What is Albert Bandura's Media Effects Theory?

Albert Bandura was a world famous psychologist. He created the 'Media Effects' theory which focuses on the idea that the media can directly 'implant' ideas into the mind of audiences. He also believed that audiences acquire attitudes, emotional responses and new styles of conduct through modelling. Bandura's 'Media Effects' theory has been applied to video games, and the effects that violent games may have on its users. He believed that media representations of transgressive behaviour, such as violence or physical aggression, can lead members to imitate those forms of behaviour. Bandura's theory explains why video games are typically blamed as being the cause for mass shootings, as its users learn and imitate this aggressive behaviour through the modelling of the online game characters. During moral panics, video games are always blamed and criticised as being the sole reason, but arguably, Bandura's theory can be criticised. It suggests that audience members are passive consumers of the content, and that they will just view and imitate media behaviour without any conscious thought. This isn't true, as media consumers are active and there are thought processes behind all actions. I would say that perhaps video games implant violent situations inside users heads, but that the reason behind mass shootings is psychologically a much deeper, complex issue.