Two Step Flow Theory

Two-Step Flow

 

 

Paul Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet analysed the voters' decision-making processes during a 1940 presidential election campaign and published their results in a paper called The People's Choice. Their findings suggested that the information does not flow directly from the text into the minds of its audience unmediated but is filtered through "opinion leaders" who then communicate it to their less active associates, over whom they have influence.

The theory suggest that information through media texts does not flow directly from the text into the minds of the audience unmediated, however is filters through 'Opinion Leaders'. Which is used to express how they feel, therefore leading audience to be influenced differently by the Opinion Leaders than they would by the media.

 

Opinion Leader is a leader for a certain group who gives details and information to lesser active persons in the group.  For example in a office the manager will give information to other head of departments who tfrom there will take the information a change it to their own words and tell the rest of the department. an opinion leader is a leader only for their own group not for all.
 

Katz and Paul seems “the flow of media messages from radio and print to opinion leaders and then the leaders leads the messages to lesser active users in the population”. Through this transformation of message, the leaders may add their opinion on the actual content which may affects the low active users.

 

Main Critism:

• Media measseges reach Opinion Leaders first then passed to followers ( Graphic representation)
• The notion of an Opinion Leader - Certain characteristics make an Opinion Leader but it is not essential that it depends on the 'Subject Matter'
Katz and Lazarsfeld suggest that people are either active Opinion Leaders or passive followers of Opinion Leaders. Also their research is qidely accepted and still highly influential for example advertising is a 'word of month' (best form)