Short introduce about the theory
The Two-Step Flow Theory was post by Paul Lazarsfeld in 1940s. It mainly discussed that media information do not directly influence all the people in the society but influence the opinion leader first. [1]The purpose of the study was focused on Presidential election Campaign and the people decision-making process towards the campaign. All three researchers were wanted to find out practically whether the mass media messages affect direct influence in voting decision among the people.
Statement about why Two-Step Flow Theory is outdated
Firstly, it said that the leader are always the man who has great influence in specific area or with great knowledge and the media information will affect them first then through out to the people who surround him or even public. I don’t think his point is perfectly right. Heavy reliance on so-called media leaders may lead to a singular perspective and limited dissemination. Because these opinion leaders are also human beings, they also have their own thoughts and preferences for media perspectives.
Secondly, I considered that the Two-Step Flow Theory needs to updated to adapt modern society especially in 21 Century. Two-Step Flow Theory said that media’s influence to public is less significant compared to the influence of opinion leader. I strongly against these view. Today’s society is networked, and daily media information can be quickly understood by people. With the increase in the number of online users and the rise of social media platforms, people are increasingly exposed to various voices from various places, and people are also starting to independently think about the correctness and rationality of various viewpoints. This situation indirectly weakens the influence of so-called traditional opinion leaders, and the network of influence is also indirectly dispersed.
Examples
Soviet Russia leader Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin
During the Cold War, Soviet political leader Stalin established the “Stalin model” on the basic of communism, adopted high-pressure rule, and blindly promoted so-called communism, making it impossible for his own people to have access to Western capitalism. [2]Stalinism is also known for the government’s control over the economy and its extensive use of propaganda, appealing to emotions and building a cult of personality around Stalin. It also made use of secret police to suppress opposition.
The rise of social media
In the past, people’s access to daily media information may only have been through television, radio, or some interview programs. People’s views were actually more likely to follow opinion leaders because they had very limited access to information. In today’s society, there are many ways for people to obtain information, such as daily news, social media platforms such as Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, etc. As people acquire more information, they naturally question and discuss certain viewpoints. Similarly, the views of some opinion leaders are no longer blindly followed, but rather have their own independent thinking. In summary, I believe this viewpoint is outdated and incorrect.
Summary
I believe that Two Step Flow Theory is no longer able to adapt to modern social development. Its theory that the media first spreads to opinion leaders and then to the public is outdated. In today’s society, where information is developed and diversified, the media can directly transmit to the public without passing through the “transit station” of opinion leaders. The so-called public opinion leaders also have drawbacks, which can lead to a single social perspective and prevent people from understanding other public opinion views, as I mentioned earlier in the example of political public opinion leaders.
Reference list
[1] Communication Theory website at: https://www.communicationtheory.org/two-step-flow-theory-2/
[2] StudySmarter “Political Ideology” at: https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/politics/political-ideology/stalinism/
Hello, regarding this blog, I noticed that you mentioned in your blog that: “the Two-Step Flow Theory needs to be updated to adapt to modern society.” I agree with you and believe that with the development of the internet and the networking of today’s society, the Two-Step Flow Theory is no longer suitable. I have also taken a closer look at this, and through the development of the Two-Step Flow Theory and the research that has been done on it, the sociologist Paul Lazarsfeld has since come up with the Multi-Step Flow Theory. I think the Multi-Step Flow Theory is the same idea as in your blog, i.e. in today’s networked society, the media can disseminate information directly to the public through a variety of communication methods, not necessarily through opinion leaders. The traditional two-step flow theory has the significant disadvantage of passing data through opinion leaders in one direction, which means that opinion leaders can pass false information to guide the public and the direction of information. But nowadays, data is not passed in one direction as in the two-step flow theory, but nowadays, people can pass data in both directions through the internet. If you’re interested, you can also get a look at the “multi-part flow theory” I mentioned～
This was such an interesting post! To say overall that the theory is outdated was a take on it that had not thought about this myself, so I thoroughly enjoyed reading your opinions on the theory.
Do you believe that currently there are no aspects of the theory that can still be applied in daily life? In my opinion, I still see some of the aspects today for example though they might not be respected and listened to as much, opinion leaders are still present in society. As an example, influencers are very present in society and on social media, especially for the young generation and these influencers are able to persuade people to do things.