I've Read the News Today, Oh Boy!

These are the famous opening lines to the 1967 Beatles song A Day in the Life. According to Rolling Stone, the first verse was loosely inspired by the untimely death of a friend of the band. John Lennon, who often turned to the newspapers for inspiration, worked his habit into writing this verse, combining English tragedy with a Buddy Holly verbal tic. This song is an observation on how people go about their lives; often worrying about things that seem petty and insignificant (like the the roads in Lancashire as noted in the third stanza) compared to things that have a greater impact like global conflicts, election results, or the tragic death of a friend. So, what does a famous Beatles song have to do with how we share information in the 21st Century? A recent Pew Research Report states that the top two issues Americans are concerned about are high inflation and health care costs. Although these concerns should not be discredited, they are often exaggerated by mass media industries and further exacerbated by social media apps like TikTok. Social media is designed to amplify users' discontents and reinforce pre-existing beliefs, creating an echo chamber. This echo chamber effect illustrates the Two-Step Flow Theory in mass communication.

The Two-Step Flow Theory explains that information goes through a two-step process. First, information reaches opinion leaders (journalists, politicians, celebrities, influencers, etc.); then they pass on this information (or the parts they feel are relevant) to their audience. These opinion leaders do not necessarily have to be famous, but they must have some degree of influence whether real or perceived.

Even if social media users do not follow these opinion leaders, their friends, relatives, or co-workers may still share the information they received from them. Social media websites also have algorithms set up to predict what users may be interested in based on their activity. All of this results in users getting bombarded with news articles on their social media accounts. Because social media is designed to monetize views, it is often articles that exaggerate things ,like high gas and grocery prices, that get the most attention, while information that outline the things that are going right are brushed to the side. For example, most people are not aware of what the Biden administration has accomplished (i.e., the American Rescue Plan and the student debt relief program) they only know that they are currently paying too much for groceries, and when they see their grievances reflected on their social media accounts it confirms their beliefs that things are not going in the right direction. There is also the fact that many news channels (particularly those that lean conservative) cater to the pre-existing views and beliefs of their audience.

How does the Two-Step Flow Theory apply to how I get information? I try my best to stay informed, I often go onto NPR.org or CNN.com during my downtime at work to keep up to date with current events. But, it's not always easy to stay informed, particularly when media companies often repeat big news stories over and over again or exaggerate them. I tend to turn off the news when it becomes too stressful or simply tells me something I already have some familiarity with. I rarely share articles on my social media accounts. The few times I have shared articles, they were related to topics I cared about, like education, but I often try to exercise some skepticism and make sure these articles come from credible, recognizable sources. I think it's important to evaluate where your information comes from and make sure it is properly verified so that you don't accidentally present something untrue as fact. It's also important to look at the political stances of your news sources and consider if a topic is being blown out of proportion. This is a lot to ask for an average media consumer, but in a society where people can pick and choose information that aligns with their beliefs and opinions, critically thinking about where our information comes from and how it's being presented is something we must do to push back against disinformation and propaganda. We can either take overblown information at face value or think critically about it.

What do you think? Do you agree that social media and mass media companies have a tendency to take certain topics and elevate them into bigger issues than they actually are? Are critical topics being passed over by mass media companies and opinion leaders in favor of more trivial topics? Do you find yourself second-guessing the articles you share on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), or Instagram? Let me know in the comments.