Where Stephen Colbert Fits in the Two-Step Flow Communications Theory

Stephen Colbert might not be a reporter, per se, but the uber-popular satirist is a trusted news source for many Americans. Stephen Colbert might be one of the funnier and on occasion off-color opinion leaders in media, but he certainly isn’t the only opinion leader.

Video example of opinion leader Stephen Colbert’s snarky, comedic style.

Opinion leaders come in the form of political pundits like Sean Hannity or Rachel Maddow, activists like Van Jones and Greta Thunberg, celebrities who are vocal about certain causes like Victoria Beckham or Gigi Hadad, or anyone in our social circle that influences our decision-making.

Opinion leaders can be famous people, such as the ones listed in this infographic, but they can also be your significant other, friend, relative, neighbor, or the cashier from the grocery store who likes to share opinions.

There’s a mass communications theory model that tries to explain the impact of opinion leaders on the broader public. Once upon a time, in 1944, Paul Lazarfeld, Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet introduced the two-step flow theory, where informal, personal communication from opinion leaders has a greater influence on people rather than mass media messages (i.e. news).

Pictured from left to right: Paul Lazarfeld, Bernard Berelson, and Hazel Gaudet. Image source: Communicationstheory.org

In this concept, the first step of information flow is from the media to opinion leaders. The second step involves the opinion leader digesting information from the media, analyzing it, and passing on their interpretation of the media to less active media consumers in the group.

Let’s bring this down to a personal level. How does the two-step flow theory apply to news gathering and sharing the news?

Watch the video to get a more in-depth, visual explanation of the two-step flow theory.

Like many Americans, I gather news mostly from digital channels. I read from a variety of news sources that mostly lean center-left politically. I’ll scroll through the BBC, New York Times, and AP Newswire apps on my phone. But I also read books by Malcolm Gladwell, an opinion leader. Or, I’ll read opinion pieces from the Economist magazine. Then, of course, there’s Stephen Colbert, which I’ll watch on YouTube or if one of his segments shows up on Facebook Video. From gathering facts directly from news outlets, I get the basic information regarding what is going on in the world. Opinion leaders, on the other hand, help me make sense of facts and help me figure out how these facts apply to me.

I consider myself as an opinion leader for my small social circle, but mostly as a less active media consumer as part of the general audience.

In the context of the two-step flow theory, I mostly categorize myself as a less active media consumer/newsgatherer. I am by no means a major opinion leader, like Stephen Colbert. I don’t have my own YouTube channel, neither am I a super active news sharer on social media. I do keep up this blog — mostly for school — which is read by a very, very small audience (at this point, anyway!) and I share my opinions with my tiny social circle that includes my husband and my dog.

As an aspiring mass media communication scholar, I agree with the premise that there is a limit to how mass media directly influences our opinions, and that opinion leaders tend to shape our perceptions to a larger degree. While there will always be a need for news outlets to report on facts, there will always be a place for opinion leaders, like Stephen Colbert.

I’d love to hear from you!: Who are the opinion leaders that you pay attention to? How have they shaped your perception of the world?