What is Two Step Flow Theory?
Elihu Katz and Paul Lazarsfeld developed the two-step flow theory, which states that media goes through opinion leaders and that audiences don’t necessarily think for themselves, but rather follow others. This idea is that the first step is that the media (e.g. adverts, film etc) are seen by opinion leaders, who are people that are liked/respected in society and have power over us. This could be friends, family, or celebrities. The next step is for opinion leaders to communicate with the mass audience, shaping their opinion.
The theory was developed in the 1940s, however it has become more relevant today as opinion leaders are able to gain much larger audiences, examples of this often happens online, where content creators will give their opinions on subjects, such as movies or current (such as online drama) then influencing their audiences what to think on the subject.
Another example of this process could be a new film coming out and you not being sure whether it is worth watching or not, so you read a review of the film to decide. You have been influenced by an opinion leader on whether the film is worth watching.
Previously people would seek opinion leaders from newspapers and magazines, which would tell them the popular styles, as well as advice on how to act.
In politics Opinion leaders could be our MP’s who are first to receive information (such as policy changes) which they then give the information to us and the way they deliver the information is how they want us to feel about it. You could also interpret journalists as opinion leaders as they deliver the information to readers, mostly in a biased way. For example, the Guardian will influence people in a left-wing manner, and the Daily Mail will influence people in a right-wing alliance.
Theories related to Two Step Flow Theory
The Two Step Flow Theory was developed not long after the hypodermic needle theory by “The term was frequently used during World War I in support of the idea that people were thought to be brainwashed, in effect, by mass media messages” Sullivan, L.E. (2009) the idea is that we have no control over our opinions and are led by the media. This is similar to the Two Step Flow Theory as they both follow the belief of people being influenced; however, the Two Step Flow Theory introduces a middle section of the opinion leaders being the ones to influence the masses rather than the media itself.
References
Katz, E. and Lazarsfeld, P.F. (2006) ‘The Two-Step Flow of Communication’, in Personal Influence. 1st edn. Routledge, pp. 309–320. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315126234-23. (Accessed 18th October 2025)
Sullivan, L.E. (2009) ‘Hypodermic Needle Model’, The SAGE Glossary of the Social and Behavioural Sciences. Thousand Oaks California: SAGE Publications, Inc. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412972024.n1231. (Accessed 18th October 2025)
Perera, A. (2025) Simply Psychology. Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/two-step-flow-theory-of-communication.html (Accessed: 18th October 2025).
Hi，Nic！This blog offers a clear and practical explanation of the Two Step Flow Theory: it uses a diagram to visually present the communication process of “media → opinion leaders → the public,” while connecting the theory to modern scenarios (e.g., movie-viewing decisions, political information dissemination) to demonstrate its contemporary relevance. Additionally, by comparing it to the Hypodermic Needle Model, it clarifies the theory’s core feature (introducing opinion leaders as a communication intermediary). The content both organizes the theoretical logic and links it to real-life contexts, serving as an effective learning resource for understanding the theory.