Lasswell Model of Communication- Linear Model Of Communication

Harold Dwight Lasswell’s - Lasswell Model of Communication

Harold Dwight Lasswell, a professor at Yale Law School,  was an American political scientist and communication theorist, whose model 'Lasswell model of Communication' was considered to be one among the influential models in the earlier days. It was developed somewhere around 1948 and was surrounded with a lot of research criticism and analysis. 

Lasswell being interested in the field of Political Science, was concerned about the effect of the Media messages on the recipients of the messages or in other words the audience. He was of the belief that people holding Political power could create an impact on the minds of the people. Hence Mass Media could be used to create an effect on the minds of its audience.

Harold Lasswell's model is founded on a 5 W's approach. This model can be defined in just one statement – WHO says WHAT to WHOM through WHICH channel with WHAT EFFECT.

• WHO - Communicator:

Lasswell's model basically dealt with Mass Communication. In the context of this knowledge, 'WHO' or the COMMUNICATOR or the SENDER would mean an organisation or a Mass Media Institution. This could include a Newspaper, A Radio Station or A TV Channel. This meant that an entire organisation with their work rules, their ideologies, their intentions, and their motives would be behind the sending or the encoding of the message.

• WHAT- Message: 

The message is the content of the newspaper, radio or TV that is printed, heard or watched by the Audience of the particular Mass media. The Mass Media Messages categorise as 'WHAT'.

• WHICH- Channel or Medium

The Channel is basically the technological tool or device which has been chosen to communicate the message. This could include a newspaper, radio or television.

• WHOM- Receiver / Audience / Recipient 

The receiver is the Audience that receives the message that has been send by the sender using the channel. The Audience matters. Senders or Media Houses basically have a target that aims at getting more people to watch their respective channels. These channels produce content to gain a larger audience. On the other hand, it is also a known factor, that many Politicians and Businesses use media to send across the message they choose to send. For instance, politicians want votes. They use media houses and firms as tools to propagate their parties, their ideologies and their accomplishments to large audiences or receivers. 

• WITH WHAT EFFECT- An Effect or Result of the Communication

Lasswell was interested in the result that Mass Communication channels had on the audience or the receivers when a message was communicated. During the years that this model stemmed up, Communication studies and the impact of Mass Media was a topic of huge interest and debate. Mass Media was being considered as a tool that could create a massive impact. So, the concept of 'Effect was of utmost importance to Lasswell. 

Main characteristics of the Lasswell model are:

• A linear Model
• It is based on effect of the sender’s message on receiver.

Lasswell was primarily concerned with Mass Communication and Propoganda. In this model, the focus was on the source and the channel through which information was sent. While, effect was taken into consideration, there was no concept of feedback. Hence, it is a linear model.

Lasswell’s model indicated that there was an effect of the communication that occurred. It assured that Communication did not occur in a vacuum. Rather, every message was send across with a purpose- and it gave rise to the concept of ‘effect’. Since, Lasswell was concerned with Propoganda, his focus was the effect that communication led to. Effect here includes the observed changes that occurred in the receiver due to the communication process that occurred.

Problems with Lasswell’s Model

• There is no feedback for the message.
• It is very linear in nature (researchers say communication is always in circular motion because of feedback element)
• It presents communication as more of a persuasive process rather than an informative process as the focus is on the effect that the communication causes on the receiver.

In his book, ‘Mass Communication in India’, Keval J. Kumar says, “Lasswell saw communication as performing three functions:

• Surveillance of the environment
• Co-relation of components of society
• Cultural transmissions between generations.

Such a mechanistic and effects approach to communication was to influence communication theory for decades to come.”

Basically, it means that Mass Media reported events and information. Further on, these Channels interpreted and communicated the messages for the Audience based on the Organisation and its ideologies, practices, rules and regulations and context. The transmission of Cultures, is one of the primary functions of Media. Media influences culture and in turn is influenced by culture too.


In today's era, if we have to interpret the model for today's generation, then we will have to include New Media in the same. However, the parameters regarding the sender and the message, undergoes a drastic change with newer viewpoints emerging through the application.