Explain The Two Step Flow Theory

[]In “Finding Flow” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explores the idea of what it means “to live” (544). Csikszentmihalyi compares living with his idea to flow. Throughout the “Finding Flow” excerpt, Csikszentmihalyi discusses the idea of flow is to have a clear and concise goal, provide immediate feedback, and to balance skills and action opportunities (548).

Television is a form of communication that can be used to transfer information to the general public, and its full value and effects can be seen at all times, especially during election seasons. To some extent, this medium has helped people make informed decisions on which candidate is suitable to be president. However, this positive influence could distract people from focusing on policy and turn the election into a popularity contest.

Social media has taken control of our lives and is generating negative impacts upon us. Nowadays, conversations are conducted via texting, instant messaging, or emails etc. Although it is efficient to those who need to “speak” to someone immediately, it also has its drawbacks. For example, when trying to communicate with another person through an online forum, you lose social elements such as “visual cues and agreed norms” (Chambers, 23).

In this article, The subjectivity of happiness: on Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's 'Flow' by Chase Nordengren, establishes that the key to happiness is to find flow activities and apply them frequently. The idea of happiness revealed in this piece indicates individuals who are constantly engaging with the world are the happiest. Csikszentmihalyi suggested, creating happiness, is by our habits and actions and not changing the world for happiness. This means demonstrating activities that match with the concept of high changeling level but with high ability, are a sources of flow activities, which convey happiness.

The development of opinions, attitudes and political values results from the interaction that occurs within the social environment of an individual through contact with family, friends, at school, work and church. Families especially help shape interest in politics and party affiliation while educational institutions encourage support of the political system. The mass media also influences public opinion through newspapers, radio, television and the Internet by reaffirming attitudes and opinions that individuals have already established. According to Doris Graber, author of Mass Media and American Politics, “people do not necessarily adopt the precise attitudes and opinions that earn the media’s praise: rather, mass media information provides the ingredients that people use to adjust their existing attitudes and opinions to keep pace with a changing world” (11). Therefore, the news media focuses the attention of the public on certain issues or individuals, which causes individuals to form opinions on these particular topics.

Despite the impact that social changes have had in the way we now understand the public sphere, it still prevails the idea of keeping a group of intellectuals who takes care of reliable sources of information. According to it, the aim is having channels that help people make political decisions. This assumption places the media—and, therefore, the elite that directs them—in a privileged role in society. This also supports Zaller’s view of elites controlling the messages that go public; but I think it is worth to consider if this is really sufficient for the decision-making process? Do people receive all information they need to appropriately make decisions, particularly political

In his article, “How technology created a global village – and put us at each other’s throats,” Nicholas Carr stresses the great changes and transitions that have been made in technology and social networking over the last several years. He comes at this from a very apparent stand point – that the advances that have been made in recent years regarding media communication have not helped society. However, they were originally intended to.

For persuasion one has to convince the audience that a certain point of view is correct when put against others. Politicians, leaders, and other individuals of power use the media to influence the viewers. A rather powerful tool, if used the right way, it can gather thousands upon thousands of followers. The media’s role in political affair is very crucial: it can make or break the candidate. Certain television networks as well as other news websites on the internet give individuals the platform to express specific viewpoints. Media plays an important and powerful role in America. Millions of Americans view the news and form opinions based upon what they hear, see, or read in the media. The media should present their news in an unbiased way

In an idealistic world it would be proper to say that all voters are extremely well-informed on all the nuances, platforms and information regarding elections and their vying candidates. However, voters do not determine the election’s outcome purely on the basis of the candidates’ merit, competence and convictions but rather there are other factors that play a role as well. Moreover, campaigns are stimulus fields that try to produce psychological mediators like persuading, priming or framing. However, before the voters can even receive any information, there is variance in the delivery of information in the first place. And this leads to knowledge gaps which in turn are reflected in the voters’ decisions which, for the most part, are based on their preconceived dispositions and as such, the information that they receive through various venues does not persuade them as much as it simply affirms their position.

In 1992 Joseph Walther developed the idea of social information processing which is an interpersonal communication theory that describes how individuals establish relationships with one another through a computer-mediated environment and how they can progress and manage the relationships while using an online medium or channel (Van Der Heide, & Walther, 2009). Social information processing theory can be applied to various forms of media such as computers, phones, videogames, and television. The uses of these applications have different purposes. For instance online

Understanding the background and history of the Agenda Setting Theory is imperative to this analysis. Dr. Max McComb and Dr. Donald Shaw developed the Agenda Setting Theory in a study conducted during the 1968 presidential election (McCombs & Shaw, 1972, p. 178). This study describes how if an audience is exposed to the same media, they will place importance on the same issues. This theory strictly presents information and sets the terms of public discourse. At the time, this was a trailblazing new idea.

As social networking evolves, different aspects of communication suffer. Such as the social penetration theory, which

Csikszentmihalyis model of flow (1990) refers to meaningful moments that make experiences in life enchanting, these can be referred to the state of “flow”. Six components have been dictated by Csíkszentmihályi that introduce an individual to the experience of flow.

The diffusion process is the communication theory for adopting or rejecting ideas, products, or innovation. Sociologists of the 1950s developed a standard diffusion model that had five different stages. The stages are awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, and adoption. In the awareness stage, an individual is introduced to a new idea, procedure, or product with known knowledge about it. Following the awareness stage is the interest stage which is also referred to as the information stage. In this stage, an individual starts becoming familiar and interested in the new idea, procedure, or product while actively searching for more information regarding it. Thirdly is the evaluation stage where the individual determines the value of the idea, procedure, or product in an attempt of determining whether it is good. The trial stage is next where the person tries out the idea, procedure, or product. Lastly is the adoption stage in which the individual determines that the idea, procedure, or product is overall positive (Moore, Bagin, & Gallagher, p. 74, 2016).

The news media plays an important role in society. It sets the stage for political news, manages sources, and controls the information. It functions as a window to the outside world, and possesses the ability to shape public knowledge, attitudes, and voting behavior. The relationship between news media and voting preferences has become a hot topic in recent years worldwide. This paper will focus on the social and social-psychological aspects of media influence on the voting preferences of the United Kingdom citizens. In general, news media may change the social setting in which people decide whether to vote or not, and, as a consequence, the process of voting itself. By conducting the research I would like to understand to what extent news media may influence voting preferences in the United Kingdom. The duration of research is one year, that is why longitudinal studies will not be used, but I will concentrate on comparative experimental field studies. The main objectives of the present study are: first of all, to identify and explore voting preferences concerning the General Election across the United Kingdom; second, to identify what types of news media people follow in the UK; third, to examine whether and why consumption patterns of news media correspond to voting preferences.