Metatheory: Interpretive vs. Objective

 Theory About Theory!!!!!

Communication is the underlying engine behind societies ability to build and rebuild. Communication is the ability to create or destroy  relationships. Communication is a crux to understanding virtually anything as long as we are able to work together. However, communication is viewed as an ambiguous part of life. People are unable to pinpoint an exact definition of communication and the impact it has on society and people as a whole. As seen with these diverse quotes communication is talked about with different connotations and context.            
                                                     ( take a look at these quotes) 

"The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said"-Peter Drunker

 Thus, communication needs to be studied with this ambiguity in mind. As in  do we study communication with an  interpretative or objective approach? Interpretative scholars  keep in mind that every individual is different and interprets things with a degree of differentiating opinions. Due to different experiences in life no two people are exactly the same. Thus "Interpretive scholars look at the linguistic work of assigning meaning or value to communicative testes; assumes that multiple meanings or truths are possible" (According to Griffin (2012)).  Whereas Objective scholars "assume  truth is singular and is accessible through unbiased sensory observation, committed to uncovering cause and effect relationships (According to Griffin (2012).

Through an example I will explain the different approaches and explain what they have in common

1st: Lets take a look at this clip! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofICNgc8lqU


 Interpretative:
From an interpretive approach scholars would be analyising how the commercial makes us feel and how the commercial plays on our values in order to produce an emotional connection in which persons could possibly build a relationship with the product being sold. The commercial did an excellent job on creating a scene of women empowerment and rebellion. Three very influential women in the prime of their careers PINK, Beyonce, and Britney Spears stood strong and defiant against the one man expecting them to fight to their deaths. Thus the music, outfits, and location of the product in correlation to the scenes reinforced the overeaching theme of woman empowerment and rebellion fueled through the consumption of Pepsi. Interpretative scholars notice these themes, and examine how the commercial played on our emotions and moral intergrity.

Objective:
Objective scholars are not looking at how the design of the commercial impacted us emotionally. Objective scholars are focused on numerical data that proves the commercials was valuable to the popularity of the audience. As in has Pepsi stock escalated? Have sales gone up? Objective scholars try to measure data with numerical measurements. Objectively, did this commercial sell any products.

Interpretative and Objective Scholars:

As discussed communication can be seen as an engine that has the ability to create understanding and bring people together in order to complete a task. However communication is ambiguous. Thus Interpretative and Objective Scholars are important as they measure communication in different ways and try to close the gap that is formed from differentiating viewpoints surrounding the definition of communication. Both scholars are looking to create the greatest understanding. The difference is the focus of measuring theses changes. Interpretative  Scholars are more focused on qualitative measurements and reforming society while inspiring aesthetic approaches and interpreting values (According to Griffin (2012)). Whereas objective scholars are focused on quantitative measurements  that can explain the past and present, as well as predict the future(According to Griffin (2012)). In conclusion Interpretative and Objective scholars are both working to create the greatest understanding. As well as study the affects a communicative event has on our lives. Both are important because communication is ambiguous. 

Thanks!!!

reference: book

A First Look At Communication Theory

by, Em Griffin

Symbolic Convergence Theory

           

Is Zac Efron Hot or Not?

This is a question that was asked between my friends and I as we were planning our day. My friend volunteered to drive me to the grocery store because I was excited to try a new curry receipt. As the three of us were driving to the store one of my friends asked us “is Zac Efron hot or not.” We were not talking about anything related to Hollywood or even Zac Efron. I was actually talking to the driver about good crockpot dishes.  Thus, this random question is an example of a Dramatizing message. A Dramatizing message is considered to be imaginative language that talks about events not in the present moment. As in, “occurring elsewhere and/ or at some time other than the here and now"(According to Griffin (2012). The message also needs to be “creative and paint a picture or call to mind an image” (According to Griffin (2012). I can attest that after her question was asked  Zac Efron’s face appeared in my head. We all started to talk about his physical characteristics. Does he have a nice nose? Do his eyes look too far apart? Wasn’t he attractive in that one movie? These questions created a conversation in which we all attributed to.  Because everyone was involved in the conversation and showing interest about the topic it quickly became a fantasy chain. We were all laughing and enjoying the conversation even though it was not an intelligent conversation and was probably killing more brain cells than our initial conversation about curry.  Dramatizing messages can create a fantasy chain in which symbolic convergence occurs and possible symbolic cues ignite a conversation (According to Griffin (2012)). The conversation I had with my friends was fun and we sometimes talk about him from time to time if a symbolic cue ignites the conversation.  Symbolic convergence is when members of a group lose some of their individuality on a subject and embrace the knowledge that others have the same opinions or likeness of the shared subject and a  cohesive mentality between the individuals occur(According to Griffin (2012)). In this situation the dramatizing message brought us closer. I had not seen my friends for over 6 months due to my travels and I was a little apprehensive to jump back into everything. The Dramatizing message definitely fueled a fantasy chain that allowed for all of us to feel comfortable with one another allowing for symbolic convergence to unite us. 

Belieber is a promise Being a belieber is literally the best decision i have ever made ‪#HappyBirthdayBeliebers   -Beliber, taken from Justin Bieber's twitter

Fantasy chains can ignite from dramatizing message and fuel symbolic convergence within the public. For example, Justin Bieber became the topic of occurring dramatizing messages. His fame and charm was the topic of people's conversations as well as his bizarre behavior and entitled personality. Justin Beiber began to be the topic of discussion for every media outlet. One could be watching the news and Justin Bieber's face would flash on the screen. Justin Bieber became a Dramatizing message that occurred because of his presence in everyone's lives due to the amount of times he was talked about and the mannerisms in which his stories were presented. More importantly people felt a connection to him and understood that others shared the same beliefs toward his fame. Thus, Beliber's fans started emerging and became Belibers. Group cohesion occurred because individuals understood that others shared the same likeness of Justin Bieber. Now a days Justin Bieber is a huge phenomena in which millions are praising his every move. 

 Hope you understand that fantasy chains can occur after a dramatizing message is shared and everyone interacts in the conversation. Also, fantasy chains can escalate into symbolic convergence in which people start to identity as a group rather than keep their individual identity. This can all occur in different degrees!

reference: book

A First Look At Communication Theory

by, Em Griffin