mass-communication-theory

322 Section 4 Contemporary Mass Communication Theory
sign
In symbolic interaction,
any element
in the
environment used
to represent another
element in
the environment
natural signs
In symbolic interaction,
things occurring
in nature
that represent
something else in
nature
artificial signs
In symbolic interaction,
elements
that have been
constructed to
represent something
else in the
social world
signals
In symbolic interaction,
artificial
signs that produce
highly predictable
responses
symbols
In symbolic interaction,
artificial
signs for which
there is less certainty
of response
and Social Behavior: A Symbolic Interaction Perspective, written by Don F. Faules
and Dennis C. Alexander in 1978. Basing their analysis on their definition of communication
as “symbolic behavior that results in various degrees of shared meaning
and values between participants,” they offered three fundamental propositions on
symbolic interaction and communication:
1. People’s interpretation and perception of the environment depend on communication.
In other words, what we know of our world is largely a function of
our prior communication experiences in that world. This conforms to Solomon’s
idea of interaction with cultural symbols. As Faules and Alexander
wrote, “Communication allows for the reduction of uncertainty without direct
sensory experience. The media are a prime source of indirect experience and
for that reason have impact on the construction of social reality” (p. 23).
2. Communication is guided by and guides the concepts of self, role, and situations,
and these concepts generate expectations in and of the environment. Put
differently, our use of communication in different settings is related to our understanding
of ourselves and others in those situations. This is analogous to
Solomon’s point about learning a culture and predicting the behavior of
others.
3. Communication consists of complex interactions “involving action, interdependence,
mutual influence, meaning, relationship, and situational factors”
(p. 23). Here we can see not only a communication-oriented restatement of
Solomon’s precepts three and four but also a rearticulation of James Carey’s
ritual perspective (see Chapter 8). Faules and Alexander are clearly reminding
us that our understanding of our world and our place in it are created by us in
interaction and involvement with media symbols.
Before we get any further into symbolic interactionism, however, we must mention
some definitional differences between this perspective and its close relative, social
construction of reality, discussed in the next section of this chapter. In symbolic
interaction theory, a sign is any element in the environment used to represent another
element in the environment. Signs can be classified in two ways. Natural
signs, those things in nature (like the changing color of leaves) represent something
else in nature (like the coming of autumn). Artificial signs have been constructed
(like a handshake) to represent something else in the social world (like a friendly
greeting). These artificial signs work only if the people using them agree on their
meaning—that is, if they are “interactive”; two or more people must agree on their
meaning and must further agree to respond to that sign in a relatively consistent
fashion. Social construction of reality uses the concept of signs somewhat differently,
as you’ll soon see.
Another difference between symbolic interactionism and social constructionism
is the distinction between signals and symbols. In symbolic interactionism signals
are artificial signs that produce highly predictable responses, like traffic signals.
Symbols, on the other hand, are artificial signs for which there is less certainty and
more ambiguity of response, like the flag. As Faules and Alexander (1978) explained,
“Signals are used to regulate normative behavior in a society, and symbols
are used to facilitate communicative behavior in a society” (p. 36).
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