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Formula Lasswell

Lasswell's model of communication describes an act of communication by defining who said it, what was said, in what channel it was said, to whom it was said, and with what effect it was said. Developed by Harold Lasswell in 1948, the model organizes the study of communication into five elements - the communicator, the message, the medium, the audience, and the effect. While influential as one of the earliest communication models, it has also received criticism for being too simplistic and linear.

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115 views

Formula Lasswell

Lasswell's model of communication describes an act of communication by defining who said it, what was said, in what channel it was said, to whom it was said, and with what effect it was said. Developed by Harold Lasswell in 1948, the model organizes the study of communication into five elements - the communicator, the message, the medium, the audience, and the effect. While influential as one of the earliest communication models, it has also received criticism for being too simplistic and linear.

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Ade Yani
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lasswell's model of communication (also known as Lasswell's communication model)

describes an act of communication by defining who said it, what was said, in what channel it
was said, to whom it was said, and with what effect it was said. It is regarded by many
communication and public relations scholars as "one of the earliest and most influential
communication models."[1]:109 The model was developed by American political scientist and
communication theorist Harold Lasswell in 1948 while he was a professor at Yale Law
School.[2] In his 1948 article "The Structure and Function of Communication in Society",
Lasswell wrote:

[A] convenient way to describe an act of communication is to answer the


following questions:

● Who
● Says What
● In Which Channel
● To Whom
● With What Effect?[3]:37

Concept and usage


This verbal communication model has been referred to as "a linear and Uni-directional
process",[1] "a one-way process",[1] an "action model",[1]:134 a media theory "classic",[4][5]
"widely used segmentation of the communication process",[4] and "a simple, linear, and
potentially hypodermic conceptualization of communication."[5]

The model organizes the "scientific study of the process of communication".[3] The main
focus of the model is broken down by each element of communication: "'who' refers to the
communicator who formulates the message; 'what' is the content of message; 'channel'
indicates the medium of transmission; 'whom' describes either an individual recipient or the
audience of mass communication; 'effect' is the outcome of the message..."[6] The movement
of the message travels from the communicator to the audience. Although this model
represents a one-way flow of communication, the "effect" also refers to feedback in public
relations.[7] The model can be used in pedagogical settings to teach students major elements
of a communication process and as a starting point for developing hypotheses.

Lasswell stated that the "Who" referred to "control analysis", the "Says What" referred to
"content analysis", the "In Which Channel" referred to "media analysis", the "To Whom"
referred to "audience analysis", and the "With What Effect" referred to "effect analysis".[3]

Question Element Analysis

Who? Communicator Control Analysis

Says What? Message Content Analysis

In Which Channel? Medium Media Analysis

To Whom? Audience Audience Analysis

With What Effect? Effect Effects Analysis


Developments and criticisms
"The Structure and Function of Communication in Society" was reprinted in 1949, 1960,
1966, and 1971.[2] However, the questions and the model did not change.

George Gerbner, the founder of the cultivation theory, expanded Lasswell's model in 1956 to
focus "attention on perception and reaction by the perceiver and the consequences of the
communication".[8] In 1958, Richard Braddock suggested that the model be expanded to
consider two additional elements that Braddock argued it ignored: "for what purpose" and
"under what circumstances".[9] Braddock's model is more applicable to cultivation theory.[1]:137
According to media scholar Michael Real: "subsequent attempts to add an 'entertainment'
function and an 'advertising' function fail to capture Lasswell's intent but provide the largest
'use and gratification' cited by, for example, television viewers."[4]:244,5

In 1993, communication scholars Denis McQuail and Sven Windahl referred to Lasswell's
model as "perhaps the most famous single phrase in communication research."[10] McQuail
and Windahl also considered the model as a formula that would be transformed into a model
once boxes were drawn around each element and arrows connected the elements.[10] In 1995,
Stanley Baran and Dennis Davis recognized it a verbal model of the communication process.
[11]
In 2008, Greenberg and Salwen acknowledged that Lasswell's model of communication
has been widely adopted, but expressed: "Although Lasswell's model draws attention to
several key elements in the mass communication process, it does no more than describe
general areas of study. It does not link elements together with any specificity, and there is no
notion of an active process."[12]

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