Some aspects of the role played by PO polls in US society are explored, ie, their contribution to various COMM flows (from the public to decision-makers, from elite to sub-elite, etc). These flows are upward, downward & lateral & diagonal; examples are given. One function of lateral COMM is to enable org'ed PO to form--to make it possible for like-minded individuals to offer each other mutual encouragement & support. A "non-serious look at the future" is presented for the yr 1984. It is suggested that "Casettes depicting the conditions & opinions of all major sub-groups in Amer society" will be standard equipment in Sch's; professional actors will be used to replicate survey findings in dramatic form & statistical scaffolding will retreat into the background, while statistical inference will achieve importance in new fields. Brief but frequent "Phonovision" interviews will be utilized in PO surveys & primary focus will shift from measuring pop reactions to discovering needs & preferences. Demand for factual information by the public will squeeze exaggerated & deceptive advertising out of the COMM channels. Greater COMM & diffusion of PO survey findings to the non-specialist is urged. M. Maxfield.
J udging from past trends and present indica tions, international propaganda in the next decades will be ever more pervasive, propaganda organizations will be more complex (and expensive), and news channels will be more widely utilized for propaganda. Ingenuity in the use of channels, techniques, and personnel has kept steady pace with the technological ad vances of the times. No resources have been spared in times of war, nor when the ambitions of a ruler or of a state have called for an all-out effort to win a political, a psychological, or an economic victory. Whether basic propaganda aims and tactics will change is doubtful, although one can hope that they will. The trend appears to be toward a greater emphasis on public and private commercial efforts, which are increasing rapidly.
Judging from past trends & present indications, internat'l propaganda in the next decades will be ever more pervasive, propaganda org's will be more complex (& expensive), & news channels will be more widely utilized for propaganda. Ingenuity in the use of channels, techniques, & personnel has kept steady pace with the technological advances of the times. No resources have been spared in times of war, nor when the ambitions of a ruler or of a state have called for an all-out effort to win a pol'al, a psychol'al, or an econ victory. Whether basic propaganda aims & tactics will change is doubtful, although one can hope that they will. The trend appears to be toward a greater emphasis on public & private commercial efforts, which are increasing rapidly. HA.
Classroom use of a role-playing procedure can illustrate graphically the way SES, personal interests, primary group affiliation, secondary group membership, & other factors enter into the formation of individual opinions on public issues. This technique can also highlight the diff between private opinion & PO, indicate the mechanism through which a relatively few individuals can influence the opinions of a large number, & throw light on the effects of publicity & public discussion on the distribution of opinions in a pop. Adaptations of this 'game' may prove useful as a res tool. AA.
One way to explain the effects of communications is in terms of their role as a connecting link between the individual & certain aspects of his environment. People learn to attend to communications that are likely to tell them something about aspects of the soc or physical environment that is signif to them. The communication leads to action when the individual in question attempts to satisfy one or more of his needs by seeking a better adjustment to his environment as a result of the information he has gained about it. Communications that are `useful' are thus likely to lead to responses; others tend to be disregarded. AA-IPSA.
The phenomenon of PO was recognized & described in ancient, medieval, & early modern times although the term itself was not used until the 18th cent. PO is sometimes regarded as undefinable, but F. Allport listed its characteristics: as action or readiness for action with regard to a given issue on the part of members of a public who are reacting in the expectation that others in the public are similarly oriented toward the same issue. The characteristics of PO have not been linked into a theoretical framework, & progress in measuring & describing aspects of PO has outstripped conceptualization. The PO process begins when an issue takes root & is communicated through a human chain & finds one or more groupings hospitable to it. Next, leadership emerges from the original primary groups or by men who are concerned with mass manipulation. Simplification & generalization of the original ideas are usually observed at this point. Communications are important at this stage because they can transmit facts & opinions about the issue to many primary groups. If a substantial number of individuals accept the new ideas, there is a chance that PO may develop. It is noted that those who agree/disagree with an issue are clustered in certain pop groups & not scattered at random. Face-to-face discussions begin again, similar to the original discussions except that people are aware that many other people are talking about the same thing. New formulations & new leadership may modify or reinforce the original idea at this time. Most of us enter the process at this stage & form our act's on the basis of existing att's, our daily contacts, or status considerations. Through personal sampling consciously or unconsciously, people learn of the opinions of others outside their immediate group & the way these people are likely to behave. Once these expectations have been formed, they tend to influence opinions & behavior of the people who entertain the expectations. The behavioral adjustments in turn reinforce the expectations; & when this happens, PO has been formed. Individuals who may be unconcerned with the issue are brought into the process at this stage. A definition of public offered: a large collection of individuals who do not know each other but who react to an issue with the expectation that certain categories of others will display similar alt's on the same issue. PO is transitory & disappears imperceptibly; when the issue disappears, the behavioral adjustment ceases to have purpose. PO on one issue may be displaced by PO on another, it may be broken up by superior physical force where the former behavioral adjustment become incompatible with personal safety or attainment of other values, it may lead to the formation of customs or soc norms before it is dissipated, or it may lead to formal laws or constitutions. J. D. Twight.
