Seven Traditions of Communication Theory

Rhetorical Semiotic Phenomenological Cybernetic Socio- Socio-Cultural Critical

Psychological
Communication The practical art Intersubjective Experience of Information Expression, inter- (Re)production Discursive
theorized as: of discourse mediation by otherness; processing action & influence of social order reflection
signs dialogue
Problems of Social exigency Misunderstanding Absence of, or Noise; overload; Situation requiring Conflict; Hegemonic
communication requiring or gap between failure to sustain, underload; a manipulation of alienation; ideology;
theorized as: collective subjective authentic human malfunction or causes of behavior misalignment; systematically
deliberation and viewpoints relationship "bug" in a system to achieve specified failure of distorted speech
judgment outcomes coordination situation
Key terms with Art, method, Sign, symbol, icon, Experience, self Source, receiver, Behavior, variable, Society, Ideology,
specific communicator, index, meaning, &other, dialogue, signal, informa- effect, personality, structure, dialectic,
meaning audience, referent, code, genuineness, tion, noise, feed- emotion, practice, ritual, oppression,
strategy, language, medium, supportiveness, back, redundancy, perception, rule, consciousness-
commonplace, (mis)understanding openness network, function cognition, attitude, socialization, raising,
logic, emotion interaction culture, identity, resistance,
co-construction emancipation
Plausible when Power of words; Understanding All need human Identity of mind Communication beliefs & people in groups
appeals to: value of requires common contact, should and brain; value of reflects personality feelings bias affect one
informed language; treat others as information and judgments another.
judgment; omnipresent persons, respect logic; complex
improvability of danger of differences, seek systems can be
practice miscommunication common ground unpredictable
Useful results Mere words are Words have Communication is Humans and Humans are Individual Naturalness &
for challenges not actions; correct meanings skill; the word is machines differ; rational beings; we agency & rationality of
in: appearance is & stand for not the thing; facts emotion is not know our own responsibility; tradi-tional
not reality; style thoughts; codes & are objective and logical; linear minds; we know absolute social order;
is not substance; media are neutral values subjective order of cause and what we see. identity of self; objectivity of
opinion is not channels effect naturalness of sci-ence &
truth the social order technology
Argumentation across Traditions

Rhetorical Semiotic Phenomenological Cybernetic Socio-psychological Socio-cultural Critical

Against The art of rhetoric We do not use Strategic communi- Intervention in Rhetoric lacks good Rhetorical theory is Rhetoric reflects
rhetoric can be learned signs; rather cation is inherently complex systems empirical evidence culture bound & traditionalist,
only by practice; they use us. inauthentic & often involves technical that its persuasive overemphasizes instrumentalist,
theory merely counterproductive. problems rhetoric techniques actually individual agency vs. & individualist
distracts. fails to grasp. work as intended. social structure. ideologies.
Against All use of signs is Langue is a fic- Langue-parole and Meaning consists Semiotics fails to Sign systems are not Meaning is not
semiotics rhetorical. tion; meaning & signifier-signified of functional re- explain factors that autonomous; they fixed by a code;
intersubjecti- are false distinc- lationships within influence the pro- exist only in the it is a site of
vity are tions. Languaging dynamic in- duction & inter- shared practices of social conflict.
indeterminate constitutes world. formation systems. pretation of messages. actual communities.
Against Authenticity is a Self & other are Other’s experience Phenomenologica Phenomenological Intersubjectivity is Individual
pheno- dangerous myth; semiotically de- is not experienced l "experience" introspection falsely produced by social consciousness is
menolo- good communica- termined subject directly but only as must occur in the assumes self-aware- processes that socially consti-
gy tion must be positions & exist constituted in ego’s brain as ness of cognitive phenomenology fails tuted, thus
artful, hence only in/as signs. consciousness. information processes. to explain. ideolo-gically
strategic. processing. distorted.
Against Practical reason Functionalist Functionalism fails The observer Cybernetics is too Cybernetic models Cybernetics re-
cyberne- cannot (or should explanations to explain meaning must be included rationalistic; e.g. it fail to explain how flects the domi-
tics not) be reduced to ignore subtleties as embodied, con- in the system, underestimates the meaning emerges in nance of instru-
formal calculation. of sign systems. scious experience. rendering it role of emotion. social interaction. mental reason.
indeterminate.
Against Effects are Socio-psycholo- The subject-object Communication Socio-psychological Socio-psychological Socio-psycho-
socio- situational and gical "effects" dichotomy of involves circular theories have limited "laws" are culture logy reflects
psycho- cannot be are internal socio-psychology causation, not predictive power, bound & biased by ideologies of
logy precisely properties of must be linear causation. even in laboratory. individualism. individualism,
predicted. sign systems. transcended. instrumentalism.
Against Socio-cultural Socio-cultural The social life- The functional Socio-cultural theory Socio-cultural order Socio-cultural
socio- rules etc. are rules etc. are all world has a organization of is vague, untestable, is particular & theory privileges
cultural contexts & systems of phenomenological any social system ignores psychological locally negotiated consensus over
theory resources for rhe- signs. foundation. can be modeled processes that under- but theory must be conflict &
torical discourse. formally. lie all social order. abstract and general. change
Against Practical reason is There is nothing Critique is Self-organizing Critical theory Critical theory im- Critical theory is
critical based in particular outside the text. immanent in every systems models confuses facts & poses an interpretive elitist & without
theory situations not uni- authentic encounter account for social values, imposes a frame, fails to appre- real influence on
versal principles. with tradition. conflict & change dogmatic ideology. ciate local meanings. social change.