Who do you really get your news from?
Take a moment to think about the last source you took your news from? Was it a singular person, an expert, or a well-known journalist? Maybe some mixture of the three. The point is that with the state of the world and the overflow of social media content, we often are left to not even know where we are getting our information from.
Suppose I apply the two-step flow theory to myself. In that case, I can more clearly see even where I choose to attribute significance. Although I strive to locate information from accredited and nonbiased sources, it may be easy to fall into the trap of only sticking with the story you heard through the grapevine. When I go to share the news with other people, I try my best even to stay aware and open to how I may present information. It is pretty easy to show bias even subconsciously when this process of communication begins.
I do not see the two-step flow theory as being a hindrance in the world, on one condition. This is inclusive of the idea of openness. Suppose we are able to communicate and have open conversations with one another about a topic of concern. In that case, that is how we can grow. Just as we know the great saying, with great power comes great responsibility, so does being called an opinion leader. And at the end of the day, we may be all be a version of one. We may all have those people who take our word, or opinion, for truth. So because of that unknown, it is imperative that we also take note of how we present our own news information.
Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. — George Bernard Shaw
