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In a bold attempt to redirect the ways theories of communication
are conceived and research on communication processes are
conducted, this volume questions prevailing communication
scholarship that emphasizes the cultural, psychological, and
sociological variables that impact on, and/or are impacted by,
communication. Instead of focusing on the "consequences" of
communication, this books urges readers to examine the
"consequentiality" of communication -- what it is about the
communication process that enables it to play a defining role in
our lives. Communication is not a neutral conveyor of meanings
derived from culture, cognition, or social structure, and is not
explained by correlations with external variables. Meaning emerges
from the communication process itself; it is dependent upon what
transpires during the real-time moments of communicators behaving
with each other. To properly study this new paradigm, a new
vocabulary for thinking about the consequentiality of communication
is needed and proposed.
Four theoretical orientations are used to stake out this new
territory: coordinated management of meaning, neo-rhetorical
theory, conversation analysis, and social communication theory.
While there are points of agreement and overlap on the need to
study communication as inherently consequential, there are also
differences across the four theories -- in the value of "rules" as
an explanatory concept, on the relationship between structure and
process, and on the very constitution of a "theory." Thus, this
book has the benefit of articulating a new paradigm for
communication scholarship without losing sight of the discipline's
rich diversity.
In a bold attempt to redirect the ways theories of communication
are conceived and research on communication processes are
conducted, this volume questions prevailing communication
scholarship that emphasizes the cultural, psychological, and
sociological variables that impact on, and/or are impacted by,
communication. Instead of focusing on the "consequences" of
communication, this books urges readers to examine the
"consequentiality" of communication -- what it is about the
communication process that enables it to play a defining role in
our lives. Communication is not a neutral conveyor of meanings
derived from culture, cognition, or social structure, and is not
explained by correlations with external variables. Meaning emerges
from the communication process itself; it is dependent upon what
transpires during the real-time moments of communicators behaving
with each other. To properly study this new paradigm, a new
vocabulary for thinking about the consequentiality of communication
is needed and proposed.
Four theoretical orientations are used to stake out this new
territory: coordinated management of meaning, neo-rhetorical
theory, conversation analysis, and social communication theory.
While there are points of agreement and overlap on the need to
study communication as inherently consequential, there are also
differences across the four theories -- in the value of "rules" as
an explanatory concept, on the relationship between structure and
process, and on the very constitution of a "theory." Thus, this
book has the benefit of articulating a new paradigm for
communication scholarship without losing sight of the discipline's
rich diversity.
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