Week 10, Post 1: Agenda-Setting Theory

I found the agenda-setting theory in Chapter 28 to be really interesting. According to the agenda-setting hypothesis, "the mass media have the ability to transfer the salience of issues on their news agenda to the public agenda" (359). I watch the news and read the paper a lot. I notice that when they generally all talk about the same issues at the same time. Obviously, right now the focus is on the election. The past few weeks, the economy and stock market have been the top story every day. Thinking back to the OJ Simpson trial, that was the top story of every news channel and the front page of all the papers. McCombs and Shaw were not saying that reporters are purposely influence the public but that they do focus our attention to certain issues. Hence, whatever is important to the public at the moment, is important to the media. While I agree with McCombs and Shaw, part of me does believe that the media has some influence over the public. Sometimes an issue is all hyped up and the public gets really anxious and excited... but it wasn't anything to be worried about. And while the media is supposed to be unbiased and fair, they still influence our thoughts and feelings about what issues are important. When the stock market crash was at the top of the news every day, my parents were really worried. All they saw was extensive coverage and front page news about the stock market plummeting. This influenced their feelings and behavior over those weeks. Now the election is upon us and it is important to the public, therefore it will be important to the media. I'll probably start paying more attention to the "media agenda" and decide for myself how strong their influence is.

Week 9, Post 3: A Deal with the Devil

Page 319 of Chapter 24 discusses Postman's Faustian bargain. A Faustian bargain is "a deal with the devil; selling your soul for temporary earthly gain" (319). Postman says that with every new technology comes a price and we are essentially presented with a Faustian bargain. I can definitely see how this could be true. We have these wonderful devices called cell phones but we have paid dearly for them. We cannot be apart from our cell phones. They are everywhere with us, in class, at work, etc. Our friends and family are at our fingertips. We text hundreds of times a day, but at what cost? My parents used to get angry because I was so attached to my cell phone and texting that I would be texting under the table at the restaurant where we were having dinner. The cell phone has infringed on our personal and family time. Yes, it's done a great number of things for us. But at the same time, it's also caused a lot of harm. I asked my mom what they did before cell phones were invented. How could your date contact you if he had a flat tire while on his way to meet you at the movies? How could those brave souls during 9/11 call their families to tell them that their plane had been hijacked? What would we do without our cell phones? It's a high price to pay but I won't be giving mine up anytime soon.

Week 9, Post 2: Media Coverage

On page 342 of Chapter 26, Hall emphasizes the point that "multiple media outlets end up speaking on a major issue with what seems to be a single voice". This was especially true right after 9/11. Despite the initial thought of, gee, perhaps we should consider how the rest of the world sees us, there was a general consensus that we must join together and be patriotic. There was little opposition to Bush and his plans. If anyone dared speak out, they quickly apologized. This goes to show how powerful mass media is and the strong impact it has on our lives. With the media leading the patriotic charge, the rest of the country followed. We were all more patriotic right after 9/11. I remember there were songs and telethons and people started putting all these flag emblems on their cars. Mass media shapes our perspective of the world. We don't know how the rest of the world feels about us because the media rarely examines that. And so we continue to live in our little American bubble and think that we are the coolest people on the face of the earth. I'm not sure how we can escape the influence of mass media. It's everywhere... on the news, in the papers, on the internet. I think you would have to live in a cave somewhere to get away from it. Yes, the mass media is important but we should take everything with a grain of salt because eventhough they are supposed to be unbiased, they still lead us to think a certain way.

Week 9, Post 1: Media Through the Ages

It's amazing to think that there was a time when there were no computers and cell phones or even books and the telepgraph. As humans, we have evolved and so have our means of communication. Chapter 24 discusses media and its history through time. During the Tribal Age, the ear was the most important sense receptor. The world was a wild and untamed place and being able to hear your surroundings was vital to survival. Spoken word also played an important role. This is how stories and ideas were passed along. McLuhan claims that early people lived better lives than literate people because hearing involves a deeper connection with your community and surroundings. Today, it is so easy to tune the world out. Text messaging has also eliminated the need for hearing. We no longer need to speak to one another. We just need to be able to text really fast and read!

The Age of Literacy brought a with it new problems. Although written word has been extremely important, it began to separate people. There were those who could read and write and those who could not. This allowed for discrimination and oppression. The Print Age continued the visual era through mass-production. The Electronic Age has changed the face of media and communications. It's mind-blowing to think that it all started with the telegraph and now we have the iphone and ipod. We are currently in the Digital Age. Technology is becoming faster and more advanced. Our world is getting smaller and we now have this "global village". There are blogs and places like MySpace that let us connect with the world within a matter of seconds. As our environment evolves, who knows what the next era may bring...

Week 8, Post 3: Narrative vs. Rational-world Paradigms

I don't consider myself a rational person. I'm very instinctual and I tend to base my decisions on past experiences. Chapter 13 discusses the shift from a rational world paradigm to a narrative one. Like Fisher, I feel that the rational-world paradigm is "too limited". The narrative paradigm is similar to the rational one but based on the premise that narrative is "the basis of all human communication" (302). As the chapter states, stories are an intrical part of our lives. We are storytellers and we tell stories daily. I don't think most people base their decisions on the basis of logical arguments. Most people tend to make decisions based on good reasons and depending on the "communication situation". It's interesting that both paradigms can view a story in two very different lights. The rational-world paradigm casts doubt on the story of Ruth. The narrative paradigm says that each individual will make their own judgements about Ruth's story based on what we consider to be good reasons. I think I definitely prefer the narrative paradigm!

Week 8, Post 2: Let's Blame Wayne

In Chapter 22, Burke discusses rhetoric as "redemption through victimage". According to Burke, there are two choices, mortification and victimage. Mortification is "confession of guilt and request for forgiveness" (293). Mortification is often not practiced. Burke gives examples of Bill Clinton and O.J. Simpson who found it hard to admit they were wrong. Why is it so hard for us to admit we are the cause of our own misery? Instead, we prefer to blame someone or something else. This is what Burke calls victimage. Victimage is "scapegoating; the process of naming an external enemy as the source of all personal or public ills" (293). This practice has been going on for ages. Hitler used the Jews. In the crusades it was non-Christians. In America, it's been anyone from the Middle East. Victimage is nothing new. I suppose we feel that it's just easier to blame someone else for our own problems. We don't look inward and turn a blind eye to our own faults. I liked the cartoon in the book which depicts a guy, Wayne, who has become the world's scapegoat. In essence, anyone or anything can become a scapegoat. You were late to work today? Of course it's not your fault (because you woke up late). It's the slow drivers on the freeway and the stop lights that just happened to be red when you pulled up. When a speaker uses victimage, the audience can "unite" together and fear overrides common sense. Instead of realizing what the real problem is, we would rather blame an "enemy".

Week 8, Post 1: The Golden Mean Is Supreme

On page 286 of Chapter 21, Aristotle's golden mean is described as "the virtue of moderation; the virtuous person develops habits that avoid extremes" (286). Aristotle suggests that speakers should err on the side of caution regarding telling the truth, taking risks, and self-disclosure. We should not go to either extreme. When telling the truth, we should not be so honest that it ends up being offensive. We also should not lie. Instead, we need to just be truthful. When the issue is self-disclosure, there is no need to bare our soul and tell every single tearful detail. At the same time, we shouldn't be too secretive; the straight facts are sufficient. When the issue is risk-tasking, we need to act with courage. We should not be cowards but we also shouldn't be reckless.

When you think about it, the golden mean is the best way to persuade people. Obviously, lying to people is not a good idea! When they find out you've lied, they definitely won't believe you anymore. Secrecy isn't good either. People don't like when information is withheld from them. Cowardice means you skirt around the issue and don't address it and people don't like that either. On the other end of the spectrum, brutal honesty can put people off. It can even be hurtful and lack tact. Honesty is great but there is a boundary that shouldn't be crossed. Soul-baring can also put people off. A man giving a speech may not want to start crying while giving away too many emotional details. Honestly, some viewers may see him as weak. There has to be some restraint when self-disclosing. Recklessness is dangerous. A speaker should have courage but not to the point that he teeters over the edge of assertiveness. When I listen to speakers now, I will start paying attention to see if they are following the golden mean!

Week 7, Post 3: "If you don't like it, quit!"

"Because I'm the boss."
"Because I say so."
"If you don't like it, quit."
"It's my way or the highway." (265)

How many of us have heard these lines in the workplace? In Chapter 20, Deetz explains that managerialism is a "systematic logic, set of routine practices, and ideology that calues control over all other concerns" (265). When employees get a taste of power, they want more. This seems to be true with managers. Many managers are power hungry and crave control. How do you respond when a manger tells you "if you don't like it, quit"? Most of us bite the bullet. These managers give us a "choice" which boils down to our loyalty to our job, and most of us don't want to be disloyal. There are the handful of us that will not take crap from anyone, let alone our managers. I applaud these people... but I need to keep my job. This is how the voice of the employee gets drowned out. Managers get rewarded for being controlling and taking care of business. It is the bottom line that is important and not how the bottom line is achieved. Control seems to have more cons than pros. Employees are resentful and resort to just "doing their job". Better communication and more control to employees seems to be the best way to combat these issues.

Week 7, Post 2: Dangling the Carrot

In Chapter 20, Deetz discusses the way in which corporations demand so much from their employees, yet give them little in return. Deetz says, "Consent is the term I use to designate the variety of situations and processes in which someone actively, though unknowingly accomplishes the interest of others in the faulty attempt to fulfill his or her own interests" (266). Our jobs demand so much from us. They expect us to be at their beck and call, to bend over backwards, and to throw everything else in our lives on the backburner. We give ourselves to these jobs without getting much in return. With better communication, employees would have a stronger voice in the corporate world. In reality, Deetz says that systematically distorted communication occurs. While employees may think that they are free to express themselves, the truth is that "only certain options are available" (267). This practice suppresses any conflict that could occur by preventing employees from speaking out. And the funny thing is, the employee is his own worst enemy. He doesn't even know he has a hand in his censorship. I agree with the ancedote from Lynn, a student, about her father's "workaholism". So many people grow up with their father or mother always at work. They are gone at 6 in the morning and return at 7 at night, maybe even later. They miss their children's recitals, games, and birthdays. Capitalism is great, but I think it takes a toll on our families. What does the company offer our parents for all their sacrifice? Perhaps just a pay raise, a bonus, a move up the ladder. The company loves to dangle the carrot. The dream of moving up the ladder is enticing, but at what cost? Employees need a higher stake in their company. Lynn suggests that if "men feel like they have more power in the workplace, they will be less likely to come home and feel the need to prove their power at home" (267). Only changes to communication and control in the workplace can help to achieve that goal.

Week 7, Post 1: Ethnography

I first heard of ethnography in the beginning of the semester in my Qualitative Communications class. I'd never heard of it before and had no clue as to what it was. Now that I've actually done an ethnography, I have a better understanding of what it is. Ethnography can be found on page 252 of Chapter 19. According to the text, ethnography is "discovering who people within a culture think they are, what they think they are doing, and to what end they think they are doing it" (252). It involves going to a particular site and observing the place, the people, and taking in the culture. Thick description is what is actually done by ethnographers. They compile notes and information on what they observe. The ethnographer may not understand what is going on in the culture at first, but observation lends itself to understanding.

My own experience with ethnography was different than anything I'd ever done, as far as research goes. I went to my site for several hours and just observed what was going on and took a lot of notes. I watched people, I watched how they interacted, and I took in the smells, sights, and sounds of the site. Ethnography differs from traditional research in that it forces the ethnographer to experience a culture "as members experience it" (252). It is almost like being a fly on the wall. When immersed in a culture, you start noticing how they communicate with one another, why they do certain things, and how they conduct themselves. These are things that ethnographers pay attention to and it is how cultures and organizations can be understood.

Week 6, Post 3: Reflective Thinking

I like how the four fundamental requisites can be compared to a doctor treating a patient. Reflective thinking is "thinking that favors rational consideration over intuitive hunches or pressure from those with clout". Reflective thinking can be found on page 230 of Chapter 18. The first step is to recognize the symptons of the illness, or problem. We need to analyze our problems first and foremost. The second step is to diagnose the cause of the illness. We find out where our problem comes from. The third step is to establish criteria for wellness. We figure out what needs to be done in order to fix the problem. The fourth step is to consider possible remedies. We lay out all possible ways to fix the problem. The fifth step is to test to determine which solutions will be successful. We try different ways to fix the problem. Lastly, the sixth step is to prescribe the best solution. We use the best solution to remedy the problem!

I think it would be beneficial to look at problems like a medical condition. I had a huge problem tonight! My fiance lost his wallet and keys. If I look at this like an illness, I would first recognize what the symptons of the problem are: well, we have a lost wallet and set of keys and are quite upset. Then I would diagnose the cause of the illness: stupidity on behalf of my fiance. Ok, that's a bit harsh... it was an honest mistake. Then I would establish criteria for wellness. In order to "get well" we need to replace everything and cancel anything that could be used. Next, I would consider all possible remedies and then test to see which ones will work. Finally, I implement the best solution which is cancelling his debit card, going to the DMV for a new license, making a new set of keys, etc. I feel better already...

Week 6, Post 2: Why Group Projects Suck

The last several weeks of school, I've had a lot of group projects in most of my classes. The section entitled How Should We Then Live- In A Group on page 244 of Chapter 18 gave a near perfect description of the group dynamics I've been experiencing. I'm not tooting my own horn but I like to take charge in group settings. I don't think of myself as a control freak but I don't like the idea of other people affecting my grades. Teachers like to say that group projects mimic the real world, that we'll have to work with groups in our careers. But if the hierarchy in the text is correct, then at work some of us will be doing all the work while others sight back and do nothing. Poole says that we need to be active agents of change in our groups. My only contention is that some people do not want to be active agents. They are just along for the ride, or the grade, and have no desire to step up from a passive (or rather apathetic) role. I like to make things happen and I found that last week, when I tried to let someone else step up, nothing was accomplished! It affirmed my belief that I should always have an active voice within a group and not rely on others to have one because the chances are, they won't!

Week 6, Post 1: I Gotta Problem

On page 223 of Chapter 17, the first of the four functions of effective decision making caught my interest. This first function is analysis of the problem or better said, problem analysis. The text defines problem analysis as "determining the nature, extent, and cause(s) of the problem facing the group." When there is a problem, it is important to look at it from all sides and really give it some thought. I like what my mom always says about problems. She says, "Stop, think, and predict". Stop before you make any sudden decisions. Think about what the pros and cons are. Predict any possible outcomes. Hirokawa warns us that problems can become worse when people don't really understand the problem in the first place. Problems need a lot of thought. They need to be dissected and analyzed before a hasty decision is reached.

I've made a lot of poor decisions in the past regarding problems. All I really needed to do was analyze my problem and I probably would have made a better decision. This is especially important in a crisis situation. Hasty decision making can lead to poor decision making. By thinking our problems out, we can all become better decision makers!