The Knowledge Gap Hypothesis proposes that as the mass media disseminates information to a social system, those with higher socioeconomic status will acquire and understand the information faster and more thoroughly than those with lower socioeconomic status, widening the gap in knowledge between the two groups. The hypothesis was first proposed in 1970 and suggests this gap is more likely to occur on topics of general interest covered by mass media, like public affairs and science, rather than more specialized topics. Factors that can contribute to the knowledge gap include differences in communication skills, previous knowledge, social contacts, and how the mass media system is oriented.

1. Theories of Communication

2. Knowledge Gap Hypothesis

3. Knowledge Gap Theory
This theory is concerned mainly with “information” and
“knowledge” and emphasizes that knowledge is not distributed
equally throughout society
Concept of haves and have-nots with regard to information just
as material wealth Information is very important in our society
because any developed country depends on well-informed
citizens
Higher socioeconomic status segments tend to acquire this
information faster than lower socioeconomic status population.

4. The authors of Knowledge Gap Hypothesis:
The Knowledge Gap Hypothesis was first proposed in
1970 by Tichenor, Donohue and OLien. Mostly, it is
known as Tichenor et al or Tichenor and his colleagues’
hypothesis.
Knowledge Gap Hypothesis

5. Knowledge Gap Hypothesis
Tichenor et al . Stated the KG Hypothesis as follow:
As the infusion of mass media information into a social system
increases, segments of the population with higher socio-
economic status tend to acquire this information at a faster rate
than the lower status segments, so that the gap in knowledge
between these two segments tend to increase rather than
decrease.

6.  The hypothesis predicts that:
• People of both high and low socioeconomic status will gain in knowledge
because of the additional information, but that persons of higher socioeconomic
status will gain more.
• This would mean that the relative gap in knowledge between the well-to-do and
less well-off would increase.
 Tichenor and his colleagues suggest that:
• The K. G. is particularly likely to occur in such areas of general interest as public
affairs and science news. It is less likely to occur in more specific areas that are
related to people’s particular interests-areas like sports or garden care.

7. Operational forms of the Hypothesis
Techinor et al 1970 say that KG hypothesis might be
stated in two ways:
• Overtime, acquisition of knowledge of a heavily
publicized topic will proceed at a faster rate among
better- educated persons than among those with less
education.

8. • At a given time, there should be a higher correlation
between acquisition of knowledge and education for
topics highly publicized in the media than for topics less
highly publicized.

9. Possible reasons for Knowledge Gap
 There is a difference in communication skills between those high
and low in socio-economic status. (mainly education which prepares
one in reading, comprehension and remembering skills)
 There is a difference in the amount of stored information or
previously acquired background knowledge.
 People of higher socioeconomic status might have more relevant
social contact. (they might enter discussions of certain topics with
others).

10. The mechanisms of selective exposure, acceptance and
retention might be operating. (Persons with low SES
might not find or be interested in topics such as public
affairs or science news).
The nature of the mass media system itself is that it is
geared toward persons of higher SES.

11. Knowledge Gap from Pakistani Perspective
 Pakistani rural areas are different from Urban areas
 The socio economic status of people of rural areas is very low than people
of urban area
 The information and knowledge gap is much more in between these two
sectors
 The reason for this is the lack of educational facilities in rural areas
 Lack of information sources

12. Factors widening KG
Lack of professional ethics
Limited accessibility to
internet
 Ignorance about current
professional knowledge
 Poor library infrastructure
 Limited state funded
resources
 Limited capacity to attend
international professional
conferences
 Lack of personal will
Unavailability of fresh
scientific literature
Obsolete professional
knowledge in different
disciplines

13. Role of Mass communication
 One of the great promises of mass communication is that it provides
people with information they need.
 It has the potential of reaching people who have not been reached by
other means (poor and undeveloped people).
 One example of an effort to use mass communication to provide
information to the disadvantaged is the “educational TV
program” Sesame Street (which combined information with
entertainment for preschool Children.).

14. The attempts to increase people’s quantities of information
from mass media might have some unexpected or
undesirable effects.
This undesirable possibility is that mass communication
might actually have the effect of increasing the gap in
knowledge between members of different social classes.
This possibility is called: “ Knowledge gap Hypothesis”.

15. Criticism of the Knowledge Gap Hypothesis
 Dervin (1980) criticized the KG for being based on the traditional
source-sending-messages –to-receiver paradigm of communication.
She recommended that communication campaigns and researchers
be more user-based and user-constructed information.
 Evatt (1998) argued that researchers should be sure that the
information they are testing is useful and relevant for the audience
being tested.

16. Example
When a person from rural area applies for the job and on the
same time the person from Urban area applies then both of
them have different level of knowledge
 The communication skills of the person from Urban area
would be much better than rural area person
Rural area person would not be much confident, he would
lack various trends of suiting's, walk, talk and so on.

17. Conclusion
Interest and motivation can help in narrowing KG
 Information campaigns must be on audience research
 Society must assure the access to information available to all
 It probably begin with needs of the potential user of
information