Concepedia

Concept

political communication

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Two-Step Flow Paradigm

1956 - 1962

In this period, research centers on how audiences interpret and remember political messages, shaping attitude change through persuasion with attention to message strength, assimilation and contrast effects, and diffusion pathways anchored by opinion leaders, including instances of satirical exposure. Studies also examine how institutional frames and media governance shape what counts as legitimate political discourse, and how professional public relations practices steer issue visibility and public perception. Individual-level political behavior and cross-national news coverage are linked to electoral outcomes and public opinion, reflecting a broad, multi-method approach to political communication.

Persuasion and reception dynamics examine how audiences interpret and remember political messages, shaping attitude change across varying message strength, assimilation/contrast effects, and diffusion pathways such as two-step influence and satire exposure. [1] [5] [8] [7] [10]

Institutional frames and media governance determine the contours of political discourse—from regulator backgrounds and cross-national press freedom to campaign coverage and presidential communication—shaping what counts as legitimate political dialogue. [2] [19] [14] [18] [16]

Public relations as political power describes professionalized messaging, ethics, and strategic influence about public opinion, highlighting how organized PR shapes issue visibility and public perception. [6] [13] [4] [17]

Individual-level political behavior research connects personality, socialization, and identity to attitudes and political conduct, illustrating how early development and personality traits affect political preferences. [9] [20] [11]

News coverage, elections, and national press dynamics reveal how completeness of reporting, institutionalization of media practices, and cross-national press factors relate to electoral outcomes and public opinion. [18] [16] [15] [14]

Classic Agenda-Setting Era

1963 - 1982

Agenda-Setting Media Paradigm

1983 - 1989

Framing and Priming

1990 - 2001

Framing and Motivated Reasoning

2002 - 2008

Computational Political Mobilization

2009 - 2015

Bot-Driven Political Communication

2016 - 2017

Platform-Mediated Misinformation Diffusion

2018 - 2024