A Reconceptualization of Some Factors in Mass Media - Interpersonal Communication for Disseminating Technological Information in Development Programs

Five propositions, to be considered topics for further cross-cultural research, are discussed. It is recommended that questions of who has information and what causes information to flow should be examined before studying the operative value of any particular flow pattern in a setting. The propositions are: (1) the flow of information (two-step or other) depends on its content; it is the media as content, not as institutions or channels alone, that is important; (2) when information has high interest value and/or is relevant, it flows; relevance is a function of the message and the situation; (3) gatekeeping and personal influence are distinctly different phenomena in information flow; (4) opinion leadership is in part a function of the information a person has; and (5) illiteracy is not a barrier to the flow of development information through interpersonal channels and is not an impenetrable barrier to receiving information from mass media sources including the print media. References are provided. (KM)