Knowledge gap hypothesis

The hypothesis of the growing knowledge gap was the first time in 1970 by Phillip J. Tichenor, George A. Donohue and Clarice N. Olien in the article "Mass Media Flow and Differential Growth in Knowledge " in the journal " Public Opinion Quarterly" as Knowledge - Gap Hypothesis described.

The hypothesis of " growing knowledge gap " describes the structural inequality of knowledge that is conveyed by the mass media. According to the Knowledge Gap hypothesis, the knowledge gap between people is growing faster with higher and lower socio-economic status when the information flow of the mass media in society (or any other social system ) is growing.

The input of the mass media in a social system therefore allows the knowledge bildungsaffiner (ie the formation facing ) segments of the population is rising faster than the educationally disadvantaged layer segments. Thus, in any case, people have formally formed a better chance to increase their knowledge, than less educated people.

Effect of growing knowledge gap

Since the mass media have long been understood as the greatest chance of global democratization, hypothesized the ever-growing knowledge divide the basic democratic principle of freedom of information in question.

Actually, should by the independent distribution of information in the population are members of a society to empower citizens. This more normative claim of the responsible citizen can not be achieved but by the growing knowledge gap between higher status and lower status groups.

Development and differentiation

The hypothesis of " Gap in Knowledge ", so that emanated from the growing knowledge gap between lower status and higher -layer segments, based on truncated causal chains. Consequently, it was assumed that there was no direct link between social status and the successful acquisition of information from the mass media. Therefore, the hypothesis was modified after only three years of the Minnesotagruppe. They found that the growth of a knowledge gap depends not only on the socio-economic status, but also on the nature of the subject concerned. Is it mere factual knowledge, which is discussed in the mass media, there is a gradual (ie, gradual ) approach education more distant parts of the population to bildungsaffinere.

Since this modification was not sufficient for a growing knowledge gap to predict reliably the Knowledge Gap Hypothesis by James S. Ettema and Gerald F. Kliene (1977 ) was again modified. In an article in the journal " Communication Research ", they released the competition hypothesis. In this hypothesis, the authors related the motivation of acquiring media content for the first time. They noted that the emergence of knowledge clefts not only depend on the nature of the topic, but also the degree of motivation to content appropriation. So you should not go out of deficits in the media appropriation, but rather of differences.

With the increasing digitalization of the mass media in the late twentieth century differentiated from the more general discussion about the different appropriation of media content, the discussion about the digital divide out. The digital divide is not to be understood as a further modification of the Knowledge Gap hypothesis, but as a complement and extension. The digital elimination thinks multidimensional exclusion mechanisms that arise to new media, among others, by deficits or more specifically by differences in implementation and access. The digital divide is seen as one of the biggest structural problems of the post-industrial knowledge society.

Justifications and reactions

In general, a negative attitude about the potential of a knowledge society is conquered by the followers of the knowledge gap hypothesis. It is doubtful that technological development can counteract the growth of the knowledge gap. People with higher socioeconomic status have Tichenor et al. (1970, p.162 ) According to tend to:

• Higher communication skills: For better formal education follow better reading and comprehension skills.
• Prerequisites: For higher education, as well as more frequent and therefore more practiced media usage is followed by a sensitivity to the relevance of different media content.
• Social Contacts: For higher education and better income follows a wider range of activities and thus a connection to more social reference groups. This is the interpersonal communication - that promoted the discussion of media content.
• Selective handling: the state of their own formation correlates with the use of media. Recording and retention of media content tends to be better than less educated segments of the population in formal higher educated people.
• Advantages in terms of the structure of the media system: higher quality of included print media and behind green vivid information that should be kept better by reading than, say, news on TV. These media are oriented language, characteristic style and appearance to the socio-economically better off.

Supporters of the knowledge gap hypothesis in science originate mainly from the educational and social science camp and have a critical understanding of the impact of new media on society.

Critics of the knowledge gap hypothesis deny the political integrity of the knowledge gap argument. They originate mainly from the techno - liberal camp ( André vines table and others) and accuse the hypothesis to be an adaptation of the Marxist theory of impoverishment. In contrast 'll only take capital accumulated knowledge. With the knowledge gap hypothesis, the proponent would only represent their own interests ( for example, use increased spending on education to educators ). Instead of talking about structural issues and to create technological frames following the expensive programs to fit with the individual, as solutions. From the perspective of the critics was the waste of resources. Furthermore, the critics see the knowledge gap hypothesis in the continuity of an aristocratic understanding with which " the mob " democratic rights were denied to the 19th century. While going by proponents of the knowledge gap hypothesis overcoming sought, however, it remains an inherent value judgment that unscientific make the hypothesis, since the empirical support was mainly built up by cross-sectional studies, while methodically to establish a growing knowledge gap rather longitudinal studies would be necessary.

Nevertheless, the thesis found in science some attention and intensive Beforschung. From the political side, the knowledge gap was addressed by the Technology Initiative D21 of the Social Democratic government.