In the Diffusion Innovation theory, the media, that has a message, influences opinion leaders who in turn also turn to influence the masses.
Unlike the 2-step flow theory which involves only two steps of influence, this theory exposes multiple souces of influnece. Diffusion involves the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over a period of time among the members of a social system. An innovation can be referred to as an idea, practice, or object that is perceived to be new by an individual. This theory assumes that the audience is completely influenced by the opinion leaders whose source is the media. An example is the rise and fall of fashion trends on the market, The media chooses an accessory and advertises it to be 'in fashion', fashion designers/fashionistas are exposed to this information by the media, they then take it and they pass it unto the masses. Soon enough the accessory is being patronised by the masses and viewed by the mass as a trend
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That is a pretty good piece i think. The multiple step flow simply deals with several relays, unlike the two-step flow where the message is more accessed by the active media users who are the opinion leaders(OL)who in turn interpret the info to the general public. The multiple step-flow goes thru several "channels" of interpretation before it finally gets to the intended or targeted user who is the masses. But i think that in as much as the OLs give a clearer picture of the messages of the media to the public, the opinion leader could undergo "selective exposure", a level of subjectivity and exaggerations which which could end up in getting the original message of the media twisted. For example the OL through his relay could make an information seem either more alarming or even lessn the severity of an issue depending on the importance he attaches to the subject based on his interest for it or his attitude towards the message.
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