[4] McQuail obtained his BA in Modern History from the University of Oxford in 1958, and the next year his MA in Public and Social Administration.
He obtained his PhD in social studies from the University of Leeds in 1967 with the thesis, entitled Factors affecting public interest in television plays.
In textbook style, the book outlines each topic: it is a compilation of existing communication theories with the author's own thoughts.
Specifically, it talks about the significance of mass media and how it affects the individual and society rather than focusing on the definitions of the models in general.
"The three primary objectives: to update and take account of recent theory and research; enlargement, to reflect the continuing expansion of the field; clarification and improved presentation (pg.
In Chapter 10, McQuail discusses the future of mass communication and states that it is either socially fragmenting or unifying.
In 2008, Greenberg and Salwen acknowledged that Lasswell's model of communication has been widely adopted, but expressed: "Although Lasswell's model draws attention to several key elements in the mass communication process, it does no more than describe general areas of study.