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Complications Of The Two Step Flow Theory Of Communication

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What is “Two step flow” and what implications does it have for our understanding of Mass Media?

“A theory is a systematic and plausible set of generalisations that explain some observable phenomena by linking concepts in terms of an organising principle that is internally consistent.”
(Robert L. Heath and Jennings Bryant, 2000)
The above definition of Theory is quite materially relevant to the ‘Two Step Flow’ theory of communication. It was originally adduced during the United States presidential election of 1940. This theory was then enunciated observed and founded. In this election the research team wanted to find out whether Mr Roosevelt would retain the office in his third term and hence the Columbia’s Office of Radio Research carried out a study where they could find out more about the way people voted. Paul Lazarsfeld, an American Social Researcher, Bernard Berelson and Hazel Gaudet were in charge of conducting this study where they found out that messages that were given by the media influenced the public less compared to informal personal communications by known and recognized names, faces or voices.
Paul Lazarsfeld and Elihu Katz thereby came up with the ‘Two Step Flow’ theory wherein they propounded that the media messages are communicated in 2 levels. In the first level the message through any of the media channels is communicated to an individual. This individual is known as the opinion leader. In the second level, once the opinion leader has received the

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