Every individual or group, including media, is an audience of the message at a different point in the process (see Figure 1). The message is constantly being gate-kept, agenda set, and framed, and then passed on to the next group or individual. Messages flow from or to individuals or groups, then from these individuals or groups to other individuals or groups (audiences) and create a far reaching web of message transmission.
By applying gatekeeping theory, agenda setting theory, and framing as a paradigm one can understand the way messages flow. This model is based on the assumption that the audience is the medium or mode of transmission for messages. The flow model incorporates gatekeeping theory, agenda setting theory, and framing into an encompassing communication model. (Agreement or Disagreement with the statement or the end of the message) Introduction Step 4 – The Feedback or Dis/Continuation of the message through the Medium Step 2 – What Medium? (Individual, Group, Organizational, Mass) Step 1- Information (Who will win the football game?)
This model takes the belief that every time a message is changed it has gone through a medium. Among these decisions are whether or not to send a message to another medium (gatekeeping), and if a message is sent, in what way is it framed (agenda-setting). At all of these levels, when the message goes through a medium, many decisions are made. This is the case in individual, group, organizational, and mass communication. The key issue in this model is that the medium of the message is the audience, and everyone is an audience. This model takes the idea that the flow of messages goes through the same processes at the individual communication level and at the mass media level. While mass communications uses many studies from communications, the reverse is not true. In this sense the audience is the medium through which messages always pass.Ĭommunications studies and mass communications studies have a history of being separated. Then the audience passes the message back through the agenda setting and gatekeeping processes and so on. Within this flow, the message passes through the agenda setting and gatekeeping processes to framing and then to the audience. Every individual or group, including media, are audiences in their own way, in this sense, the message enters a circular flow. The message is being constantly gatekept, agenda set and then framed and then passed on to the next group or individual. Messages flow from or to individuals or groups, then from these individuals or groups to other individuals or groups (the audience) and create a circular flow of a message. Taken together, we apply gatekeeping, agenda setting, and framing as a paradigm in which we can understand the way messages flow. We have arrived at the idea that we can combine gatekeeping theory, agenda setting theory, framing, and basic systems theory into one encompassing communication theory – that the audience is THE medium. This section also discusses the various tests for theories and evaluates how the flow model stands up when held to the criteria for a theory as provided by Chaffee and Berger (1987). Following the literature review is a discussion section which explicates the flow model in more depth and makes the case for its use in the study of mass communications as well as communication. Within the paper are contained the introduction, which explains the flow model, followed by a brief literature review highlighting the main theories which are involved within the construction of the flow model. It aids understanding of the processes which messages undergo as they are transmitted within and between audiences. The flow model is a proposed model for the study of mass communications and a suggested tool which is useful in understanding message flow through audiences. This essay attempts to lay out the principles, uses, and characteristics of the flow model. Author’s note: This is an original theory created by myself (Gavin Davie) and Tyler Crane as part of our graduate work.
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