1. Seven Traditions (or Eight) in the Field of Communication
Territory
MAPPING THE TERRITORY

2. THE ESSENTIALS OF COMMUNICATION
THEORY
According to Karl Popper “theories are
nets cast to catch what we call the „world‟

3. THE ESSENTIALS OF COMMUNICATION
THEORY
Indeed, we use theories to guide us towards
the understanding and exploration of all
natural, physical and social realities that
surround us.
Communication is an inseparable and
considerably substantial part of that world.

4. THE ESSENTIALS OF COMMUNICATION
THEORY
Communication is multidisciplinary. The
elements of Communication theory are
present in literature, psychology, sociology
and even mathematics and engineering.

5. THE ESSENTIALS OF COMMUNICATION
THEORY
The conceptual foundations that unite
communication theories
1. Communication is a process, continuous and complex.
2. Communication is symbolic.
3. Communication is transactional

6. THE ESSENTIALS OF COMMUNICATION
THEORY
“Communication is the problem to the
answer” because scholars hold widely
divergent views as to what communication is.
There are several perspectives as to what
communication is. These are referred to as
traditions in the field.

7. WHAT IS A PERSPECTIVE OR TRADITION
OF COMMUNICATION?
1. A perspective is a way of looking through,
an angle of vision, a way of seeing.
2. All perspectives are therefore partial and, in
that sense, distorted or biased.
3. All perspectives look at this rather than that;
each has its particular emphasis.
4. This is more so in a multi-field such as
communication.

8. FOUR MAJOR APPROACHES OF
COMMUNICATION
Robert Craig Alvarado & Boyd-Barrett British Film Institute
(1989) (1992) BFI (1992)
Boyd-Barrett & Newbold
(1995)

9. FOUR MAJOR APPROACHES OF
COMMUNICATION
7 Traditions 3 Traditions British Film Boyd-Barrett &
Robert Craig Alvarado & Institute Newbold (1995)
(1989) Boyd-Barrett (BFI) (1992)
(1992)
1. Socio- 1. Interpretive 1. Media Agencies 1. Mass Society,
Psychological 2. Media Categories Functionalism,
2. Cybernetic 3. Media Pluralism
3. Rhetorical 2. Social Technologies 2. Media Effects
4. Semiotic 4. Media 3. Political Economy
Science
5. Socio-Cultural Languages 4. The Public
6. Critical 3. Practice 5. Media Audiences Sphere
7. Phenomenological 5. Media
6. Media
Occupations &
8. Ethics Representations
Professionals
6. Cultural
Hegemony
7. Feminism

10. UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO PROFESSOR,
ROBERT CRAIG ESTABLISHES SEVEN
TRADITIONS (EIGHT) OF
COMMUNICATION

11. TRADITIONS IN THE FIELD OF
COMMUNICATION THEORY
Socio- Rhetoric Socio- phenome
psycholo cybernetic semiotic Critical
al cultural nological
gical

12. TRADITIONS IN THE FIELD OF
COMMUNICATION THEORY
Objective
Territory Interpretive
Territory

13. THE SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL
TRADITION
COMMUNICATION AS INTERPERSONAL INFLUENCE

14. THE CYBERNETIC TRADITION
COMMUNICATION AS INFORMATION PROCESSING

15. THE RHETORICAL TRADITION
COMMUNICATION AS ARTFUL PUBLIC ADDRESS

16. THE SEMIOTIC TRADITION
COMMUNICATION AS THE PROCESS OF SHARING MEANING THROUGH
SIGNS

17. THE SOCIO-CULTURAL TRADITION
COMMUNICATION AS THE CREATION AND ENACTMENT OF SOCIAL
REALITY

18. THE CRITICAL TRADITION
COMMUNICATION AS A REFLECTIVE CHALLENGE OF UNJUST DISCOURSE

19. THE
PHENOMENOLOGICAL
TRADITION
COMMUNICATION AS THE EXPERIENCE OF SELF AND OTHERS THROUGH
DIALOGUE

20. THE ETHICAL TRADITION
COMMUNICATION AS PEOPLE OF CHARACTER INTERACTING IN JUST AND
BENEFICIAL WAYS

21. 3 TRADITIONS (ALVARADO & BOYDBARRETT
1992)
 Interpretive
 Social Science
 Practice
This division underlines the distinction between a tradition that
drew on analysis of literature and film and focused mainly on
the structure of the text, and a second (social science) tradition
using empirical methodologies for the analysis, primarily, of
production and audiences. The third, practice tradition, is the
‘how to’ approach to working in the media, which is often
taught and researched separately from studies of the media

22. BFI, BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE, BAZALGETTE,
(1992)
Six (6) key aspects of communication
 Media Agencies
 Media Categories
 Media Technologies
 Media Languages
 Media Audiences
 Media Representations

23. BFI, BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE, BAZALGETTE,
(1992)
Media Agencies
who is communicating and why?
Media Categories
what type of text is it?

24. BFI, BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE, BAZALGETTE,
(1992)
Media Technologies
how has it been produced?
Media Languages
how do we know what it means?

25. BFI, BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE, BAZALGETTE,
(1992)
Media Audiences
who receives it, and what sense do they
make of it?
Media Representations
how does it present its subject to us?

26. BOYD-BARRETT & NEWBOLD (1995)
 Mass Society, Functionalism, Pluralism
 Media Effects
 Political Economy
 The Public Sphere
 Media Occupations & Professionals
 Cultural Hegemony
 Feminism
 Moving Image
 New Audience Research

27. BOYD-BARRETT & NEWBOLD (1995)
Mass Society, Functionalism, pluralism
This cluster of theories and approaches
focuses on how the media contribute to the
overall social system. It incorporates two
radically different views of society:
1. the mass society
2. functionalism (pluralism)

28. BOYD-BARRETT & NEWBOLD (1995)
Media Effects
The focus is whether and under what
circumstances the media influence individual
or group cognitions, beliefs or attitudes and
behaviours.
It presumes a one-way transmission of
messages that have corresponding impacts on
those exposed to them.

29. BOYD-BARRETT & NEWBOLD (1995)
Political Economy
Mosco (2004) defined political economy as ‘the
study of the social relations, particularly the power
relations, that influence the production,
distribution, and consumption of resources,
including communication resources’.
Political economy tends to focus on how media
institutions relate to other major institutions of
society, particularly the political, financial and
industrial, and how these influences account for
media industrial and professional practices.

30. JIMI KAYODE
ADEBOLA ADEGUNWA SCHOOL OF
COMMUNICATION, LAGOS STATE
UNIVERSITY, LAGOS, NIGERIA.