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Chapter 5—Symbolic Interactionism
Title:
"Long Story Short," Taylor Swift, Evermore
Claim:
The "me" is the objective self seen when a person takes the role of an external observer
Application:
In the third chorus of the song, Taylor Swift shares advice with her past self, urging her not to pay attention to the small dramas of life and instead to focus on the one that she loves.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Jealousy, Jealousy," Olivia Rodrigo, Sour
Claim:
The looking-glass self is a mental self-image formed via messages from the generalized other
Application:
This song describes the experience of social media jealousy -- looking at people we don't even know online, seeing their fantastic lives, and feelings like our life doesn't measure up. Olivia is using social media as a looking-glass self, and drawing messages about her identity from the generalized other.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Begin Again," Taylor Swift, Red
Claim:
The looking-glass self is a mental self-image formed via messages from specific others
Application:
This song begins with Taylor Swift looking in the mirror, but not just the physical mirror in front of her--she's gazing at her looking-glass self, remembering how her ex criticized her.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Friends, S1, E9, "The One Where Underdog Gets Away"
Claim:
Our self-concept—our “me”—is formed be how others view us—our looking glass self.
Application:
Actor Joey’s face is featured on a widely distributed poster warning that some sexual partners won’t tell you that they have VD. The avoidance reaction of an attractive acquaintance and the laughter of his friends makes Joey look at himself differently.
Cue Point:
4:40-7:20
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
Friends, S6, E2, "The One Where Ross Hugs Rachel"
Claim:
Our self-concept—our “me”—is formed by how others view us—our looking glass self
Application:
Ross and Rachael got married in a wedding chapel the last night in Las Vegas. Back in New York both say it was a mistake but Ross dreads the idea of being seen by self and others as the guy who has had three divorces.
Cue Point:
0:01-2:00; 6:20-7:25; 9:50-12:00
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
The Crown, S1, E1, "Wolferton Splash"
Claim:
Our self-concept—our “me”—is formed be how others view us—our looking glass self.
Application:
After the death of her father, Elizabeth ascends to the British throne. In this clilp, her mother-in-law warns her about the transformation of identity she will experience, including tension between her personal identity and her identity as monarch. Mead might refer to that as a tension between Elizabeth's "me" and "I."
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Man in Black", Johnny Cash, Man in Black
Claim:
We respond to people and things based on the meanings we assign to those people and things.
Application:
Legendary country singer Johnny Cash was known as the man in black because, well, that's how he dressed. In this song, he explains why, and after you listen to it, you can't help but think differently about his appearance.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 6—Expectancy Violations Theory
Title:
"Betty," Taylor Swift, Folklore
Claim:
Violation valence and communicator reward valence
Application:
Betty's ex-boyfriend James wonders what will happen if he appears unannounced at Betty's party. Will she receive him warmly or reject him? Based on EVT's twin concepts of violation valence and communicator reward valence, what would the theory predict?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Friends, S5, E17, "The One with Rachel's Inadvertent Kiss"
Claim:
When verbal or nonverbal communication violates the expectation of the recipient, the recipient interprets and responds on the basis of the violation valence and the communicator’s reward valence.
Application:
Applying Burgoon’s two crucial variables to Rachel's interview, how do you think the job interviewer interpreted Rachael’s inadvertent kiss? Does news of a second interview change your conclusion?
Cue Point:
To 1:20
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
Big Bang Theory, S7, E15, "The Locomotive Manipulation"
Claim:
When a violation of nonverbal behavior occurs, we evaluate the violation on the basis of violation valence and communicator reward valence.
Application:
Although Amy desires more physical affection from her boyfriend Sheldon, he has been unwilling. When Amy sees their friends Howard and Bernadette kissing, Amy is particularly disappointed and confronts Sheldon. Note that expectancy is a prediction of what will happen, not a desire; even though Amy wants romance, it would be a stretch to say she expected it. Watch what happens when Sheldon violates her expectations. What role do violation valence and communicator reward valence play in Amy's reaction?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Personal Space: How Close is Too Close?", CBS
Claim:
Personal space is the invisible, variable volume of space surrounding an individual that defines that individual's preferred distance from others.
Application:
Here, a correspondent for CBS' The Early Show tries violating personal space expectations in an elevator, on a bus, and on a park bench. Notice how the correspondent appeals to ideas similar to arousal and threat threshold, which Burgoon rejected. How, instead, might Burgoon explain the negative, positive, and neutral responses of the unwitting members of the experiment?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Embracing the Bro Hug", CBS Sunday Morning
Claim:
Expectancies for nonverbal behavior emerge from contextual, relational, cultural, and individual factors.
Application:
This clip examines the "bro hug," a highly expressive and physical method of hugging used by men. Particularly notable regarding communication theory, the reporter interviews Dr. Kory Floyd and Dr. Mark Morman, who are prominent interpersonal communication scholars. Across the clip, you can see how expectations for bro hugging emerges from context, family background, cultural background, and gender.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Watch the uncensored moment Will Smith smacks Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars, drops F-bomb", Guardian News
Claim:
Violation valence is the perceived positive or negative value assigned to a breach of expectations, regardless of who the violator is.
Application:
Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock at the Oscars received major attention in the news. What would expectancy violations theory say about it? Chris Rock doesn't like the slap, clearly--but neither does he respond with an outburst of anger or reciprocate the violence. Perhaps Burgoon's ideas about violation valence and communicator reward valence help explain why.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
The Office, S2, E22, "Casino Night"
Claim:
When the meaning of the violation of the expectation is ambiguous, communicators with a high reward valence can enhance their attractiveness, credibility, and persuasiveness by doing the unexpected.
Application:
Pam in engaged to be married with the wedding already planned when her office mate, Jim, tells her he loves her. Pam’s immediate verbal and nonverbal communication to Jim and to her mother indicate the high reward valance she assigns to Jim. But she’s stunned by his “I love you” declaration, spoken when she is committed privately and publicly to soon marry Roy. Jim’s words spoken at this time are a huge violation of what she expected. What valence do you think she assigns to this violation? If you are right, what does the theory predict the outcome will be?
Discovered By:
Em
Chapter 7—Family Communication Patterns Theory
Title:
Encanto
Claim:
Families construct a shared social reality via conversation and conformity orientations, and low conversation orientation tends to produce negative well-being outcomes.
Application:
The entire movie serves as an excellent (fictional) case study on family communication patterns theory. Three scenes provide particularly effective demonstrations. In the song "Surface Pressure," Luisa sings about the pressure she feels to conform to her role in the family. The most famous part of the movie is the catchy number "We Don't Talk About Bruno," which describes the family's low conversation orientation regarding their estranged brothers. These songs are readily available on Spotify and YouTube. Finally, although the whole film is relevant, the link offered here occurs late in the film, when Maribel confronts Abuela about the family communication environment she's fostered.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
The Crown, S3, E6, "Tywysog Cymru"
Claim:
Families construct a shared social reality via conversation and conformity orientations, and low conversation orientation tends to produce negative well-being outcomes.
Application:
When Prince Charles reveals some of his family frustrations in a speech, his mother scolds him for speaking his mind. What evidence in this clip do you see that the British royal family (at least, as it is portrayed in this fictionalized Netflix show) is characterized by low conversation and high conformity orientations?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
black-ish, S7, E7, "Babes in Boyland"
Claim:
Consensual families feature both pressure to conform to parental expectations and pressure to make decisions through open expression of ideas.
Application:
In this clip, Diane challenges a sexual double-standard in her parents' rules. During the first scene in her bedroom, can you see the tension between her mother's request for conformity versus her appeal to reason? When Diane speaks to her parents later, she clearly believes she has the space to make a reasoned argument, yet her parents' authority remains forceful. From the perspective of FCP, the Johnsons appear to be a consensual family.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Gilmore Girls, S1, E13, "Concert Interruptus"
Claim:
Pluralistic families exhibit low conformity orientation and high conversation orientation.
Application:
Rory is studying with three of her friends. In the section starting at 3:15 in the linked video, they learn that Rory is going to a concert with her mother Lorelai that night. In the language of FCP theory, they perceive that Rory's family is pluralistic. See if you can explain why.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"The Best Day", Taylor Swift, Fearless
Claim:
Conversation orientation is a family communication pattern that creates a shared social reality by emphasizing open talk and discussion.
Application:
In this ode to her family, and specifically her mother, Taylor celebrates her ability to talk openly with them. Note particularly the second verse where her mother serves as a source of emotional support, as well as how throughout the song the open talk translates into communication that builds children up. It's an effective picture of positive outcomes arising from conversation orientation.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Free Range Children", ABC News
Claim:
Laissez-faire families exhibit low conformity orientation and low conversation orientation.
Application:
This news report from ABC covers Dayna Martin, an advocate for free range parenting. Much of the video focuses on education, but viewed from the perspective of FCP theory, it seems that Dayna's approach deemphasizes a shared social reality. She adamantly opposes coorientation through parental authority (i.e., conformity), and also is reluctant to engage in coorientation via deliberation. Instead, children are free to do what they want to do, and thus the free range parenting approach seems like one example of a laissez-faire family.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Captain Fantastic
Claim:
The typology of four family types.
Application:
In this scene, two families are meeting for dinner. What evidence suggests that the host family is a protective family? How about the visiting family: would you classify them as a consensual or pluralistic family?
Discovered By:
Dr. Darin Garard, Santa Barbara City College
Title:
Survey measuring the respondent's family type
Claim:
The four family types
Application:
Andrew created this brief survey for his class, using the 26-item Revised Family Communication Patterns measure developed by Koerner and Fitzpatrick: Koerner, A. F., & Fitzpatrick, M. A. (2002). Understanding family communication patterns and family functioning: The roles of conversation orientation and conformity orientation. Annals of the International Communication Association, 26(1), 37-69. Note that the survey calculates high/low cutoffs using the midpoint of the scale rather than the large, random sample means reported in the manuscript (p. 58, Table 2).
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 8—Social Penetration Theory
Title:
Step Brothers
Claim:
Law of reciprocity; costs and rewards
Application:
When new stepbrothers Brennan and Dale first meet, they exchange social information, but it is clear they are uninterested in forming a close relationship. Later, when they discover mutual similarities, their evaluation of the costs and benefits of forming a close tie change. The law of reciprocity kicks in further as they self-disclose to each other.
Cue Point:
8:00 & 12:01; 33:15-36:50
Discovered By:
Ayesha and Phillip (Andrew's students, Spring 2022)
Title:
"I Don't Know About You," Chris Lane, Laps Around the Sun
Claim:
Onion model
Application:
This country song describes a man who meets a woman at the bar. He asks her questions and indicates that he sees self-disclosure as a key way to growing a close relationship with her.
Discovered By:
Anna (Andrew's student, Spring 2022)
Title:
"Delicate," Taylor Swift, Reputation
Claim:
In the onion model of personality, information is layered and disclosed from most to least sensitive
Application:
In the chorus of this song, Taylor wonders aloud if she has shared too much, too soon. Social penetration theory would suggest that she's wondering whether the knife has cut too deeply into the onion.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Shrek
Claim:
Personality structure is like an onion. Peal off the outer layer and there’s another layer deeper inside.
Application:
On their quest, Shrek tells his donkey sidekick. “For your information, here’s a lot more to ogres than people think." He then uses the onion metaphor.
Cue Point:
26:15-29:45
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
Gilmore Girls, S2, E11, "Secrets and Loans"
Claim:
Self-disclosure proceeds according to a law (or norm) of reciprocity, and we may feel uncomfortable if someone violates that norm.
Application:
Rory's rival Paris is desperate to know Rory's PSAT scores. Watch as she first asks fellow classmates to reveal their scores, and then is frustrated when they don't ask about hers; then, feel the discomfort when, despite revealing her scores, Rory refuses to share hers.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Big Bang Theory, S2, E11, "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis"
Claim:
Social exchange involves the evaluation of relational costs and rewards, and the value of costs and rewards often differs from person to person.
Application:
Earlier in this episode, Sheldon learned that Penny will bring him a Christmas gift. This stresses Sheldon out, because he isn't sure how to get Penny a gift that is equal in value (clearly, Sheldon belives in a norm of reciprocity regarding gifts--does that sound familiar after reading about social penetration theory?). So to be prepared for all situations, he buys several gifts of varying amounts of value. What he didn't expect is that Penny's gift would be so rewarding to him--would it be rewarding to you? How does Sheldon respond? And how would you evaluate his final gift to Penny in terms of costs and rewards?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
21 Jump Street
Claim:
Self-disclosure proceeds from surface to intimate information.
Application:
During this phone call, the characters share several layers of information. Why do you think that the process of social penetration seems to happen relatively quickly?
Discovered By:
James Briscoe, University of Pikeville
Chapter 9—Uncertainty Reduction Theory
Title:
Mean Girls
Claim:
The drive to reduce uncertainty on initial interaction with others is strengthened when we know we’ll see them again, they have something we want, and or they act in a way we consider weird.
Application:
Fifteen-year-old Cady was home-schooled by her parents in Africa. The family has moved to a Chicago suburb. Her first day in a high school, two friendly kids, Damian and Janis, take her into the lunch room and point out the characteristics of the different cliques located at each table.
Cue Point:
0:01:25-0:05:25
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
Friends, S1, E7, "The One with the Blackout"
Claim:
When strangers meet, their primary concern is to reduce uncertainty and increase predictability about their behavior.
Application:
Chandler is suddenly trapped in a bank vestibule with a famous Victoria’s Secret model during a New York blackout. He wants to get close to her, but painfully doesn’t do any of the things that Berger claims would reduce her uncertainty of who he is or move the relationship forward. Even though she makes attempts at interaction, he offers little verbal communication, nonverbal warmth, information seeking, self-disclosure, and doesn’t reciprocate her tentative overtures. Therefore liking, similarity, and shared networks aren’t explored. The scenes show how NOT to develop a closer relationship with a stranger.
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
Hitch
Claim:
Uncertainty reduction may occur using passive, active, or interactive strategies.
Application:
In this scene, watch for how Hitch uses the passive, active, and interactive strategies to learn about Sara.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Big Bang Theory, S3, E22, "The Staircase Implementation"
Claim:
People especially are motivated to reduce uncertainty when they anticipate future interaction, when the person has incentive value, and when they act in ways that are unusual.
Application:
This flashback portrays what happened when Leonard met his roommate Sheldon for the first time. Sheldon's requests for information are consistent with uncertainty reduction theory's claim that people seek to reduce cognitive uncertainty--although the questions Sheldon asks are strange, different than most other people. In retrospect, perhaps that deviance should have encouraged Leonard to ask more questions of Sheldon during that first meeting.
Cue Point:
In YouTube clip, starting at 0:49
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"QUESTIONS TO ASK POTENTIAL ROOMMATES!", University Housing UGA
Claim:
People especially are motivated to reduce uncertainty when they anticipate future interaction and when the person has incentive value.
Application:
We anticipate future interaction with roommates and they hold incentive value, thus Berger predicts we would seek to reduce uncertainty. The four questions highlighted in the video, produced for the University of Georgia's housing department, are consistent with Berger's claim.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Gilmore Girls, S6, E16, "Bridesmaids Revisited"
Claim:
Relational turbulence is negative emotions about a relationship, and it arises from uncertainty about the future of the relationship and partner interference.
Application:
Rory confronts her boyfriend Logan when she learns that he slept with other women. The ensuing fight demonstrates that their relationship has become turbulent, and as Knobloch and her colleagues predict, that turbulence emerges because of uncertainty about their commitment to each other and Logan's believ that Rory's request for relational exculsivity interferes with his life.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"No Body No Crime", Taylor Swift, Evermore
Claim:
Uncertainty reduction is motivated by anticipation of future interaction, incentive value, and deviance.
Application:
This is a crime-and-revenge country song where the jilted wife and her friend engage in uncertainty reduction. Can you explain how anticipation of future interaction, incentive value, and/or deviance motivate their efforts?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 10—Social Information Processing Theory
Title:
Moonrise Kingdom
Claim:
With enough time, asynchronous media can facilitate relationships that are as close (or even closer) than relationships that develop face-to-face.
Application:
As Sam and Suzy exchange letters, they develop a close relationship, and eventually decide to run away together. Their letters reveal a bond of intimacy developed solely through the asynchronous channel of letter writing.
Discovered By:
Davan (Andrew's student)
Title:
The Office, S8, E16, "After Hours"
Claim:
People use a medium's available cues to form impressions of others.
Application:
Val's boyfriend accuses Darryl, arguing that text messages reveal that he has been sleeping with his girlfriend, Val. Kelly's examination of the text messages suggests that humans seize on whatever cues are available to form impressions of others.
Discovered By:
Amanda (Andrew's student)
Title:
"Social Information Processing," song by Dave Simpkins
Claim:
Social information processing theory addresses how people can build interpersonal relationships through communication technology, despite the limitations of cue-limited channels.
Application:
This comm theory student created this song for a homework assignment... and ended up crafting a memorable summary of the theory's key claims. You might watch this one with the subtitles on, so you can catcth the theory's claims that he works into the lyrics.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Skype Helps Deployed Military Parents Stay in Touch With Their Kids", CBS Evening News
Claim:
Selective self-presentation and idealization by the receiver may foster hyperpersonal interaction when communicating online.
Application:
This news story aired during America's military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and focuses on one Texas family whose father is serving overseas. Note how technology like Skype both helps facilitate their family relationships, yet a comment by the son suggests selective self-presentation occurs as well (it isn't hard to imagine that the deployed father is also selective about what he shares).
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"After Mailing Letters for 42 Years, Pen Pals Finally Meet in Person", Inside Edition
Claim:
Cue-limited media have a slower rate of information exchange, but given enough time, people can get to know each other as well as they would if they were communicating face-to-face.
Application:
This heartwarming story of two friends who were pen pals for over four decades illustrates one of SIP's key claims: With enough time, people can develop close interpersonal relationships even when the communciation channel has few nonverbal cues.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 11—Relational Dialectics Theory
Title:
Friends, S1, E9, "The One Where Underdog Gets Away"
Claim:
The interplay of different discourses can occasionally create an aesthetic moment.
Application:
Ross and the new same-sex partner of his ex-wife express a competitive disdain for each other, but share mutual joy when Ross's singing to his unborn child occasions the baby's first kicks in Carol's womb.
Cue Point:
13:50-15-32; 16:25-17:35
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
Friends, S6, E1, "The One After Vegas"
Claim:
The interplay of competing discourses (such as integration-separation, stability-change, openness-closedness) can take place at the same time.
Application:
At night in the Las Vegas Wedding Chapel and the next morning at the hotel, the six friends recall and/or express diverse streams of talk concerning love, marriage, and divorce. Do they handle these competing discourses through segmentation or spiraling inversion?
Cue Point:
0:01-1:15. 5:30-11:20
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
Friends, S10, E5, "The One Where Rachel's Sister Babysits"
Claim:
Transforming is a way of combining two or more conflicting discourses and changing them into something new, sometimes an aesthetic moment.
Application:
Mike’s and Phoebe’s marriage proposals were interpreted differently because of the time and place. What were the conflicting discourses? Amid humor and tenderness, the dialogue of proposal and response later in the restaurant reflected no discord, perhaps because it occurred at a different time and place.
Cue Point:
8:00-9:25, 13:15-15:10, 21:50-23:05, 25:30-27:50
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
"Advice for Parents from College Students", KnowsyTV by KnowsyMoms
Claim:
Integration/separation, certainty/uncertainty, and expression/nonexpression are three common dialectics that shape interpersonal relationships.
Application:
What's fascinating about this video, aimed at parents sending their children to college, is that the three central discursive struggles emerge as the students talk about their parent-child relationships. During this time of transition, perhaps it is normal to hear discurive tensions such as integration/separation, certainty/uncertainty, and expression/nonexpression.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Parks and Recreation, S7, E2, "Ron and Jammy"
Claim:
An aesthetic moment is a fleeting sense of unity through a profound respect for disparate voices in dialogue.
Application:
When Season 7 of the show jumps forward in time two years, it reveals that longtime close friends Leslie and Ron are now enemies. In this clip, we discover what happened. As relational dialectics theory claims, relationships are always changing and in flux, and in that change, Ron voices a desire for integration with Leslie and his friends. However, Leslie is absorbed with her new job and emphasizes separation. As they discuss the resulting hurt and the dialectics are no longer in tension, they seem to experience an aesthetic moment.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Making Meaning of Parenting From the Perspective of Alienated Parents", IARR Social Media
Claim:
Example of a research study that uses relational dialectics theory.
Application:
This video presents research by Kristina Scharp (who provides the voiceover) and her colleauges on discourses in divorced families, where one parent is alienated because the other parent encourages the child to pull away.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Hannah Montana, S4, E5, "It's the End of the Jake as We Know It"
Claim:
Discourses are streams of talk that cohere around a given object of meaning.
Application:
Andrew uses this clip to talk with his students about relationship discourses--and there are several in this clip. Which can you spot? Here's one to get you started: In the first few seconds, Mr. Stewart and Oliver clearly don't understand each other. Parents don't understand teenagers is a discourse that's been voiced many times before. It isn't original with the show's scriptwriters. What other discourses are voiced in this clip?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Our Song", Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift
Claim:
Discourses are streams of talk that cohere around a given object of meaning.
Application:
Here, Taylor expresses frustration to her boyfriend that they don’t have a song for their relationship. RDT scholars might say that she wants to find an already-spoken cultural discourse that shapes their bond. In the end, Taylor creates her own; but, according to RDT, is it really a new discourse, or just echoing relational discourses in country music that have come before?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 12—Communication Privacy Management Theory
Title:
Luca
Claim:
Boundary linkage and boundary turbulence
Application:
Luca and Alberto are boys who have a secret: They are actually sea monsters. When Alberto is jealous of the growing affection between Luca and village girl Giulia, Alberto reveals his identity as a sea monster. Luca initially decides not to reveal his identity to Giulia, thus denying her a boundary linkage to that information but also betraying Alberto and driving him from the village. Giulia later discovers this information through boundary turbulence, however, when she splashes water on Luca and reveals his sea monster identity.
Cue Point:
01:01:30-01:06:38
Discovered By:
Annie (Andrew's student, Spring 2022)
Title:
Full House, S8, E4, "I've Got a Secret"
Claim:
Boundary turbulence
Application:
Michelle and her friends form the "Mighty Mutant Super Kids Club," a group they vow to keep secret. Later, Michelle reveals the secret club to her dad, Danny, when he bribes her (i.e., changing the risk-benefit ratio). But when Danny accidentally mentions the club in front of the kids, boundary turbulence occurs and Michelle is rejected by her friends.
Discovered By:
Charlie (Andrew's student, Spring 2022)
Title:
Friends, S9, E20, "The One with the Soap Opera Party"
Claim:
Boundary turbulence
Application:
Joey is planning a party with the cast of his soap opera, but doesn't want his friends to know about it. Rachel discovers the secret through accidental boundary turbulence when she hears one of the invitees mention the party on Joey's answering machine.
Discovered By:
JB (Andrew's student, Spring 2022)
Title:
Big Bang Theory, S6, E19, "The Closet Reconfiguration"
Claim:
Privacy rules; boundary turbulence
Application:
Earlier in the episode, Sheldon reads a letter from Howard's estranged father. Angry at the violation of his privacy, Howard destroys the letter. In this clip, Howard's wife Bernadette and her friends consider how to get Sheldon to reveal the letter's contents. In the end, Sheldon decides to share the information based on a privacy rule that Howard would likely still perceive to be boundary turbulence.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"All Too Well," Taylor Swift, Red
Claim:
Self-disclosure does not always lead to intimacy
Application:
In the bridge of this song, Taylor reports that her (ex-)boyfriend's sharing of private information had devastating consequences on her well-being. As Petronio contends, self-disclosure does not necessarily lead to intimacy.
Discovered By:
Dr. Amy Delaney, Carle Health
Title:
"Never Wanted to Be That Girl," Carly Pearce, 29: Written in Stone
Claim:
Boundary turbulence; reluctant confidant; deliberate confidant
Application:
The woman in this song thinks her six-month-long romantic relationship is going well... until she sees an incriminating text message on her boyfriend's phone. Initially a reluctant confidant, she becomes a deliberate confidant as her suspicion leads her to look further through his phone when he isn't looking.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Friends, S5, E14, "The One Where Everybody Finds Out"
Claim:
Ownership and control of private information; rules for concealing and revealing; disclosure creating a confidant and co-owner; coordinating mutual privacy boundaries; boundary turbulence
Application:
The entire episode is about how Monica and Chandler manage their private information that they’ve fallen in love with each other, but don’t want their friends to know. When the friends find out, they don’t want the couple to know that they know. All of the above five principles of CPM are repeatedly illustrated in the episode.
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
Big Bang Theory, S10, E16, "The Allowance Evaporation"
Claim:
Disclosures of private information are guided by a system of rules.
Application:
Sheldon explains to Amy how he is learning rules for disclosure of private information. How would Petronio describe his rules? What factors seem to guide the rules that Sheldon is developing?
Discovered By:
Darin Garard, Santa Barbara City College
Title:
The Office, S2, E9, "Email Surveillance"
Claim:
When co-owners of private information don’t effectively negotiate and follow mutually held privacy rules, boundary turbulence is the likely result.
Application:
Michael discovers he can read employees emails, and in doing so discovers what they think of him. When employees discover what they regard as this breach of their right to privacy, they rush to delete sensitive private material and react negatively toward him.
Cue Point:
1:20-6:19
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
The Office, S2, E13, "The Secret"
Claim:
When co-owners of private information don’t effectively negotiate and follow mutually held privacy rules, boundary turbulence is the likely result.
Application:
Jim confides his romantic feelings for Pam to his boss, Michael. When Pam gets engaged to another guy, Michael proves unable and unwilling to keep Jim’s secret to himself and the office (including Pam) is in turmoil. Michael proves to be “the world’s worst confidant.”
Discovered By:
Em
Chapter 13—Media Multiplexity Theory
Title:
"Lonely Generation," Echosmith, Lonely Generation
Claim:
Turkle's reclaiming conversation
Application:
"Lonely Generation" expresses concern about how people are engrossed in technology in a way that separates them from meaningful contact with others--thoughts that resonate with Turkle's concerns.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, S4, E11 & E12, "The Fugitive"
Claim:
Group norms guide which media are used with all ties and which are reserved for strong ties.
Application:
Boyle is upset when he discovers that his coworkers haven't included him in office texting chains. His whiteboard drawing of the group text chains might remind you of how scholars map out social networks. Boyle's exclusion seems due to one factor: His coworkers don't enjoy his style of texting. That may resonate with Taylor and Ledbetter's findings that enjoyment shapes our response to violations of media use expectations.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"How the Internet is Changing Friendship", The Atlantic
Claim:
Strongly tied pairs use more media to sustain their relationships than do weakly tied pairs.
Application:
This video discusses how friendships are maintained, how they fade, and what role the Internet plays in friendship. Not only does the video directly reference media multiplexity theory, but it also cites Emily Langan, author of the instructor's manual for A First Look!
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Connected, but alone?", TED
Claim:
Sherry's Turkle's reclaiming conversation
Application:
Although delivered some time ago, Sherry Turkle's TED talk is a classic. She expounds on her concern that communication technology makes it difficult to be fully human and present with each other.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Social Networks and Getting a Job: Mark Granovetter", Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality
Claim:
Weak ties can provide access to resources that strong ties do not provide.
Application:
Media multiplexity theory builds on the work of Mark Granovetter. Here, Granovetter explains the advantage weak ties have over strong ties, how that advantage relates to getting a job, and how this reality may advantage some and disadvantage others.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Girl at Home", Taylor Swift, Red (Taylor's Version)
Claim:
Changes in media use may shape tie strength over time.
Application:
When flirtation verges on infidelity, what’s Taylor’s advice to the guy hitting on her? Delete her telephone number. According to the theory, that’s a good way to reduce the strength of their tie.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 14—Social Judgment Theory
Title:
The Blind Side
Claim:
The most effective persuasive messages target the edge of the latitude of acceptance.
Application:
The Blind Side tells the true story of Michael Oher, a Black football player adopted by a wealthy white family. In this scene, an NCAA investigator probes why he wants to play football for the University of Mississippi, which is his adoptive parents' alma mater. It is clear that the meeting is less of an investigation and more of an interrogation, as the investigator wants to get Michael to admit wrongdoing by his adoptive parents. Her arguments begin by introducing claims that fall within Michael's latitude of acceptance, and from there she hones in on the edge of that latitude of acceptance. This nudges Michael's anchor point away from trust in his adoptive parents, leading him to forcefully question his adoptive mother about her motives.
Cue Point:
NCAA investigator interviews Michael Oher
Discovered By:
PJ (Andrew's student)
Title:
Dance Moms, S6, E14, "JoJo Steals the Show Show"
Claim:
Messages that fall in the latitude of rejection may generate a boomerang effect, where attitude change occurs in the opposite direction of what the message advocates.
Application:
Kendall wants to perform a duet dance with Maddie, but Maddie isn't at the dance studio right now--indeed, rumors are swirling that Maddie might be leaving the dance team. In practice, JoJo substitutes for Maddie in the duet, but dance studio director Abby Lee Miller isn't happy with the performance as a duet and would rather have one dancer perform it as a solo. This idea falls in Kendall's latitude of rejection, and she leaves the room, crying in anger. While she's gone, JoJo performs the dance as a solo, and this pleases Abby. But, Kendall doesn't like this idea and would rather perform a duet with JoJo--but Abby's animated response reveals this option is no longer acceptable to her. Following social judgment theory, how would you arrange the following options on a continuum: (a) Kendall/Maddie duet, (b) Kendall solo, (c) JoJo solo, (d) Kendall/JoJo duet? Would Kendall's continuum differ from Abby's, or from JoJo's? Do you see evidence of a boomerang effect happening in this clip that drives people farther apart?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Captain America: Civil War
Claim:
An attitude is a combination of three zones: the latitude of acceptance, latitude of rejection, and latitude of noncommitment
Application:
As superheroes become more prominent, the world is concerned about this misuse of their powers. Here, the Avengers debate the Sokovia Accords, an agreement that places superheroes under United Nations supervision. For whom does this idea fall in their latitude of acceptance? And for whom does it fall in their latitude of rejection? Can you explain why the idea might fall in Vision or Wanda's latitude of noncommitment?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Lincoln
Claim:
Messages that fall in the latitude of rejection may generate a boomerang effect, where attitude change occurs in the opposite direction of what the message advocates.
Application:
President Lincoln meets in a cellar at night with Representative Thaddeus Stevens. Although both oppose slavery, they disagree on how to pursue that goal. In the language of the theory, Lincoln expresses concern that Stevens' appeal will fall in the latitude of rejection of some representatives, generating a boomerang effect that will drive them away from the aim of ending slavery. He cautions Stevens that persuasion will take time, an idea that resonates with social judgment theory.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Saturday Night Live, "The Undecided Voters"
Claim:
Ego-involvement is the importance or centrality of an issue to a person's life. Those with low ego involvement will tend to have a wide latitude of acceptance.
Application:
Traditional political wisdom in the United States is that a certain segment will always vote for the Democrat, another segment for the Republican, and thus the undecided voters are the key to winning the election. The comedy show Saturday Night Live pokes fun at the lack of ego involvement that may characterize some undecided voters.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Why Dems are Meddling in Colorado GOP Primaries to Boost More Extreme Candidates", Next 9NEWS
Claim:
The boomerang effect suggests that people are often driven rather than drawn to the attitude positions they occupy.
Application:
Why would Democrats donate money to Republican candidates? This video explains why--it's because Democrats want more extreme Republican candidates to win in their primary elections, thinking that those Republicans will be easier to beat in the general election. Explain why this is so using the ideas of social judgment theory, including the latitude of acceptance, latitude of rejection, and the boomerang effect. One people expresses discomfort with this strategy. What might Kant say about that?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"TAYLOR SWIFT VMA AWARD MOMENT RUINED BY KANYE WEST," Artisan News Service
Claim:
The latitude of rejection is the range of ideas that a person sees as unreasonable or objectionable.
Application:
Clearly, Beyoncé fell in Kanye’s latitude of acceptance for the award, and Taylor fell in his latitude of rejection—which is right where Kanye’s rude behavior landed for most viewers.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 15—Elaboration Likelihood Model
Title:
The Pursuit of Happyness
Claim:
Central versus peripheral route processing
Application:
Before his big job interview, Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith) is arrested for failure to pay parking tickets. Now, he must walk into the interview after a night in prison, dressed in painter's clothes. How would the interviewers evaluate him if they are engaging in peripheral processing? What does Chris do to persuade them to process his application via the central route? This clip is ripe for analysis using several other theories, including social judgment theory (how does Chris work his way into their latitude of acceptance?) and expectancy violations theory (what would that theory predict about Chris's unexpected appearance?).
Discovered By:
Sam (Andrew's student)
Title:
"DollarShaveclub.com - Our Blades Are F***ing Great"
Claim:
Messages may appeal to central route processing, peripheral route processing, or both.
Application:
The persuader cannot choose whether a person will process a message centrally or peripherally. Perhaps that's why this ad from Dollar Shave Club appeals to both routes. As you watch, consider: Which elements of this advertisement appeal to those who will scrutinize the message content? And which elements of this advertisement appeal to those who will focus on irrelevant cues as a mental shortcut?
Discovered By:
Jayden (Andrew's student)
Title:
Friends, S10, E9, "The One with the Birth Mother"
Claim:
People are motivated to scrutinize persuasive arguments when they see the issue as personally relevant. Attitude shifts that occur through this central route persist over time, resist counterpersuasion, and predict future behavior.
Application:
Cultural connection: The expectant birth mother of a child picks Monica and Chandler to be the adoptive parents because the agency has told her that Monaca is a reverend and Chandler a doctor. At first the desperate couple plays along with the mistake, but when Chandler later confesses who they really are, the irate birth mother rejects them. View Chandler’s subsequent plea and use ELM to explain the woman’s ultimate decision.
Cue Point:
11:10-13:25, 14:45-16:35, 21:12-25:12
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
"10 Ways Disneyland is Manipulating You," Top 10s
Claim:
The peripheral route is a mental shortcut process that accepts or rejects a message based on irrelevant cues as opposed to actively thinking about the issues.
Application:
Would a Disney park feel so magical if Disney constantly made in-your-face sales pitches for food and merchandise? Probably not, and so Disney appeals to below-the-radar peripheral cues. Consider how Disney aims at a guest's peripheral route (and their wallet) through smell pods (0:16-1:24), magic bands (0:16-2:30), temperature 3:44-4:25), dark walkways (5:32-6:09), gift shop exits (8:18-8:56), and bounceback offers (8:57-9:45).
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Interstellar
Claim:
Biased elaboration is top-down thinking in which predetermined conclusions color the supporting data.
Application:
In the science fiction film Interstellar, Earth is dying, and humanity is searching for a new planet to call home. In this scene, three astronauts only have the resources to check out one planet, and they must decide which to investigate. At first, it seems that central route processing is guiding Dr. Brand's argument. Then, Cooper reveals further information that suggests Dr. Brand's seeming objectivity is actually biased elaboration.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Enchanted", Taylor Swift, Speak Now
Claim:
The central route is a path of cognitive processing that involves scrutiny of message content.
Application:
This song finds Taylor full of insomnia, awake in the middle of the night thinking deeply about the man that she just met. She is clearly motivated to process the relationship centrally, so much so that her need for cognition exceeds her need for sleep.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
The Office, S3, E13 & 14, "Traveling Salesman / The Return"
Claim:
Message elaboration in the central route of persuasion can produce strong attitude change; speaker credibility in the peripheral route of persuasion can only produce weak attitude change.
Application:
ELM explains why only one of three attempts to persuade in this episode achieved an enduring positive attitude and behavioral shift.
Cue Point:
8:35-10:00, 12:47-14:20
Discovered By:
Em
Chapter 16—Cognitive Dissonance
Title:
"Sparks Fly," Taylor Swift, Speak Now
Claim:
Selective exposure
Application:
As Taylor notices her new romantic interest, she knows dating him isn't a good decision, but she chooses to ignore this fact.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Iron Man
Claim:
Personal responsibility for bad outcomes ("The New Look") explains why people feel cognitive dissonance.
Application:
Tony Stark runs the weapons company started by his father. When he is captured by terrorists, he sees that the weapons he created are being used to harm innocent people. In this scene, we see him after escaping his captivity, and we hear him describe the cognitive dissonance that leads him to make a shocking decision about the future of Stark Industries.
Cue Point:
0:44:20-0:46:10
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"The Peer Pressure Experiment - Part 1", WISN 12 News
Claim:
Cognitive dissonance is the distressing metnal state caused by inconsistency between a person's belief and their action.
Application:
In this clip from a Wisconsin news station, the reporters put three teenagers in a scenario where they have to decide whether to get in a car they believe will be driven by a fellow teen who has been drinking. Watch for evidence of their discomfort when the nature of the experiment is revealed, and consider what cognitive dissonance theory might say about their attempts to reduce dissonance in the interviews afterward.
Discovered By:
Stephen and Allie (Andrew's students)
Title:
"People Face a Terrifying Moral Dilemma", Buzzfeed Multiplayer
Claim:
"The New Look" claims that we experience cognitive dissonance when we believe we are personally responsible for bad outcomes.
Application:
"The Trolley Problem" is a classic ethical dilemma. Buzzfeed's take emphasizes the response of people considering the problem, and cognitive dissonance theory (particularly Cooper's "New Look") suggests their discomfort arises from the possibility of being personally responsible for bad outcomes. Consistent with that prediction, see their discomfort grow as the bad outcomes become worse with each hypothetical scenario.
Discovered By:
Andrew (with the recommendation of a student)
Title:
Thai anti-smoking ad from the Thai Health Promotion Foundation
Claim:
Cognitive dissonance is the distressing metnal state caused by inconsistency between a person's belief and their action.
Application:
Smoking serves as a key example in this chapter. This Thai ad portrays children asking smokers for help lighting cigarettes--a shocking request that prompts the smokers to explain the health effects of cigarettes, even though they have a burning cigarette in hand. How would cognitive dissonance theory explain the smokers' reaction when they children reveal the true purpose of their request?
Discovered By:
Sydney & Lucy (Andrew's students)
Title:
Video footage of Festinger and his colleagues conducting the $1/$20 experiment
Claim:
The $1/$20 experiment that tests the minimal justification hypothesis: the best way to stimulate an attitude change in others is to offer just enough incentive to elicit counterattitudinal behavior.
Application:
We are fortunate to have video coverage of Festinger's experimental work. The $1/$20 experiment is powerful yet counterintuitive, and this video clip helps explain why cognitive dissonance theory predicts that small incentives may be more effective than large incentives.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Friday Night Lights, S2, E13, "Humble Pie"
Claim:
Aronson claims we experience cognitive dissonance when our behavior is inconsistent with our self-concept.
Application:
Among the car salespeople, it's a running joke that Gerald comes in twice a week to look at a car he wants. Jason, as the new salesperson, is assigned what the other salespeople believe is a lost cause. In his sales pitch, Jason invokes a sense of cognitive dissonance--if he believes this car is worth it, why doesn't he buy it? Jason asks whether this is really how Gerald wants to appear to other people. And with such masterful use of cognitive dissonance, Jason gets his first car sale.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 17—The Rhetoric
Title:
Rudy
Claim:
Logos appeals to the listeners' rationality. Ethos appeals to the audience's perception of the speaker's credibility.
Application:
When Notre Dame football player Rudy Ruettiger reveals to Fortune that he is going to quit the team, Fortune pushes back--first with a strong logos appeal to basic facts about who Rudy is and what he's gotten to do, and then with an appeal to Fortune's credibility to speak about quitting the football team.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Matthew McConaughey Gives Emotional Speech About Uvalde at White House", Good Morning America
Claim:
An example is an illustration that strikes a responsive chord in the listener; a form of logos persuasion.
Application:
After the evil and tragic shooting in Uvalde, TX that left 21 innocent victims dead, actor and Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey gave this speech at the White House. He made a passionate appeal to legislators on both sides of the aisle to prevent such events in the future. A particularly strong element of his speech is an example of a little girl's green Converse shoes.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Liz Cheney Delivers Searing Rebuke of 'Dangerous and Irrational' Trump During Speech", MSNBC
Claim:
An enthymeme is an incomplete version of a formal deductive syllogism that is created by leaving out a premise already accepted by the audience.
Application:
In her speech at the Reagan Presidential Library, Republican Representative Liz Cheney focuses on her minor premise: Former President Donald Trump engaged in many actions that undermined the Constitution. At the end of the clip, her conclusion is clear: "Republicans cannot both by loyal to Donald Trump and loyal to the Constitution." She leaves out her major premise, which seems to be something like: "Republicans have stated again and again that they are committed to supporting the Constitution." She can omit the major premise because her audience already accepts it.
Cue Point:
Up to 2:44
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Obama Addresses Disinformation in Speech at Stanford", Stanford University
Claim:
The five canons of rhetoric summarize Aristotle's standards for evaluating a speaker's ability and performance.
Application:
These selections from President Obama's speech on disinformation exhibit at least four of Aristotle's canons of rhetoric. Regarding style, Obama uses the metaphor of a window, arguing that although the Internet and social media are a window into the world, we may not perceive that the window is actually blurry. His invention includes knowledge about both Internet content (cat videos, misleading information, white supremacy, etc.) and how democracies function. The arrangement of ideas follows a problem-solution format. His natural delivery makes it feel like the carefully designed speech is conversational. The fifth canon, memory, is harder to see, but we can assume that Obama rehearsed the speech before he delivered it.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Do It For Me | Long Form | COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative", Ad Council
Claim:
Rhetoric is discovering in each case all possible means of persuasion.
Application:
In this public service announcement, we see people discuss the COVID-19 vaccine with a skeptical loved one. Perhaps because of the importance of the issue, we see all three modes of persuasion at play: appeals to statistics about the vaccine's safety and efficacy (logos), appeals to emotional concern (pathos), and an unspoken appeal to the persuader's credibility as someone who cares about their relational partner (ethos).
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"'Never be ashamed of trying': Taylor Swift tells Class of 2022 in commencement speech", Good Morning America
Claim:
Logos, pathos, and ethos are modes of proof in rhetorical acts.
Application:
According to Aristotle, what kind of speech does Taylor Swift deliver here: deliberative, epideictic, or forensic? How does she establish her ethos? Do you see any other modes of proof in the speech?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 18—Dramatism
Title:
"Mean," Taylor Swift, Speak Now
Claim:
Victimage is naming an external enemy as the source of our ills.
Application:
Taylor wrote this song in response to a music critic who criticized her, and Taylor's response is Burkean victimage. If you apply the pentad to this song, which elements does Taylor emphasize?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
The Office, S6, E12, "Scott's Tots"
Claim:
Mortification is a confession of guilt and request for forgiveness.
Application:
Ten years ago, Michael Scott promised a group of third graders that he would pay for their college education. Now, as they approach high school graduation, he is unable to fulfill that promise. His speech is an example of mortification. Do you think it's effective? Why or why not? Could he have said anything that would have produced a different response from the students?
Discovered By:
Carter (Andrew's student)
Title:
Selma
Claim:
Victimage names an external enemy as the source of our ills.
Application:
Selma is a historical film about the civil rights movement, focusing on the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Here, Dr. King delivers a eulogy for Jimmy, a slain Black man. In his fictionalized speech, Dr. King names several parties he believes are responsible for Jimmy's murder.
Cue Point:
Eulogy for Jimmy
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Parks and Recreation, S6, E21, "Moving Up, Part 1"
Claim:
Identification, or the common ground between speaker and audience, is key to persuasion.
Application:
How will Ben convince Gryzzl to give Pawnee free wi-fi? Is it through a message that lands in the latitude of noncommitment? A well-crafted argument processed via the central route? Minimal justification to induce compliance? No--it's through a nerdy game of Cones of Dunshire, the game Ben invented that's a hit with the Gryzzl staff. Burke's dramatism explains this process of dramatism in a way that other theories might not.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Erin Brokovich
Claim:
Identification is the common ground between speaker and audience. Victimage names an external enemy as the source of our ills.
Application:
When PG&E's lawyers argue that their company's settlement offer is reasonable, Erin Brokovich shuts them down hard by appealing not to money, but to the common human concern for health--in other words, she invokes identification. Then, she drives her victimage home when she says that the water one of the lawyers is about to drink came from the contaminated well at the heart of the lawsuit.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Donald Trump Apologize for Sexist Comments About Groping Women", PBS NewsHour
Claim:
Mortification is confession of guilt and request for forgiveness. Victimage is naming an external enemy as the source of our ills.
Application:
Late in the 2016 presidential campaign. old tapes from the TV show Access Hollywood revealed that Donald Trump had made extremely offensive comments about women. In this video released by the Trump campaign soon afterward, Trump engages in mortification in the first half of the video... then rhetorically spins the focus around, engaging in victimage against Hillary Clinton in the second half.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Will Smith Slaps Chris Rock After Joke", The View
Claim:
The dramatistic pentad is a tool critics can use to discern the motives of a speaker by labeling five key elements of the drama: act, scene, agent, agency, and purpose.
Application:
This discussion focuses on Will Smith's assault on comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. Although the people on camera never mention Burke, his pentad helps us understand how they evaluated the event. First is Will Smith's own defense (starting at 1:01), where he frames his act (the slap) against his purpose for it (his care for his wife). Joy Behar (1:29) and Ana Navarro (2:15) both focus on the act (a slap, which is also a crime) and also contextualize it within the broader scene (for Behar, the profession of comedy; for Navarro, the event of the Oscars ceremony, among other things). Sunny Hostin (3:23) brings agency (the words Smith used and the manner of his behavior) and agent (the Smiths as longtime public figures) into the discussion. Whoopi Goldberg (5:21) returns to scene, considering the history between Smith and Rock as a motivator for the act. If you want to go farther, you might consider the dominant ratio in each person's comments and what that ratio reveals about their opinion on the slap.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 19—Narrative Paradigm
Title:
Braveheart
Claim:
Narrative fidelity is the congruence between values embedded in a message and what listeners regard as truthful and humane; the story strikes a responsive chord.
Application:
How will William Wallace persuade his countrymen to go into a battle with the English that may cost them their lives? Although Aristotle might indicate the logos of his appeal, Fisher would say there's more going on than that. In the end, it seems, it comes down to a story, a story about the lives of these men if they ran from battle. Would that story have narrative fidelity, or would another story where they stay and fight for their freedom? The reaction of the men suggests a clear answer.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Priyanka Chopra - Full Power of Women Speech", Variety
Claim:
Narrative rationality is a way to evaluate the worth of stories based on the twin standards of narrative coherence and narrative fidelity.
Application:
At the core of her argument against sexism, actor Priyanka Chopra's speech relies on narrative rationality. By telling stories from her own life, she weaves an argument about the grave challenges that girls and women often face. It's a story that strikes a chord because it resonates with listeners experiences and values.
Cue Point:
1:41-5:54
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Camille Vasquez Points to Inconsistencies in Amber Heard's Case", Law&Crime Network
Claim:
Narrative coherence is internal consistency, with characters acting in a reliable fashion; the story hangs together.
Application:
In 2022, many people paid close attention to the high-profile courtroom case between formerly married actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. In this clip, the closing argument of Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez focuses on inconsistencies in Heard's narrative. Using the language of the narrative paradigm, Vasquez is criticizing Heard's story for a lack of narrative coherence.
Cue Point:
Staring at 10:00 (although the entire video could serve an extended example)
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"The Last Jedi Plot Hole That Fans Say Broke Star Wars Forever", Looper
Claim:
Narrative coherence is internal consistency, with characters acting in a reliable fashion; the story hangs together.
Application:
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi received acclaim from some fans and condemnation from others. This video focuses on one particular point of controversy: the "Holdo Maneuver," where a character destroys an enemy ship by ramming into it with hyperspeed. Although to some this debate is nerdy nitpickiness, others insist that it's consistent with the rest of the Star Wars tale; or, in terms of the narrative paradigm, it made the franchise's narrative much less coherent.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"The Problem With Toy Story 4", captainmidnight
Claim:
Narrative coherence is internal consistency, and narrative fidelity is congruence between the message's values and those of the audience.
Application:
Although Toy Story 4 received critical acclaim, this YouTuber wasn't satisfied. As you listen to his reasons, which have to do with narrative coherence, and which with narrative fidelity? How do the two concepts overlap and how are they distinct?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"The Story of Us", Taylor Swift, Speak Now
Claim:
Narrative rationality is a way to evaluate the worth of stories based on the twin standards of narrative coherence and narrative fidelity.
Application:
Taylor Swift's music often uses the metaphor of story to describe love--but according to Fisher, perhaps story is more than a metaphor. In this song, Swift seems to use narrative rationality to evaluate her romantic relationship. Because the story of their love (and specifically, the story of her boyfriend's behavior) lacks both narrative fidelity and coherence, she is dissatisfied. If you want to take this idea farther with Swift's music, you might examine her early hit "Love Story" on the Fearless album, where she likens a romance beset by family drama to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 20—Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making
Title:
Apollo 13
Claim:
Promotive statements move a group toward their goal, disruptive messages move away from the goal, and counteractive messages get the group back on track.
Application:
This scene is a classic example for group communication theory. After an explosion strands the astronauts in space, workers at mission control deliberate how to get them home. Which of the four functions do you see here? And how would you classify each message as promotive, disruptive, or counteractive, and why?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
The Martian
Claim:
More research is needed to understand how decisions are made in bona fide (i.e., real-life) groups.
Application:
The Martian is a science fiction story about an astronaut stranded on Mars. In this scene, characters on Earth consider how to get him home. As they deliberate their options, you can likely spot the four functions. But what do you make of how the final decision is made? The tension and disagreement at the end highlight how the functional perspective says little about how an option is chosen and how that may be a tricky thing in bona fide groups with history, interpersonal relationships, and power dynamics.
Cue Point:
"Project Elrond" scene
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Big Bang Theory, S2, E14, "The Financial Permeability"
Claim:
Groups can maximize their likelihood of making a high-quality decision when they perform the four requisite functions.
Application:
The group is deciding where and when to see the movie, and as they do, you should be able to spot the four functions (except perhaps analysis of the problem--we can assume that happened before the scene starts). Their final solution is unorthodox, but even Sheldon has to admit that the group's analysis led to that conclusion.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Parks and Recreation, S2, E23, "The Master Plan"
Claim:
Analysis of the problem is the function of determining the nature, extent, and cause(s) of the problem facing the group.
Application:
Chris and Ben come to the Pawnee Parks & Recreation Department with the goal of auditing the department and cutting the budget. But, their analysis of the problem is quite different. How does Chris analyze the problem, and how does that contrast with Ben's analysis of the problem? Does that differ from Leslie's analysis, and from Ron's? How do their different analyses shape their communication as they begin to move on to the functions of identification of alternatives and evaluating those alternatives?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Black-ish, S7, E15, "Jack's First Stand"
Claim:
Groups can maximize their likelihood of making a high-quality decision when they perform the four requisite functions. Disruptive messages move the group away from the goal.
Application:
When Dre tells his coworkers about his son's decision to become vegan, a lively discussion ensues. How do they analyze the problem? What alternatives do they identify? Do they spend sufficient time setting goals or evaluating the positive and negative characteristics of the alternatives? The clip also contains several examples of disruptive communication, in the form of side comments that might generate a laugh from the show's audience but don't move the goal toward solving the problem.
Cue Point:
In the YouTube link, 0:00-2:40
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 2
Claim:
Of the four functions, evaluation of negative consequences of alternative solutions is by far the most crucial to ensure a quality decision.
Application:
"SPOILER WARNING: This scene is late in the saga, so you may want to avoid it if you haven't seen the movies or read the books.
Near the end of the final movie, President Coin makes a startling proposal: Holding a 'symbolic' hunger games, featuring the children of Panem's former leadership. She spends some time analyzing the problem, but skips over goal setting. Although a few characters offer brief evaluations of positive or negative characteristics of her idea, Coin does not brainstorm alternatives, and her push for a quick decision removes any opportunity for further performance of the poor functions. To see why this ends up being a bad idea for her, read the end of the book or watch the end of the movie."
Cue Point:
Debate scene with President Coin, near the end of the film
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"You Belong With Me", Taylor Swift, Fearless
Claim:
Four requisite functions enhance the likelihood that a group will arrive at a good decision.
Application:
Did you realize this classic song is about decision making? The girl in the song has analyzed the problem: her male friend is in an unsatisfying romantic relationship. And she’s identified two alternatives: he can stay with his current girlfriend, or ditch her for a relationship with the singing girl. As for goal setting, the singer lists several criteria, from music tastes to dress to sense of humor. If only he’d follow the four functions, she thinks he’d realize his best and most reasonable choice.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 21—Symbolic Convergence Theory
Title:
"Gee, Officer Krupke," Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2021)
Claim:
Sharing group fantasies creates symbolic convergence.
Application:
Gang members in the Jets are hassled by the gruff New York police Sergeant Krupke. In the song, they mimic and chain out in a host of dramatized messages that others have offered to explain why they are punks. These “there and then” comments include their mothers being junkies, fathers being drunks, that they have a social disease, aren’t loved, and are depraved because they’re deprived. Convergence is evident in the “Jets” song (xx:xx), where gang members proclaim they’re a band of brothers until the day they die. Everyone stays together until then.
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
"Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince," Taylor Swift, Lover
Claim:
Rhetorical vision
Application:
Taylor Swift wrote this song as an allegory about the election and presidency of Donald Trump, using the imagery of a high school football game to imagine American politics in a creative and memorable way.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Big Bang Theory, S7, E22, "The Proton Transmogrification"
Claim:
Sharing group fantasies creates cohesion.
Application:
Among the group of friends, Star Wars is a big deal, and their enthusiasm for Star Wars Day is apparent. As they discuss the symbolic cue that sparks their group fantasy, it is apparent that Penny does not consider herself to be a part of that rhetorical community.
Discovered By:
Richie (Andrew's student)
Title:
Gilmore Girls, S1, E5, "Cinnamon's Wake"
Claim:
Some dramatizing messages fall flat, but others ignite and trigger a chain reaction.
Application:
When Lorelia makes a joke, her mother Emily misses the point... or does she? Wait until the end of the clip to see the chain reaction.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Any Given Sunday
Claim:
Symbolic convergence is when two or more private symbol worlds incline toward each other, come more closely toegether, or even overlap; group consciousness, cohesiveness.
Application:
In this clip, fictional coach Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino) delivers a passionate speech to his team. the key dramatizing message involves inches as a key element of life and football--perhaps inches serves as a metaphor for both. You'll see the fantasy chain reaction among the players, and hear Coach D'Amato's appeal to team unity--what the theory says will be the outcome of group fantasies such as this.
Cue Point:
Locker room speech
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Parks and Recreation, S3, E1, "Go Big or Go Home"
Claim:
Group members' meanings, emotions, motives, and actions are apparent in their fantasy themes.
Application:
When Ron Swanson coaches a boys' basketball team, he uses it as an opportunity to communicate his vision of masculinity to his players. He does this through his "Pyramid of Greatness," a rather whimsical way to communicate what he believes are a man's ideal meanings, emotions, motives, and actions.
Cue Point:
0:00-0:50
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"The Impact of Colin Kaepernick's National Anthem Kneel", NFL Network
Claim:
A rhetorical vision is a composite drama that catches up large groups of people into a common symbolic reality.
Application:
This video documents NFL athlete Colin Kaepernick's practice of sitting or taking the knee during the national anthem, an act he did to protest racial injustice, particularly that perpetrated by police officers. This practice created a rhetorical community that joined him, and also met criticism by a rhetorical community that opposed him.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince", Taylor Swift, Lover
Claim:
A dramatizing message involves creative interpretations of events.
Application:
Taylor Swift wrote this song as an allegory about the election and presidency of Donald Trump, using the imagery of a high school football game to imagine American politics in a creative and memorable way.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 22—Cultural Approach to Organizations
Title:
The Office, S3, E3, "The Coup"
Claim:
Rituals is performance that creates culture.
Application:
Jim Halpert has recently transferred from Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch to their Stamford branch. In this clip, he becomes acquainted with the Stamford branch's ritual of Call of Duty games while at work, a ritual that even the supervisor participates in. Jim struggles to engage this ritual effectively, and contrasts this with a much different ritual at the Scranton branch.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"The Zappos Family - How They Work", Zappos Family Careers
Claim:
Rituals, stories, and metaphors are cultural performances of organizations.
Application:
This brief video describes the culture of online shoe retailer Zappos. In the clip, which is a corporate story about the company, you can spot metaphor and ritual. The video clip also hints at the shortcomings of the cultural approach--for example, what about those who do not fit the organizational culture (perhaps because they are less social)? What about those who do not want to leverage friendships for career advancement? Considering these issues pushes against the boundaries of the cultural approach and points toward critical questions that connect with the work of Deetz.
Discovered By:
Andrew (suggested by one of his students)
Title:
"Alexis Schrepple - Housing and Residence Life", TCU
Claim:
Rituals, stories, and metaphors are cultural performances of organizations.
Application:
This clip, from Andrew's university, features a resident assistant describing her leadership role. It is a personal story because she emphasizes her positive contribution to the university. Can you spot the dominant metaphor she uses for her role?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Walt Disney World Lingo Cheat Sheet for New Guests", Wanderful World of Travel
Claim:
Metaphors are cultural performances that express a shared interpretation of the world.
Application:
This "cheat sheet" reveals some of the lingo used by Disney employees... um, I mean, Disney cast members. Disney's corporate metaphors convey the idea that Disney World isn't a theme park; it's an interactive theatrical experience where all cast members play a part.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"'You're Just Disposable': Former Amazon Workers Speak Out | 'Amazon Empire' | FRONTLINE", Frontline PBS
Claim:
Collegial stories are anecdotes about how an organization "really works."
Application:
In the highlighted segments of this video, former Amazon employees speak out about their negative experiences. These are collegial stories that run counter to Amazon's corporate story.
Cue Point:
2:07-4:17; 8:42-9:33
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Epiphany", Taylor Swift, Folklore
Claim:
Corporate stories carry the ideology of management, whereas collegial stories convey how the organization "really works."
Application:
Taylor imagines what life was like for her grandfather in the military during World War II, and for doctors during the COVID pandemic. For both groups, the emotion conveyed in the song rests in the tension between the corporate (leadership) and collegial (“how things really work”) narratives in those organizations.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 23—Communicative Constitution of Organizations
Title:
The Office, S4, E5, "Local Ad"
Claim:
Institutional positioning is one of the four flows that constitutes organization(s).
Application:
In this episode, corporate rejects Michael's idea for a Dunder Mifflin ad in favor of their version. We see both ads in this clip, and both take different approaches to institutional positioning. For contrast, you might consider what the cultural approach to organizations would say about the stories told in each ad.
Discovered By:
Paige (Andrew's student)
Title:
The Internship
Claim:
Membership negotiation is one of the four flows that constitutes organization(s).
Application:
In this scene, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson's characters are interviewing for internship positions at Google. The question asked by the Google interviewer is a real one used by Google. What does such a question say about their process of membership negotiation? If you were one of the interviewers, what would you think about the interviewees' unusual response?
Cue Point:
Webcam interview scene
Discovered By:
Will (Andrew's student)
Title:
Newsies
Claim:
Membership negotiation and institutional positioning are two of four flows that call organization into being.
Application:
In this song and dance number, watch how the boys use communication to form a union and to position themselves against an organization.
Discovered By:
Dr. Kate Cooper, DePaul University
Title:
The Big Bang Theory, S2, E18, "The Work Song Nanocluster"
Claim:
The four flows call organization into being
Application:
When Penny creates her own business making flower barrette clips, somehow her male friends get involved. The clip opens with a song, suggested by Sheldon, to enhance productivity--that's activity coordination. Hear the gang discuss institutional positioning as they consider how to connect the product with customers. The clip ends with self-structuring as Sheldon assigns roles--clearly he, not Penny, is now in charge. Throughout the clip, subtle membership negotiation has occurred, whereby the group of friends is now organized around a shared activity.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Nest CEO on Culture of Apple vs. Google", CNN
Claim:
Self-structuring is communication that shapes the relationship among an organization's members.
Application:
In this interview, Nest founder Tody Fadell contrasts the corporate cultures of Google and Apple. Google features a less centralized structure whereas Apple more strongly emphasizes hierarchy.
Cue Point:
0:00-1:15
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"USC & UCLA to Big Ten, Notre Dame the next to join a conference?! Pete Thamel explains | SC with SVP", ESPN College Football
Claim:
Institutional positioning is ocmmunication between an organization and external entities.
Application:
This video clip covers the news that USC and UCLA would be leaving the Pac 12 conference to join the Big 10 conference--an earthquake in the college football landscape. From the perspective of CCO, the moves that schools and conferences make to position themselves against each other is institutional positioning. Toward the end of the clip, Pete Thamel argues that economic pressures are reshaping the college sports landscape. CCO would have a different take; how might CCO explain what's going on?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions
Claim:
Flows are circulating fields of messages that constitute organization.
Application:
CCO addresses how organization is constituted through communication, a process that occurs when closure is achieved through back-and-forth interaction. This entire show focuses on how this was accomplished by Taylor and her collaborators, creating a Grammy-award winning album during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. This clip focuses on the song “Exile,” addressing how the song grew from a piano riff by Taylor’s boyfriend Joe Alwyn, to collaboration with Aaron Dessner, to including Justin Vernon (Bon Iver). Which of the four flows occur in this very organic example of organizing? If you watch the entire show, do you see all four flows present in the creation of the Folklore album?
Cue Point:
19:14-22:10
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 24—Critical Theory of Communication in Organizations
Title:
The Devil Wears Prada
Claim:
Managerial control is gained by overt strategy and employees' unwitting consent
Application:
At dinner with her father, Andy recounts the ways her boss Miranda demands total obedience, and admits she complies with whatever Miranda orders because she believes it’s in her own best interest to do so. Through the conversation with her Dad, she realizes it’s not.
Cue Point:
27:20-34:20, Andy's dinner with her father
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
"The Bobby Knight Problem," The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, Christianity Today
Claim:
Manageralism, consent, and discursive closure
Application:
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill is a podcast that describes the explosive popularity of Mark Driscoll's Seattle church, and how that church came to a sudden and tragic end. This episode reflects on what the host calls "The Bobby Knight Problem," a reference to NCAA men's basketball head coach Bobby Knight and his abusive behavior at Indiana University. The whole episode is relevant, but the highlighted segment particularly discusses how organizations invest in charismatic leaders despite their flaws, maintain control over their institutional image, and silence dissent. This resonates with Deetz' description of managerialism, consent, and discursive closure.
Cue Point:
Much of the episode is relevant, but listen especially to 31:31-40:50
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Stan Deetz - How a Collaboration is Different from Involvement", Gonzaga Mentor Gallery
Claim:
Involvement, which is stakeholders' free expression of ideas, is different than participation, or having power in making the decision.
Application:
In this interview, Deetz explains how involvement is different than participation (called "collaboration" in the interview). He does so with a potent hypothetical regarding how we could do political debates differently.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
The Office, S7, E24, "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager"
Claim:
Strategy is a corporate decision-making strrategy that involves overt managerial moves to extend control.
Application:
In this episode, Dwight has become acting manager of Dunder Mifflin. His policies and actions to control his subordinates are over-the-top, parodying the managerialism that occurs in some real-life workplaces. As Deetz indicates, his subordinates are well aware of these power moves, which produces both dissatisfaction and the desire to ignore Dwight's rules.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Canadian Video Game Creators Face Gruelling 'Crunch' Hours", CBC News: The National
Claim:
Consent is the process by which employees actively, though unknowingly, accomplsih managerial interests in a faulty attempt to fulfill their own.
Application:
The video game industry has been criticized for "crunch time," or a season of intense overtime hours (sometimes not paid) before the release of a game. This news story highlights the experience of one worker who experienced burnout after working long hours every day of the week. This video, along with another about South Korean game development (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N5jpZp4q4Q), points out that the drive and interest of employees feeds this labor practice. Deetz would say that these workers think they are fulfilling their own interests when they are contributing to the large profits of video game companies.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"My Tears Ricochet", Taylor Swift, Folklore
Claim:
Consent is the process by which employees actively, though unknowingly, accomplsih managerial interests in a faulty attempt to fulfill their own.
Application:
This song might sound like it is describing the funeral of an ex-lover, but the deeper layer of meaning is this: Taylor is critiquing music industry practices that favor management and disempower artists. She’s particularly concerned about practices like the contract she signed as a young artist, a contract that seems to be in her favor but wasn’t. Deetz might label that “consent,” and instead, Taylor seems to want something more akin to stakeholder democracy (participation).
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 25—Communication Accommodation Theory
Title:
Friends, S4, E11, "The One with Phoebe's Uterus"
Claim:
People who want to reinforce a strong group identification will interact with those outside the group in a way that accentuates their differences.
Application:
Joey works as a tour guide at the natural history museum where Ross works. In the lunchroom, the scientists in white coats eat at a separate table than the guides in blue blazers. How would CAT explain the initial orientation here and Ross' choice to break the pattern?
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
Friends, S9, E7, "The One with Ross's Inappropriate Song"
Claim:
Convergence tends to produce positive outcomes and divergence/maintenance tend to produce negative outcomes.
Application:
When Phoebe meets her boyfriend Mike's parents, she initially tries to imitate their communication style. When Mike objects, she reverts to her normal style of communication. How would CAT describe Phoebe's choices and would it predict Mike's family's response?
Discovered By:
Andrew & Em
Title:
Friends, S6, E4, "The One Where Joey Loses His Insurance"
Claim:
Our response to a person's divergence or convergence depends on the attribution we ascribe to their motive.
Application:
When Ross is invited to guest lecture at NYU, he is excited--but when he gets in front of the students, for some reason he starts speaking with a British accent. What would attribution theory suggest about his students' response when they learn the accent is fake?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Mapping How Americans Talk - Soda vs. Pop vs. Coke", The Atlantic
Claim:
Our communication often reveals our group affiliation, and we may make deliberate choices to emphasize or deemphasize that group affiliation.
Application:
This video demonstrates American regionalisms in vocabulary and accent. These may reveal group affiliations, and CAT would wonder what happens when people from different regions interact with each other.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Parks and Recreation, S6, E3, "The Pawnee-Eagleton Tip Off Classic"
Claim:
A distressing history of interaction between groups leads to a need for distinctiveness and divergent communication behavior.
Application:
Pawnee and Eagleton have a centuries-old rivalry, based largely on Eagleton's higher socioeconomic status. When Eagleton is in financial trouble and Pawnee offers to help, Leslie (Amy Poehler) can't help but emphasize her love for Pawnee and disdain for Eagleton as she speaks with Eagleton councilwoman Ingrid de Forest (Kristen Bell). According to CAT, Ingrid's negative response to Leslie's divergence arises from a distressing history of interaction and emphasis on group distinctiveness.
Cue Point:
0:00-0:48, 2:04-3:16
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"I Bet You Think About Me", Taylor Swift, Red (Taylor's Version)
Claim:
Divergence is a communication strategy of accentuating the differences between you and another person.
Application:
Taylor draws a stark contrast between her own socioeconomic background and that of her ex-boyfriend. His constant divergence is a key cause of their breakup.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 26—Face-Negotiation Theory
Title:
"6 Things OKAY in the USA (but rude/prohibited in Japan)," Texan in Tokyo
Claim:
Individualism and collectivism
Application:
In this YouTube video, a couple (she's American, he's Japanese) discuss six cultural differences they've observed between the United States and Japan. As you watch, consider how these differences reflect the United States' individualism versus Japan's collectivism.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Friends, S1, E9, "The One Where Underdog Gets Away"
Claim:
In conflict situations within individualistic societies, members usually have self-face concern and seek dominance by defending their opinion or behavior, expressing emotion, and through active or passive aggression.
Application:
When Chandler announces that an 80-foot balloon “Underdog” has broken free from the Thanksgiving parade, the whole group dashes out to go to the roof to see it floating by. When they come back they find that, in the rush, no one brought a key and they are locked out. Monica’s Thanksgiving meal is burning up, and Rachel can’t get her airline ticket to go skiing. The clip shows what self-face concern can look like, even among friends.
Cue Point:
13:50-14:40, 15:30-16:20, 17:30-20:30
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
The Office, S5, E19, "Golden Ticket"
Claim:
People from individualistic cultures prioritize self-face concern by engaging in face-restoration behaviors.
Application:
In this classic episode of The Office, Michael is extremely confident that his golden ticket promotion is a great idea. Look for his face-restoration strategies -- even when the idea goes awry. The whole episode is an over-the-top satire of individualistic face-restoration in the American workplace.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Tolerate It", Taylor Swift, Evermore
Claim:
Face-giving is the other-concerned facework strategy used to defend and support another person's face, and specific conflict styles are associated with that approach.
Application:
This song, inspired by Daphne du Maurier's 1930s novel Rebecca, voices the story of a woman who does everything she can to strengthen and protect the face of her husband, but he does not reciprocate. Which conflict styles do you hear in the lyrics? The final rendition of the chorus warns about the downsides of the wife's facework strategy. How does this reveal that the song arises from an individualistic culture? How might a person from a collectivistic culture rewrite that final chorus?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Crazy Rich Asians
Claim:
Conflict styles differ between individualistic and collectivistic cultures.
Application:
"SPOILER WARNING: This scene occurs near the end of the movie.
Throughout the movie, Rachel Chu experiences conflict with her boyfriend's mother, Eleanor. This conflict turns on Eleanor's perception that Rachel's (individualistic) American identity is incompatible with her family's (collectivistic) Singaporean identity. You can see Eleanor acknowledge this in their initial meeting (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3sH0RqVPhg&list=PLZbXA4lyCtqrDSsX9g4KjfU5UPvrTXSmv&index=3) and at the start of this clip. Here, at the movie's climax, Rachel and Eleanor meet over a game of Mahjong. How does Rachel argue her case using a conflict style that might be more effective in a collectivistic cultural context? How might she have argued differently if her conflict took place in an individualistic cultural context?"
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Black Panther
Claim:
In individualistic cultures, people look out for themselves and emphasize "I" identity; in collectivistic cultures, people identify with larger groups and emphasize "we" identity.
Application:
In this scene, villain Erik "Killmonger" Stevens confronts T'Challa. What aspects of Erik indicate his individualistic American identity? And what aspects of T'Challa's response suggest that the fictional nation of Wakanda falls on the collectivistic side of the continuum?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Guide to Gift Giving in China", Yoyo Chinese
Claim:
Collectivistic cultures are often high-context cultures where meaning is communicated indirectly.
Application:
This video explains what gifts to avoid when trying to show appreciation and respect for Chinese recipients. The reasons for avoiding these gifts have to do with contextual cultural meanings, such as the similarity between the pronunciation of the gift and something undesirable. Can you think of gifts that are inappropriate to give in Western contexts for similar reasons? I (Andrew) have asked many classes of my students, and they haven't been able to name one. That reveals, I think, that the United States is a low-context culture.
Cue Point:
Starting at 3:06
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 27—Co-Cultural Theory
Title:
Come From Away
Claim:
Members of co-cultural groups may choose to assimilate, fitting into the dominant culture and shedding markers of their co-cultural group membership.
Application:
The musical Come From Away tells the true story of travelers who were forced to land in a small Newfoundland town during the events of September 11, 2011 terrorist attacks. Two of these travelers are Kevin and Kevin, a gay couple who are concerned that the small town will reject them because of their sexual orientation. At first they try to blend in, not presenting themselves as a couple; they chose to assimilate. When their coupled status slips out after a few drinks at the bar, the couple is surprised at the warm reception they receive from the townspeople. How would dominant group theory explain that?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Selma
Claim:
With assertive accommodation, co-cultural group members openly advocate for the interests of their group while respecting the interests of the dominant group.
Application:
In this clip, Dr. King argues boldly for the right of Black people to vote, doing so within the formal structures of the U.S. presidency. How would dominant group theory describe President Johnson's response?
Cue Point:
Dr. King meets with President Johnson in the Oval Office
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
The Employables, S1, E1, "Hire Intelligence"
Claim:
Communication approach is the preferred outcome for co-cultural group members when they interact with members of the dominant group.
Application:
The Employables covers neurodivergent people as they navigate the job market. In this brief clip, the host of the show discusses with an autistic man whether he should or shouldn't disclose his disability to potential employers. How would co-cultural theory describe his options in terms of communication approach?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Hidden Figures
Claim:
Communication approach is the preferred outcome for co-cultural group members when they interact with members of the dominant group. Likewise, dominant group members have preferred outcome as well.
Application:
Hidden Figures tells the story of Black female mathematicians who provided crucial contributions to the United States space program in the 1950s. A particular challenge for these women was segregated bathrooms, with the restroom they could use located far away. When group director Al Harrison (Kevin Costner) confront Katherine Goble Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) about her lengthy absences, his preferred outcome seems to be reinforcement of his white male privilege. After Katherine's aggressive accommodation, watch as his preferred outcome changes dramatically in one of the film's most powerful images.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
black-ish, S7, E10, "What About Gary?"
Claim:
Dominant group members may want to reinforce, impede or dismantle oppressive power structures faced by co-cultural group members.
Application:
Dre's wife's white cousin, Gary, has shown interest in understanding racism and working against it. This scene occurs after Dre explained the Black experience to Gary the previous night. As they speak in the morning, though, Dre doesn't think Gary's effort goes far enough. How would dominant group theory describe Gary's approach, and how would it describe the approach Dre wants him to take?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"You Need to Calm Down", Taylor Swift, Lover
Claim:
Dominant group theory addresses how members of dominant groups communicate with members of co-cultural groups.
Application:
Orbe’s research has investigated the LGBTQ community, an audience Taylor addresses in this song. How would dominant group theory describe the lyrics of the second verse?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 28—Afrocentricity
Title:
"Living for the City," Stevie Wonder, Innervisions
Claim:
Afrocentric communication must resist racism and colonialism
Application:
In this third track from his first Grammy-winning album Innervisions, Stevie Wonder tackles cultural hegemony in America. The song tells the story of a young Black man who journeys from economic hardship in the South to seek a better life in the North, only to encounter racial discrimination at the hands of the police that lands him in jail. The song voiced Black experience in a way that was uncommon for popular music in the 1970s, and Wonder's concern regarding economic and legal injustice still resonates today.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Straight Outta Compton
Claim:
Cultural hegemony; Afrocentric communication must resist racism and colonialism; Afrocentric communication must envision fresh possibilities for the future
Application:
Straight Outta Compton is a biographical film about gangsta rap group NWA. In this clip, two cops--one white, one Black--force the rappers to the ground only because they are standing on the street while Black. Their manager confronts the officers, explaining that they are artists who are creating new music--watch the Eurocentric response of the officer that rejects the value of their work.
Cue Point:
Police confrontation scene
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Black-ish, S2, E16, "Hope"
Claim:
Afrocentric communication must benefit African people; Afrocentric communication seeks to liberate the African diaspora from Eurocentric ways of thinking
Application:
When news breaks about police brutality against a Black teenager, Dre and Rainbow disagree on how to discuss it with their kids. Their conflict reveals their Afrocentric desire to benefit their children as members of the African diaspora, but also uncertainty on how to counter Eurocentric ways of thinking.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"WHATCHUTALKINBOUT," Jon Batiste, We Are
Claim:
Afrocentric communication must envision fresh possibilities for the future
Application:
Jon Batiste's We Are won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2022. Although the selection committee doesn't reveal the reasons for their choices, surely the album's ability to blend, cross, and break genre lines is a reason why. The album invokes several strains of Black musical artistry, including jazz, soul, and gospel, so much so that the album is hard to categorize--it's a fresh vision of what music can be. The song "WHATCHUTALKINBOUT" is mostly rap--another Black musical tradition--but toward the end Batiste fuses it with videogamey electronica. And in the lyrics, Batiste sings about how he both draws upon yet differs from the legacy of previous rap artists, invoking Obama's singing of the song "Amazing Grace" as an example of hope. This song, and indeed the entire album, is a powerful example of Afrocentric artistry that envisions new possibilities.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"The President Honors the Life of Reverend Clementa Pinckney"
Claim:
Call-and-response is a communication style in which audience members offer verbal and nonverbal feedback on the speaker's message in real time; a major assumption of the Afrocentric paradigm is that the nature of life is spiritual.
Application:
In this speech, President Obama honors the life of Reverend Clementa Pinckney, a pastor who was one of nine people murdered by a racist who came to a church Bible study. President Obama engages in the call-and-response style common in Black churches; observe the verbal and nonverbal reactions of the audience, including a musical response when the President invokes the hymn "Amazing Grace." Notice also Obama's appeals to spiritual language and ideas; this reflects not only Reverend Pinckney's identity, but also the Afrocentric assumption that life is spiritual.
Cue Point:
15:45-19:19
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Molefi Kete Asante - Afrocentric Education"
Claim:
Afrocentricity is a worldview that centers African culture in the study of the African diaspora.
Application:
In this video, theorist Molefi Kete Asante provides an overview of Afrocentricity and Afrocentric education.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"What Wildest Dreams Gets Wrong About Africa", MTV News
Claim:
Eurocentrism is a worldview that centers Western norms and civilization over non-Western counterparts.
Application:
Taylor’s video for “Wildest Dreams” takes place in Africa. This clip critiques that choice because, for example, it portrays Africa as a single country and culture rather than a multitude of countries and cultures.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 29—Feminist Standpoint Theory
Title:
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, S1, E5, "Truth"
Claim:
Strong objectivity searches for knowledge by starting from the lives of marginalized groups, which upon critical reflection and resistance provides a less false view of reality
Application:
As Sam Wilson struggles with the possibility of inheriting the legacy of Captain America, he visits Isaiah Bradley, another super soldier (as was Captain America) who American military leadership experimented on and marginalized. As Isaiah shares the story of the racism he suffered, he challenges the knowledge that Sam has--knowledge that reflects the interests of powerful white people and hides uncomfortable truths.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Boys Will Be Boys", Dua Lipa, Future Nostalgia
Claim:
A social location is a group membership that shapes our experiences of the world and our ways of understanding it.
Application:
In this song, Dua Lipa voices common feminine experiences that advantage men and disadvantage women. Based on this song, do you think she has moved from a social location to having a feminist standpoint? Why or why not?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Patricia Hill Collins Explains BLACK FEMINIST THOUGHT | #1 Controlling Images", TV Boitempo
Claim:
The strong Black woman controlling images that appear in mass media burden Black women with expectations of strength that are impossible for any human being to live up to.
Application:
Here, Patricia Hill Collins elaborates on the idea of the strong Black woman controlling image. She identifies specific types of that image, and also considers how these types can function positively or negatively. She uses Michelle Obama's role as First Lady as an example. (Note that although the introductory text is in Portuguese, the interview is in English.)
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Miranda Fricker On Testimony and the Power of Words", Gender Talks
Claim:
Epistemic injustice is harm that occurs when society attacks human value by assigning greater worth to some knowers than it does to others.
Application:
Miranda Fricker summarizes her ethical perspective on epistemic injustice, using examples drawn from Colombian women who experienced sexual violence against them.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
On the Basis of Sex
Claim:
A standpoint is a perspective achieved through critical reflection on power relations and their consequences that opposes the status quo.
Application:
On the Basis of Sex is a historical biographical film about the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In this scene, Ginsburg (Felicity Jones) makes a closing argument that describes the existence, history, and causes of legally-mandated sexism in United States law. Her words reveal careful reflection on power relations that leads her to oppose the status quo.
Cue Point:
Closing argument scene
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Hidden Figures
Claim:
Intersectionality refers to how all aspects of a person's identity are intertwined, mutually constituting each other. A standpoint is a perspective achieved through critical reflection that opposes the status quo.
Application:
Mary Jackson wants to attend classes at a high school so that she can study to become a NASA engineer. The barrier to doing so is that South Carolina is a segregated state, the high school is only for white students, and Mary Jackson is a Black woman. Note that the judge refers to her not only by her race but by her sex; her intersectionality hinders her freedom. Jackson's responses reveals that she has a standpoint; she is aware that her case is not only about her opportunities, but those of people long into the future.
Cue Point:
Courtroom scene
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Mad Woman", Taylor Swift, Folklore
Claim:
Our group memberships (social location) shapes our experience of the world and our ways of understanding it.
Application:
The thesis of this song resonates deeply with feminist standpoint theory: Women (and others on the margins of society) have insights into society that members of more powerful groups don’t possess.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 30—Muted Group Theory
Title:
"Your Power," Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever
Claim:
Muting; sexual harassment
Application:
In "Your Power," Billie Eilish describes how an older man uses his power over a younger woman. The woman expresses how the man twisted her thoughts and emotions, such that she felt responsible for his bad behavior.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
The Little Mermaid
Claim:
Women are a muted group. Because of man-made language and power structures, women can’t say what they want to say, when and where they want to say it.
Application:
Ariel, a mermaid, agrees to a bargain with Ursula the Sea Witch: She has three days to win the true love of her prince, but to have that chance, she has to give up her voice. She can’t speak. Although man-made language isn’t the issue, being muted by someone with power is.
Cue Point:
38:50
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
"Me and the Sky," Come From Away Original Broadway Cast, Come From Away
Claim:
Women are a muted group. Because of man-made language and power structures, women can’t say what they want to say, when and where they want to say it.
Application:
The musical Come From Away tells the true story of travelers who were forced to land in a small Newfoundland town during the events of the September 11, 2011 terrorist attacks. One of the airline pilots involved was Beverly Bass, who was the first female captain at American Airlines. This song chronicles the bias and muting she overcame during her career.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"The Man," Taylor Swift, Lover
Claim:
Muting occurs when dominant groups, such as men, possess the power to label, explain, define, and control the experiences of marginalized groups, such as women.
Application:
Here, Taylor considers what her life would be life if she were a man--how would she be perceived? What power and influence would she have? This reflection reveals the bias and muting enacted against her within the music industry because she is a woman.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"How Did Tech Become So Male-Dominated?", The Atlantic
Claim:
Male gatekeepers enact muting, and the world of technology is a key piece where men mute women.
Application:
This brief video examines how male gatekeeping in the technology industry erases the contributions of women and discourages women seeking to join the field. This resonates with the chapter's description of digital bias encoded into technology.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"The Bechdel Test - Everything You Need to Know", No Film School
Claim:
Gatekeepers of popular culture have been and are overwhelmingly male, and thus the stories told in popular culture often ignore the interests of women.
Application:
The Bechdel Test is a way of assessing the presence and depth of female characters in film. It reveals that women are often absent from films or their roles are limited, thus suggesting that male gatekeepers may limit the expression of women's voices.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Jimmy Kimmel Mansplains to Hillary Clinton", Jimmy Kimmel Live
Claim:
A muted group must work harder to have their voices heard in the public sphere because the dominant group creates the communication rules.
Application:
Here, Hillary Clinton and Jimmy Kimmel use humor to make a powerful point: Men set communication rules and expectations for women that are impossible to live up to, and thus those rules serve the interests of men and maintaining their power.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 31—Media Ecology
Title:
"Technologic," Daft Punk, Human After All
Claim:
Media shape the sensory world of meanings that in turn shapes our perceptions, experiences, attitudes, and behavior.
Application:
Daft Punk is a French musical duo created by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Early in the group's history, they adopted the persona of robots, appearing in public dressed in their iconic robot costumes. This also fits the focus of their music, which plays with the intersection of people, machines, and media in our digtal era. "Technologic" is the most-streamed song from their third album, and the lyrics are a droning repetition of verbs related to computers. They seem to be making a claim that resonates with McLuhan: Our technology changes how we think about the world and how we think about ourselves. For those willing to take a close look, it may be worth considering how McLuhan intersects with the entire album, Human After All, and also how those themes continue and transform in their next album, the 2014 Grammy Album of the Year Random Access Memories. On that album, see especially "Touch," a track that, like McLuhan, considers touch (or lack thereof) a key sense in our experience with technology.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"28 Hours / Wherever We Are" & "Phoning Home," Come From Away Original Broadway Cast, Come From Away
Claim:
Media shape the sensory world of meanings that in turn shapes our perceptions, experiences, attitudes, and behavior.
Application:
The musical Come From Away tells the true story of travelers who were forced to land in a small Newfoundland town during the events of the September 11, 2011 terrorist attacks. These two songs describe the symbolic environment of 2001, how the lack of cell phones made it difficult or impossible to learn news or contact loved ones. Although they took their symbolic environment for granted at the time, we now see their symbolic environment as something strange and different -- indeed, one character even "breaks the fourth wall" to explain this to the audience at 0:52-0:56 in "28 Hours / Wherever We Are." This begs the question: If a crisis of this magnitude were to happen now, how would the symbolic environment shape our response?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Red Sky at Morning," The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, Christianity Today
Claim:
The symbolic environment is the socially constructed, sensory world of meanings that in turn shapes our perceptions, experiences, attitudes, and behavior.
Application:
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill is a podcast that describes the explosive popularity of Mark Driscoll's Seattle church, and how that church came to a sudden and tragic end. Much of the church's rise--and, arguably, fall--has to do with the media environment of the time. Driscoll was an early innovator in communicating religious messages through the Internet, and in this episode, the host and guests argue that this focus on online celebrity came at the expense of local connections. In the segment highlighted, McLuhan, Postman, and media ecology appear as explanatory mechanisms for what happened at Mars Hill.
Cue Point:
Much of the episode is relevant, but specific mention of media ecology is at 19:22-23:28
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Marshall McLuhan - Digital Prophecies: The Medium is the Message", Al Jazeera English
Claim:
Symbolic environments are the socially constructed, sensory world of meanings that in turn shapes our perceptions, experiences, attidues, and behavior.
Application:
This brief video offers an engaging, visually creative summary of McLuhan's media ecology.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Marshall McLuhan - The Medium Is The Message [1977]"
Claim:
McLuhan's famous phrase "the medium is the message" refers to the vast, unavoidable influence of a technology's existence.
Application:
If you're confused about what "the medium is the message" means, you might try listening to McLuhan explain it in his own words. The segments highlighted here are short and relevant, although the whole interview is worth watching.
Cue Point:
2:32-3:25; 7:50-8:42
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Back to School: 80s VS Now", Holderness Family Vlogs
Claim:
Symbolic environments are the socially constructed, sensory world of meanings that in turn shapes our perceptions, experiences, attidues, and behavior.
Application:
This video pokes fun at differences in back to school rituals during the 1980s versus now. In the second half of the video, some of these changes involve technology. How would McLuhan explain these changes? How does the symbolic environment shape the behaviors, thoughts, and attitudes of parents and their students?
Cue Point:
1:33-2:57
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Coney Island", Taylor Swift, Evermore
Claim:
Symbolic environments are the socially constructed, sensory world of meanings that in turn shapes our perceptions, experiences, attidues, and behavior.
Application:
There’s one line in this song that reflects on how the Internet has changed shopping in America, and with it people’s social lives… and beyond the lyrics, something about the wistful reflective mood of this song fits with media ecology’s concern that perhaps communication technology has led us to lose more than we realize.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 32—Context Collapse
Title:
"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," Katy Perry, Teenage Dream
Claim:
Segmenting audiences
Application:
As this song recalls the details of a wild Friday night party, Katy laments that images of the party have now appeared on the Internet.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Inside the Big Business of Being a Social Media Influencer," ABC News
Claim:
Aspirational labor is the production of social media content for free in the hope of future payoff.
Application:
This ABC News report emphasizes the narrative that Brooke Erin Duffy seeks to critique: That with hard work and perseverance a person can make a living as a social media influencer. How would Duffy respond to this clip? What would she say about the fact that almost all of the featured influencers are women?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"It's Complicated: How to Understand Teens Lives on Social Media [Full Interview with danah boyd]", Yale Press
Claim:
Technology flattens multiple audiences into one.
Application:
Theorist danah boyd discusses how teenagers use technology, including how they communicate their identity across multiple audiences and the impact of technology use on teens' well-being.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Danah Boyd Interview: Networked Teens", HuffPost Live
Claim:
Affordances are characteristics of technology design that encourage and discourage actions. Social media enables frontstage performance of identity to a broad audience.
Application:
In this interview, danah boyd considers the affordances of social media, the role of social media in shaping teen identity, and how teenagers can make effective choices in their frontstage identity performances.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Parks and Recreation, S5, E6, "Gin It Up!"
Claim:
The imagined audience for a social media post is not necessarily the same as the invisible audience reading the post.
Application:
The Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department receives scrutiny from the City Council after Donna inadvertently tweets from the department account rather than her personal account. In the subsequent hearing (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mky1433VH-k), tweets from her private account appear as part of the public record, leading to strain in Donna and Leslie's relationship.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Blumenthal Questions Facebook Exec: 'Will You Commit To Ending Finsta?'", NBC News
Claim:
Secondary profiles and alternate accounts are one strategy for segmenting social media audiences.
Application:
In a United States Senate hearing, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal asks Facebook Head of Global Safety, "Will you commit to ending finsta?" The exchange reveals confusion on the senator's part about what finstas are, and Antigone Davis' answer describes how finstas work against context collapse.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Black Mirror, S3, E1, "Nosedive"
Claim:
Frontstage identity performances are carefully controlled to satisfy the audience.
Application:
In the world of Black Mirror, people are constantly engaging in fronstage performances, with the hope that people will rate them highly. How are performances tailored in this clip?
Discovered By:
Dr. James Briscoe, University of Pikeville
Title:
"The Lakes", Taylor Swift, Folklore
Claim:
Frontstage identity performances are carefully controlled to satisfy the audience.
Application:
In this song, Taylor yearns for a world without context collapse, where she doesn’t have to worry about the pressures brought by constant exposure on social media.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 33—Semiotics
Title:
Friends, S7, E21, "The One with the Vows"
Claim:
The connotative shift of significant denotative visual sign systems in our culture affirm the status quo by suggesting the world as we know it is natural, inevitable, and eternal.
Application:
Candles in a darkened room, kneeling, and an engagement ring are three denotative signs accompanying Chandler’s proposal of marriage to Monica. How has the connotative shift of these seemingly neutral signs occurred?
Cue Point:
7:36-9:50
Discovered By:
Em
Title:
"Roland Barthes - How to Read the Signs in the News", Al Jazeera English
Claim:
Semiotics (or semiology) is the study of the social production of meaning from sign systems; the analysis of anything that can stand for something else.
Application:
This brief video offers an engaging, visually creative summary of Barthes' semiotics. Particularly enlightening is the introduction, which sheds like on the sheer number of signs occurring at the start of a newscast.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Roland Barthes - How to Read the Signs in the News", Al Jazeera English
Claim:
Semiotics (or semiology) is the study of the social production of meaning from sign systems; the analysis of anything that can stand for something else.
Application:
This brief video offers an engaging, visually creative summary of Barthes' semiotics. Particularly enlightening is the introduction, which sheds like on the sheer number of signs occurring at the start of a newscast.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Roland Barthes - How to Read the Signs in the News", Al Jazeera English
Claim:
Semiotics (or semiology) is the study of the social production of meaning from sign systems; the analysis of anything that can stand for something else.
Application:
This brief video offers an engaging, visually creative summary of Barthes' semiotics. Particularly enlightening is the introduction, which sheds like on the sheer number of signs occurring at the start of a newscast.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Maddie Ziegler Reveals Dance Moms is Fake," TheThings
Claim:
Semiotic systems consist of a world of interrelated signs (i.e., the inseparable combination of the signifier and the signified).
Application:
Like the world of wrestling analyzed by Barthes, the world of reality television is a rich semiotic system, edited and choreographed to convey ideological content. This clip considers the popular show Dance Moms, with the specific selection highlighting how the moms' fights and Maddie's injury were presented in the show. Consider both the fights and the imagery using Barthes' languages: What is the signifier? The signified? What is their role in the broader semiotic system of Dance Moms specifically (and reality television generally)? Are these mythic (i.e., second-order) sign systems, and if so, what ideological content do they convey?
Cue Point:
0:00-2:03
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Proof America's Got Talent is Totally Fake", Nicki Swift
Claim:
A connotative sign system is a mythic sign that has lost its historicla referent; form without substance.
Application:
The purpose of this clip is to reveal evidence that the popular show America's Got Talent is staged--in other words, that it is not a mere denotative sign system. Barthes would have been even more interest in what these staged elements mean, or what ideology they convey. You might analyze the show elements highlighted in the video. How do the following function as connotative sign systems?: (1) The rookie contestant with a tragic backstory. (2) Crying children who appear happy to be moving to the next round. (3) The power of the judges to determine who goes on and who goes home. (4) The autonomy of contestants to decide what to do in the competition. (5) Amazing magic tricks that are presented as authentic and unedited.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Big Bang Theory, S6, E4, "The Re-Entry Minimization"
Claim:
The signifier is the physical form of the sign as we perceive it through out senses, and the signified is the meaning we associate with the sign.
Application:
From the perspective of semiotics, Pictionary is a game of matching the signified to a signifier drawn as a series of images. Can you use the vocabulary of Barthes' semiotics to explain Penny, Amy, Sheldon, and Leonard's round of Pictionary?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Look What You Made Me Do" music video, Taylor Swift, Reputation
Claim:
A connotative sign system is a mythic sign that has lost its historicla referent; form without substance.
Application:
Early in the video, Taylor sits in a bathtub filled with diamonds… and a single dollar bill. As a denotative sign, it clearly refers to wealth. But Taylor includes it here as a connotative, second-order semiotic system: The single dollar bill represents the amount she claimed against her sexual harasser in a high-profile lawsuit. And so the sign signifies all women who experience sexual abuse and the courage it takes to confront it.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 34—Cultural Studies
Title:
"If Disney Princesses Were Real", Buzzfeed News
Claim:
Consumers of media messages may engage in dominant-hegemonic practice, negotiational practice, or oppositional practice.
Application:
This humorous video features a grown woman who dreamed about being a Disney princess when she was younger. When she meets the Disney princesses as an adult, she begins to question that choice. Cultural studies might say that she begins the video by decoding the princesses using a dominant-hegemonic practice; then she moves to negotiational practice as her doubts begin to grow; by the end, she's engaging in oppositional practice. See also how the video unmasks ideologies present in Disney princess films, such as lack of assertiveness, lack of discernment, and total dependence on men.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Representation & the Media: Featuring Stuart Hall", Media Education Foundation
Claim:
Media producers encode meanings in media messages, and these meanings may not be apparent to the person decoding the message.
Application:
If you want to hear Stuart Hall in his own voice, and move a bit beyond what's in the chapter, you will enjoy this video. The video quality is old and grainy, but if you look beyond that, you'll hear Stuart Hall speak about representation, or the gap between the meaning of an object and how the media presents it.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Stuart Hall - Race, Gender, Class in the Media", Al Jazeera English
Claim:
Cultural studies scholars seek to reveal the ideologies (or the mental frameworks that different classes and social groups deply in order to make sense of the way society works) embedded in media.
Application:
This brief video offers an engaging, visually creative summary of Hall's cultural studies.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Stuart Hall on 'Policing the Crisis'", UK Data Service 'Pioneers of Social Research
Claim:
Hall's book Policing the Crisis shed light on ideology in press coverage of muggings and race in British journalism.
Application:
In this radio interview, Hall discusses his book Policing the Crisis, which is covered in this chapter.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"WNBA Champion Sue Bird: The Lack of Media Coverage for Women's Sports is 'Insane'", ForbesWomen
Claim:
Articulation is the process of speaking out on oppression and linking that subjugation with media representations.
Application:
In this interview, WNBA champion Sue Bird discusses the lack of media coverage of female athletes in a way that resonates with Hall's ideas and vocabulary. What is the role of economic determinism in her argument? Can you spot her criticism of what Hall would call "culture industries"? How does she describe hegemony, and what is her concern regarding how the masculine emphasis of sports media is decoded? Finally, note that this video isn't on the Forbes main channel--instead, it's on the ForbesWomen channel. What might Hall have said about that? Or, if you want to expand to another theory, what would be the take of feminist standpoint theory or muted group theory?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"'The Help' isn't a Helpful Resource on Racism: Here's Why Twitter is Mad the Film is Trending", USA Today
Claim:
Cultural studies unpacks ideologies embedded in media messages, particularly ideologies pertaining to hegemony along lines of race, class, and other distinguishing markers of identity.
Application:
Although The Help received acclaim, and at first glance may appear to be an authentic portrayal of Black voices, academic and cultural critics have questioned the ideologies embedded in the film. This coverage from USA Today, published in the wake of George Floyd's murder, begins to unpack this in an accessible manner. For example, the idea of the "white savior" exists in the film, which works against the claim that the movie empowers people of color.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Nothing New", Taylor Swift, Red (Taylor's Version)
Claim:
Articulation is the process of speaking out on oppression and linking that subjugation with media representations.
Application:
By highlighting how the music industry features young women for awhile and then rejects them as they age, Taylor articulates oppression that not all music listeners consider.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 35—Uses and Gratifications
Title:
"WHY: GUYS PLAY VIDEO GAMES", Scooter Magruder
Claim:
The theory identifies a typology of uses and gratifications, and assumes people can accurately repot their media use and motivation.
Application:
In this short video, YouTuber Scooter Magruder lists three reasons why women he talked with say that men play video games, and then three reasons he believes men actually play video games. How do each of these reasons map onto Rubin's typology? And perhaps it's worth questioning Magruder's assumption that he can identify his own reasons for media use. Could it be that, at times, someone else is better able to explain why we use media?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet
Claim:
Media compete for our attention and time.
Application:
In Wreck-It Ralph 2, the titular video game villain and his friend Vanellope need to generate a lot of money while lost in the Internet. They discover that an effective way to do that is to have Ralph create a series of humorous videos that go viral. In cartoon form, this part of the movie demonstrates a key claim of uses and gratifications: media compete for our time and attention in a world where we have many media options.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Why Do We Binge-Watch?", BBC Ideas
Claim:
People use media for relaxation and social interaction. People can develop parasocial relationships with media figures.
Application:
This BBC video considers why people binge on streaming television. What uses and gratifications from Rubin's typology do you see here? And what role do parasocial relationships play in bingeing?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Why Are We All So Desperate for Instagram Likes?", BBC
Claim:
Uses & grats 2.0 claims that users are guided by the affordances of technology.
Application:
This BBC report considers how the design of Instagram combines with human psychology (by design) to encourage us to seek and pay attention to likes. This accords with Sundar's 2.0 revision of uses & grats, which encourages us to look to a medium's affordances as we seek to understand its uses and gratifications. What would an adherent to the original 1.0 version of uses & grats say in response?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Why We Like Scary Movies", The Purdue Exponent
Claim:
Media affect different people differently.
Application:
The chapter's discussion of assumption #4 (media affect different people differently) focuses on Glenn Sparks' research on motives for watching scary movies. Here, the A First Look co-author talks about that topic.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Why'd You Like It", Saturday Night Live
Claim:
People can accurately report their media use and motivation.
Application:
In this SNL skit, three contestants on a game show answer questions about their Instagram use. It's clear that they can report their motivations accurately--but given how shallow and selfish their motives are, they clearly don't want to.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Taylor Swift Meets Her Biggest Fan", The Ellen Show
Claim:
A parasocial relationship is a sense of friendship or emotional attachment that develops between fans and media personalities.
Application:
When superfan Mary Kate meets Taylor Swift, her emotions are uncontainable. From the video shown before the meeting and her interaction with Swift, it's clear she has a parasocial relationship with the singer.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 36—Cultivation Theory
Title:
"If This Was a Movie," Taylor Swift, Speak Now (Deluxe Edition)
Claim:
The world of television differs from the real world
Application:
Taylor wants her ex to come back to her, thinking about how he would if they were characters in a movie.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"The Mean World Syndrome - Media As Storytellers (Extra Feature)", Media Education Foundation
Claim:
Television media cultivates a mean world syndrome, where people have a cynical mindset of mistrust of others.
Application:
Here, George Gerbner and Michael Morgan express their concern about how television media cultivates fear of a mean and scary world--and not just how media companies do this, but why. Look for claims that resonate with the theory's institutional analysis prong.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"The Sun Always Shines on T.V.", a-ha, Hunting High and Low
Claim:
Heavy television viewers receive a distorted view of the world.
Application:
The chapter references this song, which describes the unrealistically sunny weather seen on many TV shows. This resonates with the theory's claim that TV does not portray the world as it is.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"The Mean World Syndrome -- Clip", Media Education Foundation
Claim:
Heavy television viewers fear that the world is a mean and scary place--mean world syndrome.
Application:
In this video, George Gerbner and Michael Morgan explain and provide examples of television content that fosters mean world syndrome.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Good Night, and Good Luck
Claim:
Institutional process analysis tries to get behind the scenes of media organizations in an effort to understand what policies or practices might be lurking there.
Application:
Good Night, and Good Luck portrays the real-life struggle between journalist Edward R. Murrow and U.S. Senator Josephy McCarthy. These scenes from the film feature Murrow (played by David Strathairn) enacting a speech actually delivered by Murrow to the Radio-Television News Directors Association Convention in 1958. Murrow's concerns about the motives of television media resonate with those advanced by Gerbner and other cultivation theories. You can read the transcript of the real speech and hear audio from it at https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/edwardmurrowrtnda.htm.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Chapter 37—Agenda-Setting Theory
Title:
Selma
Claim:
The media tell us what to think about; interest aggregations grab the attention of the news media, demanding center stage for their concerns.
Application:
When the police and white racists engage in violence against a peaceful protest for racial justice, television blasts the news to people across the United States. The media's coverage of the event forced people to think about an issue they may have previously ignored.
Cue Point:
Edmund Pettus bridge march scene
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Spotlight
Claim:
The media tell people what to think about and how to think about it.
Application:
Spotlight tells the story of a Boston Globe reporting team investigating sex abuse within the Catholic church. In this scene, a reporter and editor debate whether to go public with the evidence they have now or wait until they have more. The reporter is particularly concerned that another paper will get the scoop first and report it badly, in a way that the Catholic church can use to push the story away. Those concerns reflect the first two levels of agenda-setting: The media tell us what to think about and how to think about it.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Claim:
With framing, the media makes salient a dominant set of attributes regarding an attitude object.
Application:
The movie opens with the press not only revealing Spider-Man's identity; they are also telling the public what to think about Spider-Man, and Peter Parker feels powerless to stop that negative attention from the press.
Cue Point:
Up to 5:27
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Journalism After Watergate | All The President's Men Revisited", Discovery
Claim:
The media agenda is the list of issues emphasized by the news media at a given time.
Application:
In this clip, real life journalists reflect on the movie All the President's Men and the Watergate scandal that movie portrayed. The Watergate scandal, and the subsequent fallout that ended President Nixon's administration, was one of the most powerful moments in the history of American journalism. This video describes how the press kept Watergate at the center of public attention, and also reflects on how the news media cycle is much different today.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"How False News Can Spread - Noah Tavlin", TED-Ed
Claim:
Intermedia agenda-setting occurs when one new source influences the agenda of another. Fake news can set the agenda for news media.
Application:
This video reflects on the source and spread of fake news. One vehicle for such news is the intermedia agenda-setting network. Compare this to Chris Vargo's research reported in the chapter.
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"Facebook Whistleblower on the Company's Algorithm", 60 Minutes
Claim:
Algorithmic gatekeepers are computer programs that decide which material appears in search engines, social media feeds, and elsewhere on the internet.
Application:
Former Facebook employee Frances Haugen criticizes Facebook's algorithmic gatekeeping. In the language of agenda-setting theory, she is critiquing both how interest aggregations use the algorithm to set the agenda and, even more, how the algorithm itself encourages that behavior. How does this connect to the critique section of the chapter, where the book suggests that agenda-setting theory doesn't adequately account for the role of algorithms? How might the theory need to change if it focused on algorithms more explicitly?
Discovered By:
Andrew
Title:
"We Become What We Behold," an online game by Nicky Case
Claim:
The media tell us what to think about and make certain attributes of a media object salient.
Application:
This short online game is "a game about news cycles, vicious cycles, infinite cycles." How do you see the first and second levels of agenda-setting occur as the game goes on? (Content warning: There is some gore and violence at the end of the game.)
Discovered By:
Logan Gibbs and Dr. Chip Stewart, Texas Christian University
Title:
"Blank Space", Taylor Swift, 1989
Claim:
Through framing, the media make certain attributes of a media object salient.
Application:
The whole song is a tongue-and-cheek critique of the second level of agenda-setting, and in this case, the subject of the media’s framing is Taylor Swift. At the time, the media framed her as a young woman who dated a series of men and, after the relationship was over, turned the story of the romance into songs (and profit). Here, Taylor rejects this boy-crazy image by embracing it, pretending it’s true to argue that it’s not.
Discovered By:
Andrew
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