Oxford University PressCook, D. (1996) The Culture Industry Revisited: Theador W. Adorno on Mass Culture, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc. DeFleur, ML and Ball-Rokeach, S. (1989) Theories of Mass Communication, New York: Longman Publishers Ltd. Durkheim, E. (1964) The Division of Labor in Society, trans. George Simpson, New York: Free Press GlencoeLowery, SA and DeFleur, ML (1995) Milestones in Mass Communication Research, New York: Longman Publishers Ltd. Perse, E. (2001) Media Effects and Society, Mahwah: Lawrence ErlbaumTonies, F. (2002) Community and Society, Courier Dover Publications