![Sample our Communication Studies journals, sign in here to start your access, 2013 & 2014 volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5927/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Information-Science2.jpg"})
Abstract
The year 2015 marks the 75th anniversary of the first known reference to Harold D. Lasswell's model of communication in 1940. In recognition of this milestone, this paper revisits Lasswell's famous construct, “Who, said what, in which channel, to whom, with what effect?” by offering a textual analysis of its conceptual evolution over the last 75 years. Inspired by Eulau and Zlomke's (1999) study on Harold Lasswell's legacy to the discipline of political science, we pose a similar question to the field of communication: If one only knows about Harold Lasswell by reading the citations or references to his model of communication, what would his legacy seem to be? In doing so, this paper first explicates the relationship between Lasswell's legacy to the field and the role his model of communication has played in it. Second, it tests the utility of Lasswell's model in light of a significantly changing media landscape, and gauges its current value for communication scholars. Finally, we conclude that Lasswell's model is both a relevant and useful concept for the field today despite several misconceptions surrounding it.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Zachary S. Sapienza
Zachary S. Sapienza (M.S., Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2005) is a graduate student in the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. His research interests include communication theory, concept formation, and general semantics.
Narayanan Iyer
Narayanan Iyer (Ph.D., Indiana University, 2009) is an Assistant Professor in The Edward R Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. His research interests include advertising, new media, and content analysis.
Aaron S. Veenstra
Aaron S. Veenstra (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2009) is an Associate Professor in the School of Journalism at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. His research interests include online political communication and social influences on cognition.