Communication Processing Framework

 

“With respect to the workings of American Democracy, the quality of public opinion depends on the quality of communication processes at all levels”.[i] The many variations of communication processing affect public opinion with the intention to persuade the public. These communication processes include (but are not limited to): opinion leadership, motivated reasoning, agenda setting, algorithms, and deliberations. These following examples of the communication processing have a common connection of influencing the public in some degree. It is common for influencers and corporations to use communication processing as a marketing strategy in order to sway the public to support a particular person, product, policy, etc. That said, communication processes occur in interpersonal relationships, such as opinion leadership and deliberation. Although the media is a significant source of influence, interpersonal relationships influence individuals as well. In this paper, I will discuss each example of the communication processes listed prior and expand on their affect on public opinion.

Opinion Leadership

            To begin, opinion leaders have networks of people where they’re attached to support and elevate the level of influence that sways the audience.[ii]  Politicians, for example, have a network of people, such as a public relations team and marketing team, in order to elevate the political actor to a level of popularity to reach an audience that will rely on said political actor to gather their information. Elihu Katz questioned how new ideas and opinions change in the context of the community and developed the two-step flow period to conceptualize the public’s sources of information.[iii] All things considered; opinion leaders are not limited to elitist political actors. In fact, opinion leaders can come from members of an interpersonal relationship if an individual obtains sufficient knowledge over a topic to inform other members within their close circle.

Opinion leaders affects public opinion because it is a source of distributing information or misinformation. Whenever an individual is in a position of being an opinion leader, other individuals rely on the message being conveyed by the opinion leader without questioning the legitimacy of the message. This is an opportunity for misinformation to be passed along amongst the public, which can lead to serious consequences (for example, propaganda or defamation).

Motivated Reasoning

            In continuation, motivated reasoning tends to support information that agrees with what an individual believes and discredits or becomes critical of information that doesn’t align.[iv] Confirmation bias and biased processing contributes to polarization because as individuals become more firm and stubborn about their beliefs, the line dividing beliefs of opposers and proposers over a particular topic or policy becomes more distinct. We tend to see groups with distinct values, and we treat those groups differently because of their opposing “strange” values.[v] Polarization from motivated reasoning can drastically affect public opinion to the extent of shifting the ideologies of partisan identities. For example, individuals voting for President Lincoln (Republican, Free-Soiler) because of his emancipation polices and individuals voting for President Lyndon B. Johnson (Democrat) for his stance to abolish Jim Crow Laws and dismiss “separate but equal” ideologies.

Agenda Setting

            Furthermore, agenda-setting shifts the priorities of the public. Agenda setting is commonly used in the media by projecting a message for the public to perceive. According to Glynn. et. al., “Many observers neglect the importance of the public agenda, that is, how and why people choose to direct their attention to one issue at the expense of another, to spend more time and effort thinking about one problem then another”.[vi] Opinion valence and priorities, in respect to agenda setting, sets the precedent of determining if what legislation is working on is deemed important and if leaders do what the public wants them to do on certain issues.[vii] James Stimson, et. al., shows that valence works and public opinion changes public policy.[viii] Members of congress are aware of the public opinion to anticipate what the people want in order to become reelected. Polling is strongly impacted by agenda setting and is a way for congress to gain an understanding of what the public wants. The Oklahoma Teacher Walkout in 2016 is an example of agenda setting where Oklahoma educators focused their attention to the insufficient support provided by the government. The accelerated level of noise from the Oklahoma educators advocating was too loud for government to ignore.

Algorithms

            Uniquely, algorithms are created by media sources to sort out what a user would like. It is a form of selective exposure created by the computer. Algorithms are a beneficial tool to expand exposure of messages sent to the public. However, like motivated reasoning, algorithms contribute to polarization by narrowing preferred media exposure and singling out media that doesn’t not align with an individual’s partisan identity. This affects public opinion by flooding an individual with information that coincides with their beliefs, rather than expanding on other ideologies and providing alternative perceptions. It is important to receive information from multiple sources because it invites conversations to occur that could detect issues, brainstorm solutions, and increase the knowledge of individuals.

Deliberation

            In addition to creating those conversations, deliberation is a form of discussion amongst individuals with established social citizenship. Deliberation is an empowering process that allows individuals to express their attitudes and beliefs. Deliberating is not a complex systematic structure like algorithms, but I believe that deliberation holds the potential to spark movements as citizens converse with another. The framework of social justice movements begins at deliberation and as more individuals deliberate, the increase of attention is drawn on the topic of what is being deliberated.

Conclusion

            In conclusion, communication processes are substantial in shaping public opinion. Opinion leadership, motivated reasoning, agenda setting, algorithms, and deliberation influence the public and target individuals vulnerable to the persuaded message being delivered. It is important for individuals to independently fact-check their sources and to be open-minded when deliberating to prevent prejudices, discrimination, or misinformation. Although it is intimidating to become social citizens, small contributions put forth by multiple individuals collectively create impacts that can potentially resolve emphasized concerns.

 

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[i] Glynn, et. al. 2016. p. 330.

[ii] Edy, Jill A. Personal communication, 10/28/21

[iii] Edy, Jill A. Personal communication, 10/28/21

[iv] Edy, Jill A. Personal communication, 11/09/21

[v] Edy, Jill A. Personal communication, 12/07/21

[vi] Glynn, et. al. 2016. p. 337.

[vii] Edy, Jill A. Personal communication, 12/07/21

[viii] Edy, Jill A. Personal communication, 12/07/21

 

References

 

Glynn, C. J., Herbst, S., Lindeman, M., O’Keefe, G. J., Shapiro, R. Y. (2016). Public Opinion: Third Edition. Westview Press. Taylor & Francis. p. 330-37.

Edy, Jill A. (2021, October 28). Public Opinion as Group Behavior [Lecture recording]. The University of Oklahoma.

Edy, Jill A. (2021, November 9). Fragmentation and Polarization in the Public [Lecture recording]. The University of Oklahoma.

Edy, Jill A. (2021, December 7). Public Opinion and Political Leadership [Lecture recording]. The University of Oklahoma.