The Two-Step Flow
Theory
Dr. Ali S.
copyright Dr. Ali 2012
In 1948, Paul Lazarsfeld,
Bernard Berelson and Hazel
Gaudet published The People's
Choice
a paper analyzing the voters
decision-making processes
during a 1940 presidential
election campaign.
copyright Dr. Ali 2012
The study revealed evidence suggesting
that the flow of mass communication is
less direct than previously supposed.
When the People's Choice was published
the society really began to understand the
dynamics
of
the
media-audience
relationship.
copyright Dr. Ali 2012
The
study
suggested
that
communication from the mass media
first reaches "opinion leaders" who
filter the information they gather
to their associates, with whom they
are influential.
copyright Dr. Ali 2012
Previous theories assumed that media
directly reached the target of the
information.
Essentially
what
Lazarsfeld
discovered is that many voters
regard family members and close
personal friends, and not the mass
media, as major influences in the
decision making process.
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These people of influence, who
pass on information received in
the media to other people in
society, were coined opinion
leaders.
copyright Dr. Ali 2012
Mass Media
Opinion leaders
copyright Dr.
2012
Individuals
in Alisocial
contact with opinion leader
Caution.
The
model
is
often
presented
graphically as shown on the last slide.
In fact, that is somewhat misleading as
it suggests that mass media messages
flow first to opinion leaders and from
them to the rest
Is that the case?
copyright Dr. Ali 2012
Obviously, that's not the case, since
you and I can both receive messages
directly.
The point is that the messages we
receive are then modified through the
pattern of our social contacts.
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Opinion Leaders
Tended to be found at all levels of
society
Usually had a little more of education,
money, status than followers
Knew more than others in the group
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This early research was later
developed by Katz and
Lazarsfeld and presented in
their book Personal Influence
(1955).
A number of significant
conclusions follow from their
research:
copyright Dr. Ali 2012
Our responses to media messages will
be mediated through our social
relationships. The effects of media
messages being sharply limited by
interpersonal relationships and group
membership.
It is misleading to think of receivers as
members of a 'mass audience' since
that implies that they are all equal in
their reception of media messages,
whereas in fact some play a more
active role than others.
copyright Dr. Ali 2012
Receiving a message does not imply
responding to it; nor does non-reception
imply non-response (since we may still
receive the message via interpersonal
communication).
There are some people amongst the
media audience who act as opinion leaders
(typically such people use the mass media
more than the average) mix more than
the average across social classes and see
themselves and are seen by others as
having an influence on others.
copyright Dr. Ali 2012
Opinion leaders are quite influential in
getting people to change their attitudes
and behaviours and are quite similar to
those they influence.
The Two-Step Flow Theory has
improved our understanding of how the
mass media influence decision making.
copyright Dr. Ali 2012
The theory refined the ability to
predict the influence of media
messages on audience behaviour.
It also helped explain why certain
media campaigns may have failed
to alter audience attitudes and
behaviour.
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Strength
The model examines the way that
personal relationships may help to
mediate messages from the media
Weakness
It doesnt explain why opinion
leaders should be active
copyright Dr. Ali 2012