Politics Social Networks and the History of Mass Communications Research

<p>When the controversial book <i>Personal Influence: The Part Played by People in the Flow of Mass Communications</i> was published in 1955 it made waves across the fields of communications public opinion research political science and marketing. Written by Elihu Katz and Paul Lazarsfeld <i>Personal Influence</i> became the canonical statement of the two-step flow of communication which posits that mass media flow to opinion leaders who in turn influence the behavior and opinions of people around them. </p><p>Throughout the last half of a century <i>Personal Influence</i> has undergone rigorous critique appeared in numerous citations and become a key text in the history of mass communications. Why is a rereading of this text relevant now? </p><p>Upon the 50<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the publishing of <i>Personal Influence</i> the editors of this volume of <i><strong>The ANNALS</strong> </i>believed it was an ideal time to reflect upon the book's mid-century contexts and contemporary drawing upon enrichments of the field provided by feminism critical and cultural studies the new historicism and progress in the social sciences. This unique volume of <i><strong>The ANNALS</strong></i> crosses generational disciplinary and national boundaries to piece together and pull apart a historically important text and use it to shed light on the contemporary environment. </p><p>Essays in this volume analyze the personalities who played key roles in the making of <i>Personal Influence</i> their origins and social identities the institutional organization of research in which it evolved and the disciplinary consequences of its success. Other authors reread Katz and Lazarfeld's classic as a way to explore the relations between citizenship and consumption the nature of media and political involvement today and the relevance of the two-step flow paradigm for the study of contemporary audiences social networks and public campaigns.</p><p>A must-read for scholars students and professionals in the fields of communication public opinion political science sociology and marketing this volume of <i><strong>The ANNALS</strong></i> dusts off a time-worn text and renews its significance in the field of mass communications with modern scholarly perspectives and contemporary methodology experience inspiring a fresh outlook on this historical force. </p>