Approaches: Development

Communication
 Three Approaches

1. Magic Multiplier
2. Diffusion of Innovation
3. Localized Approach
 Magic Multiplier
3

• What is magic multiplier?

Mass Media is called the magic multiplier as it can multiply the

messages and reach a number of people very fast.
Wilbur Schramm (1964), in his book Mass Media and National
Development, argued that each person would have requirement of
information of the work he would undertake. And there be millions
of workers would require information of various types.
The conventional channel of communication would never be able to
meet this demand. Therefore, modern communication technologies
would be of great use to meet this demand by multiplying the
messages and reaching each and every worker simultaneously.
 4

We need magic multiplier for the following reasons:

For social change of great magnitude, people must be informed, educated, motivated and
persuaded. Information must flow, not only to them but also from them, so that their
needs can be known and they might participate in the acts and decisions of the nation-
building.
As the required amount of information and learning is vast and so as the targeted
population. The available channels of communication like inter-personal, group-
communication, traditional media are incapable to undertake this task. As this will require a
lot of time and resources. For a developing country, it's difficult to gather a large pool of
resources and wait for such a long period. Mass media with its magical reach can do this job
in less time and resources.
 Audit of magic multiplier:

1. The audit finds out that the mass media succeeded in reaching a vast
majority of population in less time and resources, but it failed in achieving
its basic objectives for which it became a Magic Multiplier.
2. Mass media as a magic multiplier did a commendable job in spreading
awareness but it could not give expected results in persuading and
educating the targeted population.
3. It was found that persuasion, motivation and education for/on something
is best achieved by close interactions which is possible in inter- personal,
group-communications etc.
 6
Diffusion of Innovation

Diffusion of Innovation
The diffusion process is the spread of a new idea from its source of
creation to the adopters or users.

Everett M. Rogers (1983) saw the diffusion of new ideas and their
practice as a
crucial component of the modernization process.

When a message is propagated, a segment of the population adopts it, and

develops a positive attitude towards it. This can happen in the case of a product,
fertilizer, seeds, ideas, journals etc. The people who adopt first, directly or indirectly
shape the positive attitude of others who remain indifferent to the message.
This is true in places where information and literacy levels are low. Simple people
would like to get information from the people living in their proximity.
 7

 Model of diffusion:

The scholars have identified five distinct stages in the process of

diffusion:

Awareness
Interest
Evaluation
Trial
Adoption
Awareness: At this stage, there is broad exposure to the innovation, but the individual
does not have sufficient information about the innovation.
Interest: After getting aware of the innovation, the individual shows interest in the
new idea, and makes an effort to seek additional information.
Evaluation: At the evaluation stage, the individual mentally applies the innovation
to
one’s own situation, and then decides whether to try it or not.
Trial: At this stage, the individual uses the innovations on a pilot stage to decide about
its utility and relevance to one’s own situation. It was observed that most persons
would not adopt an innovation without trying it on an experimental basis.
Adoption: Here, the individual decides to continue full use of the innovation.
Adoption means the sustained use of the adoption process.
Based on the diffusion research, there is no evidence to show that all the five stages will be
visible of being strictly followed by all the adopters.

Types of adopters:

Based on the rate of adoption and the time difference between initial exposure to final
adoption, diffusion researchers have classified adopters into five distinct categories:

Innovators
Early Adopters
Early Majority
Late Majority
Laggards
• Innovators: They are the most eager members of the society to try new ideas and adopt new
practices. They are enterprising and willing to take risks. Usually, they belong to the cosmopolitan
category.

Early adopters: They follow the innovators.

Early and late majority: They follow the innovators and early adopters in the adoption of a
practice.

Laggards: They are very slow in adoption. They are rigid and hard to be convinced. They stick to the
old method and resist change.

Sources of information and their relevance at different stages:

Awareness: Communication through the mass media like the print, radio, TV and film. They are
effective in drawing the attention of the individuals.
Interest: Subject experts, internet books and journals.
Evaluation: Mass media and local information sources from inside the community are the most
important at the evaluation stage.
 Localised Approach
• Localised Approach in Development Communication

The approach which advocates that information transmitted through media must be locally and
functionally relevant to the audience is called localised approach.
The relationship between communication and development can be broadly divided into two types:
Macro societal level
Micro societal level
Macro societal level studies (by Wilbur Scramm, Daniel Lerner etc.) give direct support to the view
that a modern mass media system is an important requirement for development.
Micro societal level studies argue that information of certain kind generates appetite for new things
and new ways of doing things, which ultimately sets the process of development.
Other scholars have expressed that mere availability of any kind of mass media is not likely to be
useful for innovative changes. The information transmitted should be locally and functionally
relevant, useful, applicable, timely and specific in a given situation.
• Why localised approach:
1. As the needs of people vary widely in different regions and sub-regions.
2. In a large developing country like India, there is diversity of cultures and
languages.
Benefits of localised approach:
1. Localised approach would enable the communicators to design messages
which will be relevant in terms of utility, timeliness, applicability, specificity
etc.
2. The approach would tailor message for local conditions.
3. The approach can overcome infrastructural difficulties.
4. Such an approach will allow greater involvement and participation of
the audience in the communication process.
• Dos and Don’ts of localized approach:
1.There should be proper need-assessment of the
local population.
2.The socio-economic condition of the local people
should be kept in mind before designing the message.
3.The geographical and political conditions of a local
area bear a lot of significance for message designing
and delivery.
4. Preferences should be given to local media and
local
resource persons for the execution of communication
tasks.
What is the role of mass media in development
according to modernisation
theorists?
The powerful effects of mass media in
disseminating information and its
capability in bringing about desirable changes
was the foundational pillar
of modernisation theorists. Media was
portrayed as magic and mobility
multipliers which can act as an agent in
creating ‘empathy among masses’.
Media was perceived as the supporter of
development initiatives in this
school of thought.
The key features of Modernisation Approach were:

Industry is the prime mover of economy. Therefore a major part of

investment must go to industry and what are required are raw material,
transportation and training.
• Modern society requires more specialists rather than generalists in each
field (health and industry).
• Public education, health care and family planning require intensive
intervention for participatory governance and well-being of the people.
• The profit from industries should trickle down to other sectors such as
agriculture and rural technology.
• To ensure rapid development, necessary information can be diffused and
persuasion can occur through the mass media.
Modernisation approach firmly believed that urbanisation and industrialisation
were the most feasible routes to achieve modernity. Having an economic-oriented
view, it sees development as an unilinear, evolutionary process and defines the
state of underdevelopment in terms of observable quantitative differences between
so-called poor and rich countries on the one hand, and traditional and modern
societies on the other hand (Servaes & Paitachalee, 2002). This approach was
also known as the Dominant Paradigm of Development.
What is the criticism of modernisation
approach to development?
Modernisation approach underestimated the ground realities of least
developed nations. The technology and innovation provided were not
tailor made for the regions. It undermined the ethnic culture and
ignored the characteristics of communities. The economic imbalance
created out of modernisation was instrumental in increasing
inequality in such societies.
Further, it forced the periphery nations dependent on foreign capital
intensive technology and structures and thereby paved the way for
neoeconomic colonialism which was based on exploitation.
Who said Mass Media is a Magic Multiplier?