Communication and Media Theory Finals Review

The Lazy Genius Podcast – a show hosted by Kendra Adachi that offers advice on how to be a genius about what matters and lazy about what doesn't.

5 Things to Remember Before January Begins
Who are you today matters – You don't have to start yourself over, first acknowledge that you are lovely as you are.

Shift to JOMO – The cultural machinery that surrounds you is strategic, so notice it, we don't need to know it all, all the time.

Don't have to have everything figured out and decided right now – Just because you don't start on January 1, doesn't mean it still isn't worthwhile, create your own momentum but do not procrastinate.

Perspective Shift might really help you right now – Sometimes all it takes is a quick reminder from a book, an article, a song, or a conversation, a quote, a meme, a screenshot. Keep you life choices in line with your priorites.

You can dream big, but you can live small – focus on small problems so you can come up with small solutions.

Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Communication Theory

Intra – Communication starts with person's inner dialogue.

Inter – it extends to interactions with others.

Intrapersonal Communication Theory – Communication you have with yourself, either spoken, written, or thought.

Message Design Logics (MDL) – Authored by Barbara O'Keefe, people have implicit theories of comm within themselves. Because people think about communication differently, they also construct different type of messages. It is the belief that communication links thoughts to the construction of messages.

Expressive MDL – Communication is viewed as a means to convey the thoughts and feelings of the sender.

Conventional MDL – Views communication as a rule-based game that is played cooperatively. Goal is to be appropriate and doing the right things in any given situation.

Rhetorical MDL – Views communication as tool to create situations and negotiate multiple goals. Goal is to create effect to others.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory (CDT) – Suggests that inconsistencies among cognitions generate an uncomfortable motivating feeling.

In simple terms :
Message Design Logics (MDL) – Our thoughts connect to the way we construct messages.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory (CDT) – Psychological Discomfort leads to dissonance which then leads to keeping or changing attitude or actions.

Interpersonal Theories
Interpersonal Communication – occurs between two individuals who are in close proximity are able to provide immediate feedback and ultilize multiple meanings. Communication that is personal and occuring between people who are more than acquaintances. Used to achieve personal goals through interactions.

Politeness Theory – is a theory that suggest that we all have desires to be treated with politeness.

Politeness – can be defined as showing awareness and consideration of another person's face.

Face – is the public self-image that we wante to claim for ourselves.

Positive Face – is an individual's desire to be liked and appreciated by others. Think of this as self-esteem.

Negative Face – is an individual's desire to protect their personal rights, such as freedom of speech and action.

Face Threatening Act / Direct Speech Act – can give the impression that you have a social power over the other person.

Face Saving Act / Indirect Speech Act – in the form of a question removes the assumption of power.

Uncertainty Reduction Theory – is an interpersonal communication theory that suggests people are motivated to reduce uncertainty in their interactions with others by seeking and processing available information.

Berger and Calabrese (1975, 1979) – When people meet, their primary concern is to reduce uncertainty about each other and their relationship. As verbal output, nonverbal warmth, self-disclosure, similarity, and shared communication networks increase, uncertainty decreases and vice versa.

Stage 1 : Entry – This is the initial phase where individuals rely on general social norms and rules to guide their interaction. They use passive, active, and interactive strategies to gather information about the other person.

1. Interactive Strategy – direct communication with target individuals, having conversation with them, seeking their feedback.

2. Active Strategy – asking other individuals about target individuals or creating manipulating environments to see or observe the reactions of target.

3. Passive Strategy – observing or watching target individuals interact with others.

Stage 2 : Personal – As the interaction progresses, individuals begin to share more personal info, leading to a deeper understanding of each other. They move beyond surface-level topics and share more intimate details of their lives.

Stage 3 : Exist or Exit – In this final stage, individuals decide whether to continue the relationship or to terminate it. They may discuss future interactions or simply part ways.

Spiral of Silence – Neumann (1974) itnroduced this theory as an attempt to explain in part how public opinion is formed. A media effect theory but applicable as an interpersonal communication theory, it describes how popular voices become louder and viewed as more popular, and the unpopular voice spiral into silence.

Core Assumptions and Statements :

1. People have a quasi-statistical organ.

2. People have a fear of isolation

3. People are silent to express their minority views.

Echo Chamber – a social environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own, and they become closed off to differing beliefs.

Media – various forms of digital communication and tools that have emerged since the advent of the internet and digital technologies.

New Media – Convergence of Computing, traditional media and networked comm.

Social Media – was first used on Matisse an online environment in Japan in 1994.

FACEMASH – before Facebook, Zuckerberg posted student pictures at Harvard and created a Hot or Not game for rating the attractiveness of female students.

Web 1.0 – Basic Web Pages, HTML, Ecommerce and Java & Javascript.

Web 2.0 – Social Media, User Generated Content, Mobile Access, High-Quality Camera & Video, Apps, Corps Monetizing Your Data, High-Speed Communication, Global Internet Access.

Web 3.0 – Semantic Web, dApps, User Monetize Their Data, NFTs, VR & AR (Metaverse), Permissionless Blockchains, Artificial Intelligence, Interoperability.

Social Media – New forms of media that involve interactive participation. Include a wide range of PC and mobile-based platforms that continue to be developed, launched, re-launched, abandoned and ignored everyday. Specific products/platforms.

Social Networking Sites – are web-based services that allows individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. In general refer to classify or categories all social media products/platforms.

Select Theories Related to Adoption and Use of New Media and Technology

Uses & Gratification Theory – explains why people consume media to meet their needs and receive gratifications from it. Proposed by Katz, Blumler, and Gurevitch.

Cognitive Needs – The need to acquire information, facts, knowledge, etc.

Affective Needs – The need to satisfy emotional curiosity or alignment.

Personal Integrative Needs – The need for self-esteem.

Social Integrative Needs – The need to socialize with inner and outer circles.

Tension Free Needs – The need to escape, divert and be entertained.

Self-Presentation/Dramaturgy – Deliberate or Unconscious Projection of the self, based on a purpose. Conceptualized by Erving Goffman, Analysis based on the world is a stage concept we express ourselves in a theatrical way. We react/interact based on background and audience. Where individuals act out roles for an audience.

Front Stage – is where we present our best selves to maintain a good impression with who we are interacting.

Back Stage – is where you do not need to maintain your performance or manage impressions.

Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) – Is an information systems theory that suggests how users come to accept and use a technology.

Two Factors :

• Perceived Usefulness – the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance job performance.

• Perceived Ease of Use – the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free of effort.

Diffusion of Innovation – Analyzes how we adopt new innovative ideas and how we make decisions towards it.

Diffusion – The spread of something more widely.

Innovation – New idea or behavior, way of thinking.

Innovators – Cosmolites, small cohort, first to learn about innovation, risk takers, and adventurous, has more resources and access than the rest of the population. Shares PSI to a small circle of friends.

Early Adapters – Localities or Trend Setters, Small group of opinion leaders, advisors, testers, unboxers. Respected by his peers or group for his opinions, recommendations, expertise.

Early Majority – Trend Followers, Bandwagon Riders, takes time to make decision, only adopt PSI when they see benefits from others and experience benefits themselves.

Late Majority – Need to be convinced first group, resistant to change but responsive to pressure.

Laggards – skeptics, highly skeptical, physical, financial or geographic religious limitations. Some will never adopt at all.

Diffusion of Innovation applied to :
Advertising – tells us to people will go through several stages before buying a product/service/idea.

Political Comm – tells us that people may rely on other people/group before deciding to support a cause or vote.

Health Communication – tells us that people respond differently on practicing new things.

End of Audience – Audiences are now more active producers; challenge hierachy of power and content, it underlines the prosumer's phenomenon, we produce and consume content at the same time.