Given below are two statements:

Statement I: In the initial stages, mass communication was considered as a study of propaganda

Statement II: Now it has its linguistic component in terms of signs, codes and language.

In light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:

The correct answer is Both Statement I and Statement II are true.

Let us break down the evaluation of both statements to understand why they are correct:

1. Analysis of Statement I:
During the early 20th century, particularly around the World War I and World War II eras, the academic study of mass communication emerged primarily out of a need to understand the powerful influence of media messages on public opinion. Early scholars and researchers, such as Harold Lasswell, focused heavily on how governments and organizations used media for propaganda and persuasion. Theories from this initial period, such as the "Hypodermic Needle Theory" or the "Magic Bullet Theory," assumed that media messages had direct, immediate, and powerful effects on a passive audience. Thus, in its formative stages, mass communication was indeed largely studied through the lens of propaganda and persuasion.

2. Analysis of Statement II:
As the field of communication studies matured, it expanded beyond simple stimulus-response models of propaganda. Modern communication theory incorporates structuralism, semiotics (the study of signs and symbols), and linguistics. Scholars like Ferdinand de Saussure, Roland Barthes, and Stuart Hall shifted focus to how meaning is constructed, transmitted, and decoded. Today, mass communication heavily relies on understanding linguistic components, including the study of visual and verbal signs, cultural codes, and how language shapes social reality. Therefore, it now integrates a robust linguistic component involving signs, codes, and language.

Since both statements are historically and theoretically accurate, the correct option is that Both Statement I and Statement II are true.