American political scientist and communications theorist.
Worked at the University of Chicago and Yale University.
Known for groundbreaking work on propaganda and communication models.
Focused on mass communication and the effects of media.
Lasswell’s famous communication model can be summarized as:
Who (the communicator)
Says What (the message)
In Which Channel (the medium)
To Whom (the audience)
With What Effect (the outcome)
This model is often referred to as the transmission model of communication.
It assumes that ’information, understanding and thoughts travel along these paths as if they were objects
Lasswell’s model is also categorised as an example of functionalism, as it demonstrates a functional analysis of mass communication.
Transmission of Social Heritage: Lasswell likens the transmission of cultural and societal knowledge from one generation to the next to how biological organisms pass on essential functions for survival. This analogy underscores how communication helps maintain the continuity of a society’s values, norms, and knowledge, much like the transmission of genetic or learned behaviors in biological entities.
These metaphors help emphasize the essential role communication plays in maintaining societal stability, much like how biological systems ensure the survival and coherence of living organisms.
Lasswell uses a biological analogy to explain communication:
Just as a body has specialized systems for maintaining equilibrium, society uses communication to maintain social order.
The media act like the central nervous system, sending information throughout society.
First equivalence: Lasswell suggests that the incoming and outgoing communication channels of a single state have a similar function to the afferent and efferent channels that convey impulses to and from the central nervous system of a single animal
Lasswell’s second equivalence: States rely on a number of automatic systems to help maintain internal equilibrium. families, education
Lasswell’s third equivalence is what he refers to as ‘circuits of communication’. This concept is used for two purposes: first, to distinguish between what might be considered as predominantly oneway, or two-way, circuits of communication; secondly, to provide examples of two-way circuits in the form of major world political and cultural centres.
Has been instrumental in shaping research across various fields, particularly in understanding mass media, propaganda, and political communication. This model laid the groundwork for content analysis, media effects studies, and audience analysis, enabling researchers to dissect the impact of media messages on individuals and society.
For instance, his concept of media as a tool for surveillance mirrors modern concerns about journalism’s role in democracy, where media acts as a “watchdog,” monitoring societal power structures and disseminating crucial information.
Furthermore, Lasswell’s insights into propaganda during political crises, especially his studies on how elites use media to control public opinion, have informed analyses of media manipulation, framing, and agenda-setting.
Who (Communicator): In modern digital communication, the “Who” has expanded from traditional media organizations to include individuals, influencers, content creators, and even algorithms. Platforms like Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram allow ordinary users and celebrities alike to communicate directly with large audiences, often bypassing traditional gatekeepers like journalists or editors.
Says What (Message): The message in digital communication can take multiple forms—text, video, images, and memes, often combined in multimedia formats. Unlike traditional media, where messages are often crafted by professionals, digital communication allows user-generated content, which can be less formal and more spontaneous, making content creation far more democratized.
In Which Channel (Medium): Lasswell’s notion of the “Channel” has grown more complex in the digital age, where multiple channels (social media, blogs, news sites, apps) coexist and often interact. Algorithms play a key role in shaping which channels users engage with, influencing what content is seen, shared, or recommended.
To Whom (Audience): The “To Whom” aspect in the digital realm involves highly fragmented audiences, who can be targeted based on detailed data profiles. Audience segmentation, personalization, and echo chambers created by social media algorithms mean that different groups may receive vastly different messages, even on the same topic.
With What Effect (Impact): The effects of digital communication are far-reaching and often difficult to measure. Social media enables real-time feedback through likes, shares, and comments, making the effect of a message more immediate and visible. However, it also raises concerns about misinformation, polarization, and echo chambers, where people are exposed to information that reinforces pre-existing beliefs.
Lasswell points out the additional methodological opportunities that are available to researchers who are investigating the ‘talking animal’.
The scope for counter-ideology to be developed which threatens the dominant power structure
How ruling elites use communication not only to maintain their own power but also to undermine that of their rivals
The function of communication is to provide intelligence about the activities, intentions and strength of rivals, and also to establish contacts with individuals and groups within the boundaries of the other power.
The use of strategic communication both to support the dominant ideology and to undermine counter-ideology within internal environment
Emre Toros - Media Studies - Week 3
Social Functions of Communication
In Harold Lasswell’s communication theory, several biological metaphors are used to explain the structure and function of communication within society. Lasswell draws analogies between communication processes in society and biological processes in living organisms, highlighting the functional similarities across different systems of life.
Surveillance of the Environment: Lasswell compares the role of communication in monitoring societal conditions to how animals and organisms receive and process external stimuli. For instance, specialized cells in animals, like the ear and eye, help the organism respond to environmental changes, similar to how society’s communicators (e.g., journalists, diplomats) gather and transmit information from the external world to maintain social equilibrium.