Developed by Paul Laarsfeld, Bernard Berelson and Hael Gaudet, the two-step theory is useful in explaining how the media can be used as a tool for influencing the masses using specific influential people. Through studying voting behaviors, the theorists noted that the media can influence the masses via two routes or avenues. The first avenue is from the media houses to the opinion leaders and the second avenue is from the opinion leaders to the masses.
In their study of voting behavior, Paul Laarsfeld, Benard Berelson and Hazel Gaudet established that media content is first consumed by opinion leaders who are the people who have tremendous influence in specific areas. In the present media landscape, we can think of influential celebrities such as the Kardashians, Kanye West, the now infamous Puff Diddy and those in the sports category such as Joe Rogan. These celebrities can be regarded as opinion shapers who first consume the media information before disseminating it to the masses after interpreting it from their point of view. In the second stage, they can either modify the messages or simply amplify the message to fit their audience (Lazarsfeld, Berelson & Gaudet, 1968). Based on this, it can be noted that the two-step flow theory encompasses both interpersonal communication and an active audience, with opinion leaders acting as gatekeepers. There has to be some level of personal relationship between the opinion leaders and the masses in this case. To put this into perspective, for example, let’s think of Kanye West as an Opinion shaper.
Kanye, also known as Ye, has been a controversial figure in recent times, especially with his anti-Semitic outpour which has caught the attention of media houses and even led to interviews with media figures like Piers Morgan. However, even before these controversies, Kanye had remarkable influence over fashion apparel such as his Yeezy line of shoes which in conjunction with the big brand Nike have made close to $350 million in sales (Loh & Bloomberg, 2023). The influence of Kanye is mainly due to his image which is well curated and hence led to a large fanbase that would not only follow him for entertainment but also get influenced by his recommendations and choices.
The power of these opinion leaders is further reflected by the fact that their influence does not necessarily tone down as a result of controversy. Lil Nas is, for example, infamous for his promotion of “Satan Shoes which surprisingly sold out, despite this being against the religious majority’s ideals. This means that controversies can sometimes even be healthy for the opinion shapers, who have interpersonal relationships with the masses. Media houses hence leverage these influential figures to pass messages more effectively. The power of opinion leaders is further evident in recent political campaigns, in which figures such as Beyonce and Hulk Hogan steered the campaigns for Kamala Harris and Trump in the United States. With the rise of social media use in politics and marketing, we need to be wary of those who we follow since they may be promoting ideals belonging to other parties while acting as gatekeepers. While we love celebrities, we must hence take into account their influence, and their power to influence or shape the masses.
References
Developed by Paul Laarsfeld, Bernard Berelson and Hael Gaudet, the two-step theory is useful in explaining how the media can be used as a tool for influencing the masses using specific influential people. Through studying voting behaviors, the theorists noted that the media can influence the masses via two routes or avenues. The first avenue is from the media houses to the opinion leaders and the second avenue is from the opinion leaders to the masses.
In their study of voting behavior, Paul Laarsfeld, Benard Berelson and Hazel Gaudet established that media content is first consumed by opinion leaders who are the people who have tremendous influence in specific areas. In the present media landscape, we can think of influential celebrities such as the Kardashians, Kanye West, the now infamous Puff Diddy and those in the sports category such as Joe Rogan. These celebrities can be regarded as opinion shapers who first consume the media information before disseminating it to the masses after interpreting it from their point of view. In the second stage, they can either modify the messages or simply amplify the message to fit their audience (Lazarsfeld, Berelson & Gaudet, 1968). Based on this, it can be noted that the two-step flow theory encompasses both interpersonal communication and an active audience, with opinion leaders acting as gatekeepers. There has to be some level of personal relationship between the opinion leaders and the masses in this case. To put this into perspective, for example, let’s think of Kanye West as an Opinion shaper.
Kanye, also known as Ye, has been a controversial figure in recent times, especially with his anti-Semitic outpour which has caught the attention of media houses and even led to interviews with media figures like Piers Morgan. However, even before these controversies, Kanye had remarkable influence over fashion apparel such as his Yeezy line of shoes which in conjunction with the big brand Nike have made close to $350 million in sales (Loh & Bloomberg, 2023). The influence of Kanye is mainly due to his image which is well curated and hence led to a large fanbase that would not only follow him for entertainment but also get influenced by his recommendations and choices.
The power of these opinion leaders is further reflected by the fact that their influence does not necessarily tone down as a result of controversy. Lil Nas is, for example, infamous for his promotion of “Satan Shoes which surprisingly sold out, despite this being against the religious majority’s ideals. This means that controversies can sometimes even be healthy for the opinion shapers, who have interpersonal relationships with the masses. Media houses hence leverage these influential figures to pass messages more effectively. The power of opinion leaders is further evident in recent political campaigns, in which figures such as Beyonce and Hulk Hogan steered the campaigns for Kamala Harris and Trump in the United States. With the rise of social media use in politics and marketing, we need to be wary of those who we follow since they may be promoting ideals belonging to other parties while acting as gatekeepers. While we love celebrities, we must hence take into account their influence, and their power to influence or shape the masses.
References
Loh, T. & Bloomberg. (2023). Yeezy is the gift that keeps on giving as Adidas makes over $350 million selling Ye’s shoes last quarter. Fortune. Retrieved from https://fortune.com/2023/11/08/adidas-yeezy-sales-q3/
Lazarsfeld, P., Berelson, B. & Gaudet, H. (1968). The People’S Choice: How the Voter Makes Up His Mind in a Presidential Campaign. New York Chichester, West Sussex: Columbia University Press.
Loh, T. & Bloomberg. (2023). Yeezy is the gift that keeps on giving as Adidas makes over $350 million selling Ye’s shoes last quarter. Fortune. Retrieved from https://fortune.com/2023/11/08/adidas-yeezy-sales-q3/
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