Reading Journal #1
A theory, by definition, is a set of systematic, informed hunches about the
way things work. A theory is not one inspired thought or isolated idea, and in
fact is a combination of multiple ideas and observations. In the text, it states
that a theory is made of a “set of hunches”. The hunches also have to be
informed, meaning they have studied or collected data from several other
communications, people, and patterns.
Theories are a driving factor in studying communication and raise what-if
and why questions. Without theories, it would mean that people are no
longer seeking answers. Theories help collect ideas and observations, and
lay them out to better understand specific ideas as well as the relationships
among them. This can be done through the idea that theories are nets,
lenses, and maps. Nets follow the idea of collection, collecting multiple
thoughts, ideas, theories, communications and more to become more
informed and combine theories. Lenses refer to theories shaping perception
by shifting focus on some features over others. Theories as maps refer to
helping navigate relationships and communication, as they can be complex.
Griffin’s theory is rooted in a very direct meaning. The definition he has
created is very broad and generally speaks about all communications, and
how transaction works, with the definition being “the relational process of
creating and interpreting messages that elicit a response” (Griffin, 3). Carey
speaks of two definitions of communication that have both been used since
the 19th century: the transmission view and the ritual view. The transmission
view aligns similarly to Giffin’s definition, as it is often defined by terms such
as “transmitting”, “sending”, “imparting”, and “giving information to others”.
On the other hand, Carey’s second definition is linked to terms such as
“participation”, “sharing”, and “association”. A ritual view “is directed not
toward the extension of messages in space but toward the maintenance of
society in time; not the act of imparting information but the representation of
shared beliefs” (Carey, 3). This definition is rooted in what communication
can do, which is bringing people together in union and the effect that
communication has between parties. My own understanding of the theory of
communication is that communication is a relational process of creating and
interpreting messages that elicit a response, as well as the aftereffect of said
process being how both parties respond to the communication. This
understanding came from the help of separating theories into objective and
interpretive.
A theory, by definition, is a set of systematic, informed hunches about the
way things work. A theory is not one inspired thought or isolated idea, and in
fact is a combination of multiple ideas and observations. In the text, it states
that a theory is made of a “set of hunches”. The hunches also have to be
informed, meaning they have studied or collected data from several other
communications, people, and patterns.
Theories are a driving factor in studying communication and raise what-if
and why questions. Without theories, it would mean that people are no
longer seeking answers. Theories help collect ideas and observations, and
lay them out to better understand specific ideas as well as the relationships
among them. This can be done through the idea that theories are nets,
lenses, and maps. Nets follow the idea of collection, collecting multiple
thoughts, ideas, theories, communications and more to become more
informed and combine theories. Lenses refer to theories shaping perception
by shifting focus on some features over others. Theories as maps refer to
helping navigate relationships and communication, as they can be complex.
Griffin’s theory is rooted in a very direct meaning. The definition he has
created is very broad and generally speaks about all communications, and
how transaction works, with the definition being “the relational process of
creating and interpreting messages that elicit a response” (Griffin, 3). Carey
speaks of two definitions of communication that have both been used since
the 19th century: the transmission view and the ritual view. The transmission
view aligns similarly to Giffin’s definition, as it is often defined by terms such
as “transmitting”, “sending”, “imparting”, and “giving information to others”.
On the other hand, Carey’s second definition is linked to terms such as
“participation”, “sharing”, and “association”. A ritual view “is directed not
toward the extension of messages in space but toward the maintenance of
society in time; not the act of imparting information but the representation of
shared beliefs” (Carey, 3). This definition is rooted in what communication
can do, which is bringing people together in union and the effect that
communication has between parties. My own understanding of the theory of
communication is that communication is a relational process of creating and
interpreting messages that elicit a response, as well as the aftereffect of said
process being how both parties respond to the communication. This
understanding came from the help of separating theories into objective and
interpretive.
