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Evolution and Theories of Communication | 73

Anonymous
A. Transmitter Message homogeneous Limited impact
mass

Family
Opinion Neighbours
B. Amplified Transmitter Message
leaders relays Impact on
Co-workers
the groups
Others

Figure 4.3
Situation A: Classic diagram of mass diffusion

as leaders by full time housewives who were less aware of these nuances.
Married women with large families on the other hand were sought for advice
about household products, marketing bargains at the supermarket, and so
on. Thus, such considerations of the social category like age, marital status,
family size, and employment predisposed some to monitor the mass media
selectively so as to be knowledgeable about specific topics and, as a result,
they appeared as good sources for advice on those issues to those who lacked
such media exposure.

Theories of Selective Influence

This term was applied by later day scholars to a body of explanations of the
mass communication process by earlier researchers. They mailnly consist
of three distinct but related formulations. These emerged from the social
scientists’ increasing recognition of patterning in the behaviour of individuals
and groups. These were called the individual differences theory, the social
differentiation theory, and the social relationship theory.
As the limitations of the existing theories came to be better understood
it was obvious that new theories of mass communication were needed to
guide research in a more realistic manner. Like the earlier theories, the new
approaches would be derived from the basic paradigm that was being devel-
oped in both psychology and sociology. Those two fields actively sought to

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