system
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human
[Sociology] What are more recent theories regarding elite opinion and opinion leadership? Is Lazarsfeld/Katz' "two-step flow of communication" model still the most prominent one?

As a historian, I want to make use of the "two-step flow of communication" theory. As it's over 50 years old now, I'm wondering if it hasn't been superseded or heavily criticized by now?

Also, can you point me to some more recent books or articles on elite opinion and opinion leadership? 

Thank you!
gpt
well, lookey here, something i know about...

the two-step flow, which started the school of minimal effects was superseded in the 1970s by studies showing direct effects of media, e.g., framing, agenda-setting, priming by Iyengar, McCombs and Shaw and lots of others. 

However, some believe we're re-entering an era of the two-step flow and the minimal effects as we increasingly rely on blogs, facebook, and elsewhere for our political information.

For that argument, see Bennett, W. L., & Iyengar, S. (2008). A new era of minimal effects? The changing foundations of political communication. Journal of Communication, 58(4), 707-731.

But also, there is another argument: the one-step flow of information. advertisers, campaigners, and others directly target consumers nowadays with a unique message:

Bennett, W. L., & Manheim, J. B. (2006). The one-step flow of communication. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 608(1), 213-232.