This book takes a human-centred and concept-led journey through communication theory and is aimed primarily at those who are new to communication studies. Each chapter uses a single concept – actors, narrators, members, performers, influencers, and produsers – to explore key ideas, theories, and thinkers. The six core concepts offer unique, though related, ways of thinking about “flesh and blood” human communicators in a world that is now fundamentally intertwined with media. Each chapter includes a mix of early and recent studies to enable readers to historically locate concepts and trace their evolution. Overall, the book aims to foster an appreciation of theory in readers, cultivate their theoretical sensitivity, and provide them with lots of “real world” examples to help them better understand how theories apply to everyday life.
Author(s): Neil O'Boyle
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2022
Language: English
Commentary: TruePDF
Pages: 223
City: Cham
Tags: Media And Communication Theory; Media And Communication History; Digital And New Media
Preface
References
Acknowledgements
Contents
List of Figures
Chapter 1: Introduction
Introduction: Human Wildlife
Communication Studies
Communicators
How to Read this Book
Structure and Agency
Outline of the Book
Conclusion: An Ode to the Imagination
References
Chapter 2: Actors: An Introduction to Symbolic Interactionism
Introduction
Interpretivist and Pragmatist Roots
Objects, Actors, and Others
The ‘I’ and the ‘Me’
Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method
Studying Social Worlds
Symbolic Interactionism in the Digital Age
Conclusion
References
Chapter 3: Narrators: A Narrative Approach to Human Communication
Introduction
The Storytelling Species
Walter Fisher’s Narrative Paradigm
Viewing Politics Through the Narrative Paradigm
Communicating Climate Change
Digital Narratives and Transmedia Storytelling
Conclusion
References
Chapter 4: Members: Communication in Human Groups
Introduction
Human Groups
Groupness
The Language of Groups
Symbolic Convergence Theory
Fantasy Theme Analysis
Conclusion
References
Chapter 5: Performers: Goffman’s Dramaturgical Perspective
Introduction
The Dramaturgical Perspective
Front
Performances
Teamwork
Regions
The Lessons of Embarrassment
The Digital Performer
Conclusion
References
Chapter 6: Influencers: Person-to-Person Influence in the Networked Era
Introduction
The Two-Step Flow Theory of Mass Communication
Celebrity Influence
The Rise of the Social Media Influencer
Conclusion
References
Chapter 7: Produsers: New Media Audiences and the Paradoxes of Participatory Culture
Introduction
The Evolving Audience
The Dawn of the Produser
The Paradoxes of Participatory Culture
Conclusion
References
Chapter 8: Concluding Thoughts
Introduction
A Journey of Six Concepts
A (Conceptual) Case Study of Sport
Alternative Travels in Human Communication
Conclusion: The Smartest Animals
References
Index
