CHAPTER 3

THEORIZING PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXTS

WHY IS CONTEXT IMPORTANT?

CONTEXT refers to the entire situation, events, people, content, and any other circumstances that surround communication. But for the communication THEORIST, studying context creates a PARADOX. WHAT DO WE MEAN BY PARADOX?

THE PARADOX OF CONTEXT

Paradox is not getting a second opinion on a medical problem, or having two professors teaching a course (get it? pair o docs???) I got a million of them!!! A paradox is an inescapable dilemma or contradiction. In theorizing communication CONTEXT, the paradox is that by IDENTIFYING context we treat it as if we are removed from it; thus CHANGING the context and missing our role in it. General Semantics theorists (well learn more about that next week) use a term similar to one weve already learned to remind us of our need to consider the subjectivity of context: self-reflexivity. In other words: The mapmaker is IN the map.

SO HOW DO WE STUDY CONTEXT?

We acknowledge that the paradox exists and that our dependence upon LANGUAGE further limits our ability to find truth; we seek as close an approximation to truth as we can get within our limitations We look at communication cuesinterpretable actions in a communication situation that seem to tell us something (someone nods in agreement with something another says, etc.) We consider communication context an ecology wherein everything within the system affects and is affected by all other elements. Chapter 3 provides a great deal of detail on these concepts. Most of them have to do with NONVERBAL communication. While we cannot teach an entire course in nonverbal communication here, we can best understand the communication theory through looking at nonverbal IMMEDIACY. . .

IMMEDIACY AND THE NONVERBAL MESSAGE SYSTEM

Immediacy Theory is the brainchild of psychologist Albert Mehrabian. While he was looking at nonverbal behavior, the theory can be applied to language use as well. Immediacy is NOT about time. It is behavior by which we communicate a desire to be CLOSER to another in psychological context. Mehrabian identified 3 levels of immediacy: attraction, dominance, and arousal. Settle down ; its not about romance (necessarily). All these terms have non-romantic meanings as well.

LEVELS OF IMMEDIACY
If you were interviewing for a job, and the interviewer smiles and nods while youre answering, this is an immediacy cue indicating attraction. Most likely, the interviewer likes what youre saying and wants to hear more; he/she probably isnt (and shouldnt be) thinking about dating you. A person trying to assert leadership in a small group task meeting might lean forward while making a pointcueing dominance. Its a power issue. But if romance is what you WANT to think about , does I love you mean as much in a monotone as it does with a little passion and, say, some flowers followed by a nice dinner out? Thats emotional arousal. And yes, a female friend of mine once gave ME flowers on my birthday! But it wasnt romance .

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO COMMUNICATION THEORY???

1) Nonverbal systems invite contextual analysis. The term metacommunication is used to describe this communication about communication. 2) Nonverbal systems emphasize relationship-defining messages. We know that verbal communication is more about content; nonverbal reminds us that the PEOPLE are MUTUALLY important. 3) Nonverbal systems cannot be avoided. This isnt about the intent controversy from Chapter 2. Were just saying that there WILL be a nonverbal component to every interaction (not how its interpreted). 4) Nonverbal systems are more believable and persuasive than verbal. In fact, evidence indicates that 65-90% of the meaning in any given communication situation comes form the NONVERBAL aspect, and that when nonverbal and verbal conflict, people believe the NONVERBAL. 5) Nonverbal systems are behaviorally complex. That means theorists have lots they can study. Lets look at some of the factors:

INTERESTING NONVERBAL BEHAVIORS TO KNOW AND TELL ABOUT AT PARTIES

KINESICS: The meanings of body movements. OSR (Obscure Song Reference; no, you dont HAVE to listen to them and you may have to pause to let them load, but theyre really cool): http://www.educyberpg.com/IEC/videobeatless4.html PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: Height, weight, attractiveness, gender roles. OSR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfuBREMXxts VOCALICS: Contexts affected by voice (sarcastic tone, high pitch, etc.) OSR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uejh-bHa4To HAPTICS: Touch. What does a hand on the shoulder of another mean? OSR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyUnSuYYs18 PROXEMICS: Distance relationships; how close should we be? OSR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6inwzOooXRU

MORE NONVERBAL BEHAVIORS. . . AND ROOM FOR MORE SONGS!!!

ENVIRONMENT: How does place (setting) affect communication. OSR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN3GbF9Bx6E ARTIFACTS: How things (objects) suggest communication, from what you wear to what you put on your walllike PICTURES . OSR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcMEx4OHLOs Yes, I saw them LIVE! CHRONEMICS: How time affects communication (Cronos was god of time and father of Zeus in Greek Mythology; thus chronemics.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hvavz3ESus NO; none of the songs are going to be on the test

THE REST OF THE MOVIE (OBSCURE MOVIE REF FROM MONTY PYTHONS MEANING OF LIFE)
READ THE PORTIONS OF CHAPTER 3 REGARDING PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, SPACE AND DISTANCE. PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO EDWARD HALLS RESEARCH ON COMMUNICATION AND DISTANCE (PAGE 90) AND EXPECTANCY VIOLATIONS THEORY (PAGE 91)WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY? THEN. . .

SOCIAL LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION CONTEXT

A useful way of understanding communication contexts is to divide it into social levels. Here is a brief summary of text; see pages 92-93: Level I Communication: refers to intrapersonal (within the person) communication; this would be the self-talk we do to ourselves. Level II Communication: refers to interpersonal communication; our one-with-one communication with another. Level III Communication: refers to communication we might perform in the small group at work, as a family, or with groups of friends. Level IV Communication: refers to cultural communication, how many communicate with many. It deals with how communication pervades and is understood by the entire social system in which it resides. Two important concepts have emerged as a result of modern technology in Level IV Communication; they are explained in the next slide:

SPACE-BINDING AND TIME-BINDING

NO; this has nothing to do with Princess Leia being held in chains by Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi. SPACE-BINDING refers to how technology has allowed us 24/7 immediate knowledge of events that happen in even remote parts of the world, and the ability to communicate about those events. Television, cell phones, sophisticated surveillance technologyall of these things speed up communication. TIME-BINDING refers to our ability to assimilate all the knowledge from previous generations to affect our communication today. Think about the Dark Ages, when all knowledge had to be hand-written for archives. Then Guttenberg created the printing press and we had BOOKS. Then we had FILM. Then VIDEO. Then DIGITAL technology. And now we can store EVERYTHING and pass it on, adding to our communication library.

AGAIN, WE MUST PART

No obscure song or film reference for the final slide this time (hey; Im tiredits been a long week). But check out the end of Chapter 3 on your own about a communication systems model of social context and how the digital age of mediation has affected communication theory. Well learn a lot more about it later in the course. See you next week!!!