Blog Fifteen: The Uses and Gratification Theory and Relationship Provisions

The uses and gratifications theory states that an audience "has a complex set of needs which it seeks to satisfy in the mass media" and that this concept corresponds "with theories of face-to-face communication" as well. (Fiske, 151)  This approach focuses on  society and its search for satisfaction and and an outlet to fulfill personal needs.   Robert Weiss' provisions theory relates to the idea of uses and gratification as it claims that there are six specific areas "where relationships provide us with something special, needed or valued."(Duck, 147)  This means that a primary function of relationships is to reaffirm the value of a person by accepting and acknowledging their views of the world, ensuring a sense of emotional and physical support, validating their existence, and reassuring their worth.  People not only seek out these provisions, but also must provide them for others.  The process works both ways and it is necessary that each form of support is both provided and received in order for a relationship to be successful.  Jackie Wiseman calls this the bond and bind dilemma, meaning that we must make sacrifices and give things up (bind) in order to benefit from a relationship (bond). (Duck, 165)  It is clear that people enact the uses and gratification and provision theories everyday, whether or not they realize it.  Simply asking a friend to come over and talk because you had a bad day, and that friend's opinion being valued,  is an example of using and providing provisions to achieve gratification.  The friend in need is given an outlet to express emotions and receives an opinion that hopefully reaffirms their own personal world of meaning, while the friend who is helping realizes that their own world of meaning and advice is being recognized and accepted. Relationships are transacted and essentialized through these processes, and allow people to form deeper connections based on the fulfillment  of specific personal needs.

Blog Fourteen: Norms and Convention in Family Life and in Society

Duck’s chapter on family communication includes a discussion of the norms involved in families as ways of orchestrating proper behavior in certain activities.  These norms provide families with the foundations of routines, and this specific and expected behavior is repetitively used to share meaning amongst its members, who practice these norms as part of the family structure.  Duck defines norms as “habitual rules for conducting any family activity” (185), and Fiske defines them as “common practices of a group and society (that are) thus predictable, the expected” (101).  Both mean to say that behavior, whether in a small group or in a larger aspect of society, is dictated by what people feel is conventional and that coincides with how others behave.  I feel that Duck’s portrayal of norms within the family expresses an idea of separation from others in a way, as he points out that these family norms “distinguish (a family) from other families and their worlds of meaning”(185).  By saying that norms within a family are used to tie together that particular family through traditions and customs that differ from those of other families, Duck focuses more on a familial transacted relationship that is distinctly unique from its relationship with society.  Fiske refers more to the entire social picture of acceptance of norms and the reluctance to deviate from common social practices.  In essence, both authors demonstrate how people transact relationships.  Adopting a certain behavior to fit in is a form of establishing relationships and signaling something about the way we want these relationships to develop, based on our convergence toward or diversion from convention.  After reading about norms, I have realized that it is not only “Society’s Secret Agents” that enforce standards of behavior and interaction, but how we ourselves do the same thing by choosing to accept such standards, and that we can even enact these norms in our own family life.  It appears that “society’s” secret agents are not limited to their role in society, but also affect close, small group or family communication. 

Blog Thirteen: Information Flow and its Functions

   When thinking about the relationship that I have with my parents, I feel restricted and can never fully express myself to them.  I have different attitudes, values and beliefs and tend to censor myself, knowing that my mom and dad are very old fashioned and that they have set ideas about how I should act and behave.  Because of this, I feel more comfortable informing my sister of events in my life, and turn to her with news first before I share with my parents.  My sister and I have similar ways of thinking and I know that she will understand and support me.  The idea of information flowing from person to person and our decisions to give primacy to particular people in divulging this information connotes our relationships with people.  Who we choose to tell the most important things to first says something about the strength of our relationship with that person.  Duck says, “Information flows through the family system in a way that reflects the closeness of the relationships that people have with one another and operates in a way that sustains the hierarchy or the strength of those relationships.” (Duck/McMahan, 192)  This means that we consciously choose who to share information with first, and that the patterns of revelation to certain people in a particular order mimics the strength of our bond with them.  I feel close to my twin sister as we are the same age and are best friends that share similar experiences and can relate to one another, as opposed to my parents, with whom I feel the strong effects of a generation gap.  By calling my sister and telling her that I have been accepted to graduate school before informing my parents, I am demonstrating the notion of information flow and transacting my relationships with members of my family.  Due to the distance between us because of college, my phone calls allow me to maintain a relationship with my family, but the order in which I make these calls expressing the same information conveys a deeper level of meaning that indicates how strong these relationships are.  Information flow can therefore be seen as transactional, in how simply the order of information exchange has a deeper meaning, indexical, in pointing out who we feel closest to, essential, in my case by using phone calls to stay in contact with my family and talking the relationship into existence by assuming that it lasts when we are apart, and also as performing relational maintenance, in the necessity of information flow to keep relationships alive even when there is distance between people.  I have never thought about how my decisions to tell certain family members information before others as an indication of my relationship with them, but now I am more aware of how the flow of information says something about how I feel about people.  In telling my family about my decisions for graduate school, this is the order that I called them in:

Sister

Mom

Dad

Uncle

When I look back and analyze the sequence of information, I would agree that it transitions from the level of closest to least close in terms of my relationship with that person.

         

Blog Twelve: Outline

Outline

Introduction: Present my topic and briefly describe how it is important to the field of communication

RELEVANCE

How is my chosen topic is relevant to communication studies?  What form of communication does my topic primarily address?   How does my topic fit into communication? What do I personally think about my topic? (I think)

USE OF LITERATURE

What information has already been gathered on my topic?  Who gathered this information?  What do they say about this information? (study/theory/model)  How do the authors interpret this information, how do I understand this interpretation and how do I plan in building on it? (They say)

EXPANDING UPON LITERATURE

Based on the literature that I have reviewed, what questions do I want to ask?  Include a statement of my own ideas/theories based off of current theories and how I would implement these theories in relation to my topic.  How would I add to the literature I reviewed?  Include a clear understanding and analysis of established theories as well as my own and how they line up with my topic.  Be sure to explain my ideas and provide my own assessments.  (This means)

FINDINGS

What have I learned about my topic?  How has the literature and established models allowed me to develop and interpret my own ideas?  Include a statement of these ideas and how can further expand upon them in the future.  Who are some additional authors that I can use as a foundation? 

Conclusion: Restate my topic and the purpose of this paper in relation to communication studies. 

Blog Eleven: Locating Myself Within the Field of Communication

I see myself specifically within the mass communication discipline as I plan on writing for the media in the future, whether that be as a journalist or within public relations.  Media communication includes “newspapers, magazines and other forms of print, cable, radio, television, film and new media technologies such as the internet.” (natcom.org) I am personally concerned with newspapers, magazines and the internet as media in particular, because in writing articles and press releases, these are the primary forms through which information is conveyed and also the forms that represent threats to one another in terms of the journalism industry.

            A number of scholars have written on journalism as a form of media communication.  Susan Brockus writes about journalism’s role in perpetuating the attitudes and ideas that society holds through writing.  She says that journalism “traditionally has assumed a role in relating to the maintenance and evocation of a society’s values”.  (Brockus, 1)  Essentially, Brockus focuses on journalism’s ability to share meaning through verbal communication and to enforce society’s ideals through this medium.  She discusses how journalism is becoming a shrinking industry because of the presence of other technologies that are easier to access and that provide readers with information that they can derive their own meaning from.  Wilma Stassen further elaborates on journalism’s role in communicating to the public and its need to be fused with or replaced by other forms of media, such as social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.  While journalism provides society with a presentational form of communication that spins events and emphasizes a particular view or opinion, social media “allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content” that permits readers to form a relationship in which they are meant to respond and not just simply accept information. (Stassen, 5)

            I would like to expand on research already done in the field and figure out exactly why less people read newspapers and magazines, and the opinion they have of the views typically expressed.  It would be interesting to see if people perceive journalism as enforcing a certain set of democratic ideals and allowing no room for personal feedback, or if technology that allows easier access to information is the deciding factor in whether they read newspapers or not.  I would also like to look into if writing and is as effective at conveying a message as speaking is, considering there is no verbal communication in writing.

            I see myself continuing the work of these scholars by critically analyzing journalism and its limitations in assuming that all people will perceive an event the same, and, in that matter, implying a lack of heterogeneity amongst audiences.  I would also assess the representations that the media puts forth within its writing and how they have both conditioned and perpetuated what is and is not acceptable. I plan on going to gradate school for journalism and actually applying what I have learned using information that I gather to ensure that the messages encoded within my writing are received and comprehended. 

Bibliography:

Brockus, Susan. "Rethinking the Reader's Role in Community Journalism." Rethinking the Reader's Role in Community Journalism. 50.4 (2009): 1-6. EBSCO. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.

National Communication Association. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://www.natcom.org/>.

Stassen, Wilma. "Your News in 140 Characters: Exploring the Role of Social Media in Journalism." Global Media Journal 4.1 (2010): 1-16. EBSCO. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.

Blog Ten: The Relationship Filtering Model

I find Duck’s Relationship Filtering Model very interesting as it ties into everything that we have learned about communication as transaction.  It relates to our tendencies to form relationships based on our ability to understand people, similar to the idea that people like people who share their general system, or codes, for understanding meaning.  Basically, the better we can relate to or understand how others think, the better we are able to communicate and create deeper meaning.  Duck’s model suggests that the goal in determining the formation of relationships is to figure out the other person’s way of thinking, or thought structure. As the filters become more based on a greater knowledge of another’s internal structure, those who pass become the people who we choose to form a relationship with.  Because we need others to confirm our worth and value, and to support our identity and actions, the filtering usually applies to those “who do not appear to support your ways of seeing the world or confirming self.”  (Duck, 19)  This idea of needing approval and reinforcement of identity connects to why people form identities in the first place.  It makes me wonder if we use relationships to validate ourselves, and form relationships only with those that will agree with our ways of understanding and applying meaning to the world.  After all, psychological similarity is they key and last filter in the model that someone must pass through in order to become a friend or lover.  The chapter does not mention successful relationships formed between people that have no psychological similarities.  It would be interesting to look into other models and to see if different factors are used to see if and how relationships are formed, without the basis of similar mindsets.   

Blog Nine: Evaluating a Communication Article Related to Our Interests

Interest: The role that communication plays in relationships

Article: The Difference in Nonverbal Behaviors and How It Changes in Different Stages of a Relationship

Authors: Tracy Prinsen. Narissra M. Punyanunt-Carter

      A. Relevance to Communication Studies and Theory

The article addresses the importance of nonverbal communication in romantic relationships and how nonverbal affection changes throughout the stages of a relationship.

      B. Review of Literature

1. The authors used findings and cited literature that indicated that there was a correlation between body language and the quality of a romantic relationship, particularly dependent upon age and sex.  Ex) “It has been found that unhappy couples seem to display more unhappy facial expressions than other couples…it has also been found that older married couples display lower frequencies of responsive listening than middle-aged couples”.  From this literature, the authors concluded that body language and nonverbal communication are two important components of a romantic relationship that change in different stages and are different based on your sex.

2. The authors developed their research questions based on the literature they already had.  They even say, “it seems to be that most of the research already done on this subject looks at the differences between men and women.”  The authors then use this and tie it into their study that assesses the five different relationship stages/how men and women respond to and use nonverbal communication.

     C. Concept/Methodology

1. Some questions that the authors designed are as follows:  What are the differences between men and women/how they answered the nonverbal questionnaire passed out?  How did the individuals in the five different stages vary in their answers to the nonverbal questionnaire?  How did the five different stages differ in their affectionate communication toward their partner?

2. The authors clearly map out their method:  A questionnaire was handed out to college students enrolled in introductory communication courses at a Southwestern University to assess nonverbal participation in a relationship.  145 students participated and 69 were men and 76 were women.  There were 32 freshmen, 41 sophomores, 32 juniors and 38 seniors.  The mean age was 20.52 and the age range was from 18-37.  54 participants were in a casual relationship, 31 were in an exclusive relationship, 48 were in a long -term relationship, 6 were living with their partner and 6 were engaged/married.

3. The method was appropriate as it addressed gender, age, and the stage of the relationship by surveying men and women of different ages and involved in different stages of relationships.

4.  The method was properly executed in that a survey covering how people respond to and use nonverbal communication was passed out to the proper participants.  The method reflected the research questions regarding sex, gender, and stage of the relationship in how nonverbal communication is expressed.

5.  The sampling was appropriate in that it covered a range of ages, surveyed both men and women and included people who were in different romantic relationships.

      D. Findings

1. The findings were clearly reported: There is a big difference in nonverbal communication depending upon the gender/stage of relationship.  The findings were organized by question and how many people of each group in a certain stage responded in a certain way.

2.  The findings were interpreted through the use of words as well as through the use of charts, graphs and data tables.

3. The study used the review of literature to expand upon theories of nonverbal communication in relationships that already existed and proved the link between age and the stage of a relationship in how body language is expressed.

4.  The authors admit that their study was limited in only surveying college students and also in the accuracy of the questionnaires themselves.  They admit that participants may not have been truthful.  Future research directions that they mention are the inclusion of race, culture and expanded age groups in research and also not simply surveying participants but observing as well.

       E. Stylistic Issues/Quality of Writing

1. The language is easy to comprehend but uses language specific to the field.  It is not pretentious or confusing.