Portfolio 2: Popular Media as explained by Contemporary Rhetoric Theory

It’s strange how the world can change so much in such a short period of time. Not only the events of our day to day lives, but our perceptions of the world around us and our theories for dealing with it can differ so vastly to what was once thought was truth. Ancient philosophers and rhetoric theorists enjoyed relatively simple communication theories, because they experiences relatively simplified communication systems. Individuals lived and conversed with each other, but beyond the occasional governmental decree, public event, or orator’s speech, “mass media” was not yet developed enough to complicate everything. With the appearance of more multi-media than anyone could ever fully utilize, the very definition of “rhetoric” has changed. Rather than public oral presentations, rhetoric is described as any form of persuasive communication at. A speech, a newspaper, a film – or a simple conversation about a film – are all “text” that can be considered rhetoric.

The contemporary rhetoric theorists all differ in their interpretations of how and why individuals perceive and share events. One of the more interesting theories presented is Ernest Bormann’s idea of “language as a symbolic convergence.” His theory presented the situation of one person in a small group making a comment about a person or event not present. He called these comments “fantasies.” He observed that these comments, when resonating with other group members, would often energize a group, causing other members to contribute information, opinions, or their own theories, resulting in a “fantasy theme.”

To understand how this theory applies in everyday life, let’s look at the example of “The Truman Show,” a film released 1998. The plot focuses around Truman Burbank, a man who lives inside the world’s most extensive Hollywood set. His entire life is a fabricated television series and he’s the only one who doesn’t know it. The film raised a lot of questions about reality, how we view our worlds, and how well we know those around us. The movie itself was good, but by no means was it an epic Hollywood film. The music was good but simple and special effects were minimal. Yet the film did very well both critically and with audiences. There was a huge buzz about the film after its release and it became a very hot topic of conversation for a while aferwards.

The appeal of this movie is very nicely explained by Bormann’s symbolic convergence theory. This particular film left a lot of room for “fantasies,” because it presented so many unanswered questions and unexplained symbols. If a small group viewed the film, afterwards someone might suggest that the film was a critique on modern day reality shows. Someone else might agree, and note the critique of commercialization in the film. Another might say that he thought the film was an effective allegory for how in real life, people often act out a role depending on how they want you to perceive them, and the first two members might agree that the theme certainly played a part in the film. As the comments chain out, the creation of a fantasy theme has already begun. This group now shares this fantasy. Rather than simply exchanging their opinions on the film’s message, they have all become actively engaged and eager to contribute to the group’s interpretation of the message. Everyone involved has shared their thoughts, and everyone will take away from the conversation insight gained from someone else’s opinion.

Anyone having had conversations about this film can probably still remember them, as the film lends itself to a lot of in depth discussion. It’s not difficult to find evidence of people’s desire to converse about this film. The Rotten Tomatoes website lists several critical reviews, and rather than simply critiquing the film’s acting or plot, nearly all reviewers offer their interpretation of what the film means. One reviewer from The Apollo Guide calls the film “a deliciously vicious and intelligent satire on the media who manipulate us, and the audience who encourages it.” Rory L. Aronsky from Film Threat discusses the religious connotations of the film in his review.

The retail site Amazon.com allows customer reviews, of which there are 454. Other films have garnered more than this, yet this is still an impressive number. Again, nearly all reviews move past simply critiquing the quality of the film and give their various impressions on what the film means. It’s somehow important for people to share with others their interpretation of the message, and many people have read the reviews, shaping their own thoughts about the film.
The reason Social Convergence Theory is important is because these shared fantasies help in the creation of identity; both the dynamic identity of the group, and the identity of the individual as he or she understands their own world and relates to others. Years later when the same group gather’s to see “The Matrix,” they will be able to draw from their conversation about “The Truman Show,” and continue to develop the same fantasy theme. This will in turn further develop their relationships with each other, and help shape their own views of reality, social structure, and film in general.

At the end of the film, Truman discovers his world for what it is and decides to leave – to live in the “real world.” Similarly, as media shapes and shifts our world, our own world view must change in order to accommodate it. Contemporary rhetoric theories can be used to better explain the current world than classical rhetoric often can, yet there’s no guarantee that they are absolute unchanging truth. Undoubtedly as the world changes theories will come and go, and Social Convergence Theory may fall out of favor for a different perspective. Yet for the time being it offers a very interesting perspective on shared social experiences and the development of these “fantasy themes.” It’s likely that elements of this theory will stick around and influence future theories that may appear, so it’s definitely worth studying and understanding.

Sources

Rotten Tomatoes Truman Show page
Apollo Guide review summary
Rory L. Aronsky review at Film Threat
Amazon.com Truman Show customer reviews
 

Portfolio 1: Communication Studies Major

When considering which major would best suit a person’s interests and goals, there is a wide range of factors to consider. Because people are so unique and individualized, it seems very unlikely there will be one “perfect” major for most people. The goal then becomes picking on that fits best given it’s strengths and weaknesses, and one that will be the least difficult to integrate into. For me, I believe this program is the Communications Studies major.

One weakness of the Communication Studies major that readily comes to mind is its difficulty to define to others. Whenever I’m asked what major I’m currently in, I’m often met with a blank stare and the question “What exactly does that mean?” After attempting some sort of response, the speaker moves on to an even more difficult subject. “What do you plan on doing with that after graduating?”

I can honestly say that I have no specific answer for that question. There are a number of things I would love to do after leaving college, but no one set idea or plan laid out for me. But this is one of the reasons I believe a major in Communication Studies will be very useful in the future. Rather than any of the other more defined communication majors, the Studies program offers a wide variety of knowledge and understanding about how media is created, projected, received, and how it affect’s the individual. This is information that would be highly useful in almost any media related field. Even aside from jobs, the information gained here will have a great impact on my communication skills and relationships with others. It will help me gain a better idea of how to best guide a family, knowing what effects media can have upon them. Also, it will help me better understand my own relationship with media and avoid allowing it to play an overemphasized or underemphasized role in my life.

One weakness of the Communication Studies major (in my mind) is that at times it doesn’t focus on the things I’m really interested in as much as I’d like. But obviously only so much customability can be allowed, since there are certain things the university would like us to learn that we may not be all that interested in, but will be good for our overall education. For example, there is a huge emphasis placed on research in the Communication Studies program, despite the fact that a research job is only one option after graduation. At first I disliked this emphasis, but the ideas taught are also applicable to several different areas. Being able to determine whether research is valid is an important skill when discussing communication theory, and realizing the best way to evaluate your own theories and media relationships is something that is important in all areas of life. To some extent every individual is already a researcher of the world around them, so learning the skills to be effective and efficient can always be applied.

Another emphasis I might want to change is the fact that the Communication Studies major tends to focus more on news related media, where my interest is mostly in film, television, books, and other fiction media. But the general theories taught can be applied anywhere, and the topic is discussed enough to learn the best way to apply them. It’s probably true that my main areas of media interest are the areas where I spend the most of my personal time. I enjoy a lot of entertainment media. I’m also extremely interested in technology as it applies to communications. How blogging and podcasting have changed the face of media, and how these individual communications affect big media conglomerates, is one area of interest. Current interactive multimedia and the possibilities presented with new technologies like Blu-ray, or innovative uses of the internet to directly connect people are also very intriguing to me. These topics hold great interest for me not only because a communications/media job is where I may end up, but also because these are the topics that are affecting my life ever day. I live and learn and play within a world of massive technological potential that is changing my life, the lives of others, and the face of media as a whole. I’ve not yet seen any major focus on these things, but the concepts being taught in the Communication Studies program are very applicable, and probably one of the majors on campus closest related to these topics. That’s one of the reasons I picked it, and one reason believe it’s a good fit for what I hope to do post graduation.

The Communication Studies program seems to focus mainly on broad concepts and communication theory as a whole. Because of this, it’s a major that teaches you how to learn, and one that can be a good basis for further education down the road. When eventually leaving college I will more than likely seek out a media related job that is somewhat more hands on and technical in nature. The Communication Studies program itself will not teach me how to do such a job. But what it will teach me how to continually evaluate and gain information from the world around me, how to properly use media as a tool in my own life, and generally how to continue learning throughout my entire life. Because I have great interest in a media related field, understanding these things is very important to me, and I feel that this major will help prepare me for a life of media use in the future.