The two-step flow of communication is a theory that implies there is a two-step method in which information and influence become conveyed from mass media to mass audiences. The two-step theory essentially suggests people become influenced by opinion leaders and the mass media, meaning most people are not able to form their own opinions without the influence of significant leaders or what the majority think. Opinion leaders are individuals who have the respect of the public such as a president or a teacher. Mass media refers to the form of messages that reach a large audience like social media or the news.
The two-step flow theory was developed by Paul Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet in 1948. During the 1940 U.S presidential election, they conducted research to further understand the decision-making process voters went through. The results found that people were more likely to be influenced by someone they know and/or respect, rather than being influenced by mass media alone. The findings signify the two-step flow theory because it indicates that mass media alone is not as influential as many may think. Instead, it is the opinion leaders who power the most influence on others. Voters heard about the election through the mass media (newspapers) but ultimately, the opinion leaders (people they know and trust) are who influenced the voters.
Nowadays, most people use social media to see what is trending in the beauty world according to what their favourite influencer has to say. According to Forbes, ‘The impact influencers have should not be ignored. In the past year, 72% say their trust in influencers has increased, while 66% say purchase decisions are often driven by influencers and 64% say that influencers even help them discover new brands’, this proves to show the massive impact influencers and social media have on the sales of products. Furthermore, Vox Pop Internationals interviewed people in London last year to find out if social media influencers actually affect consumers.
The impact influencers have on the public depicts the importance of the two-step flow theory. The amount of times I have been on Instagram or TikTok and seen influencers rave about a product only to find out it is already sold out has become concerning, especially for people’s wallets. In other terms, the influencers are opinion leaders and social media is the mass media.
In conclusion, the two-step flow theory is still effective in the modern world. Social media in itself is not that influential, but when you add in a high-profile person, the influence becomes uncanny. Opinion leaders play a primary role in shaping the public opinion throughout society. However, some argue social media has changed the way information flows, do you think social media is still considered as mass media in this theory?
Resources:
Mahr, N. (2022) Two-step flow communication model | study.com, What is the Two-Step Flow Communication Model? Available at: https://study.com/academy/lesson/two-step-flow-communication-model.html (Accessed: 23 October 2023).
Loeb, W. (2022) Influencer impact on consumers increasing – facebook has less power, Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2022/02/03/influencer-impact-on-consumers-increasing–facebook-has-less-power/ (Accessed: 23 October 2023).
Massengill, C. (2023) The two-step flow theory: In the eyes of a 21-year-old, Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@courtney.massengill/the-two-step-flow-theory-in-the-eyes-of-a-21-year-old-a4bcaed9c6e0 (Accessed: 23 October 2023).
This post is very descriptive about the two step flow theory in its definition, origins, background and examples given in the blog post. I was able to find out more about the topic through the carefully selected data than other general information found online.
Very interesting!
Best, Abdikarim
Very clear interpretation fo 2 step-flow theory. Briefly introduce the history and meaning of the 2-step flow theory. It sensible that you use data from others experiment. What’s more you take your own experiences of using social media as an example. It is also make sense. There is some little suggest, the theoretical things is too much. It will be more excellent if you put your thoughts of 2-step flow theory.
Thank you for your feedback, I will try to emphasise more personal anecdotes in upcoming blogs!
To answer your question, no I do not think social media is considered as mass media. I think that the mass media in this instance would be the initial adverts and then the opinion leaders who are the celebrities and influencers go onto their social media and get others to buy the product.