Theoretical Approach 1: Structuration Theory

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Theoretical Approach 1Structuration Theory

• Mevit 3220 / 4220
• Media and Globalisation
• Sarah Chiumbu 20 September 2007

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Last Lecture

• Discussed the political economy and cultural
  studies approaches to global media

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This lecture

• First in the series of the Theoretical
  approaches
• Structuration theory
• Network Information society theories
• Global Flows theories
• Time-space disjuncture
• First part of the lecture Introducing
  structuration theory
• Second part of the lecture How it relates to
  media studies
• Third part summaries from the the curriculum

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Theory of Structuration

• Outlined by Anthony Giddens, Professor of
  Sociology in a book The Constitution of Society
  Outline of a Theory of Structuration (1984).
• Theory attempts to reconcile the theoretical
  dichomities of social systems
• Agency/structure
• Subjective/objective
• Micro/macro

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Theory of Structuration

• Structuration theory aims to explain social
  practices across space and time by viewing action
  and social structure as linked by their
  interdependency
• Human agency (human action) and social structure
  each act as an enabling condition of the other
• The balancing of agency (action) and structure is
  referred to as the duality of structure social
  structures make social action possible, and at
  the same time social action creates those very
  structures
• Duality of structure is always the main grounding
  of continuities in social reproduction across
  time and space

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Theory of Structuration II

• Giddens identifies 3 types of structures in
  social systems
• Signification producing meaning through
  discursive practices
• Legimitation produces moral order via societal
  norms, values and standards
• Domination produces power, originating from the
  control of resources

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Theory of Structuration III

• Structural dimensions of social systems

Structure(s) Theoretical Domain Institutional Order
Signification Theory of coding Symbolic orders/modes of discourse
Domination Theories of resource authorisation/resource allocation Political institutions Economic institutions
Legitimation Theory of normative legitimation Legal institutions
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Theory of Structuration IV

• Knowledgeable agency
• People (actors) in structuration theory are
  knowledgeable agents with the capacity to
  transform situations. They are not merely passive
  or cultural dopes of institutional or
  structural arrangements
• As knowledgeable agents, humans use interpretive
  schemes to constitute and communicate meaning and
  then take action with intentional and unintended
  consequences

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Theory of Structuration V

• Allocative and authoritative resources
• Allocative resourcesMaterial resources involved
  in the generation of power, including the natural
  environment and physical artifacts allocative
  resouorces derive from human domination over
  nature.
• Authoritarian reosurcesNon-mateial resources,
  meaning the power to harness the activities of
  other people.

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Theory of Structuration

• Key Terms, Concepts Definition
• Institutions the practices that have the
  greatest time-space extension within societal
  totalities (Giddens, 1984 17)
• Structure Rules and resources, recursively
  implicated in the reproduction of social systems
  (p.6). Structure is the medium outcome of
  action.
• Structuration The production and reproduction of
  the social systems through members use of rules
  and resources in interaction (p.25)
• Agency Humans ability to take action the
  specific behaviours or activities in which humans
  engage
• Rules techniques applied in the
  enactment/reproduction of social practices
• Resources anything that can be used as a source
  of power in a social interaction

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How does this all relate to media?

• To understand the media as an institutional and
  symbolic power, media theory must be based upon
  general social theory. The double character of
  the media institutions both concrete
  enterprises of financial, political and social
  significance, and makers of products of symbolic
  character requires theories with a corresponding
  double character (duality of structure) (James
  Lull, 1995, 2001).

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How does this all relate to the media?

• Ideology, hegemony, rules, power, popular
  culture, media effects, the active audience,
  social institutions, technology globalisation
  can be analysed through the broad parameters of
  structuration theory.
• For e.g. ideological expression and power
  relations contained in and suggested by
  large-scale structures, intersect local
  environments, each with its own resources,
  relations and rules
• While people may select, interpret and use media
  programming in clever ways socially and
  culturally, their selections and interpretation,
  and uses are influenced by their domestic
  relationships, social relationships and the
  cultural contexts in which particular social
  relations are embedded (James Lull,
  1995169-170).

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How does this relate to the media?

• Structuration theory useful to study mediated
  globalisation across time and space. Giddens is
  concerned not only with the experience of the
  individual, nor the existence of any form of
  societal totality, but social practices. Hence
  media and communication practices are essential
  in the process of which the outcome is mediated
  globalisation. A focus on mediated
  globalisation takes into account both global
  awareness and experiences- focuses on both micro
  worlds (peoples experience) and macro processes
  (globalisaiton).
• (Rantanen, 2005 12)

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Class discussion

• How can structuration theory be used to analyse
  new media use?

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Structuration theory and new media

• People interpret, integrate and use different
  forms of ICT for the creation, storage
  distribution of information knowledge across
  space and time
• ICTs as a non-living resource, dependent on human
  agency for incorporation into the structuring of
  human institutional life
• Interaction between human agent technology
  -ICTs are created and changed by human action,
  yet they are also used by humans to accomplish
  some action (duality of structure).
• Communication technologies consist of and is
  reproduced by rules and resources (Rasmussen,
  200024)
• The concept of time-space distanciation/compressio
  n useful to study new social relations and new
  forms of interaction made possible by ICTs.

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Mass Media Society

• Two chapters from Mass Media Society are
  relevant for this lecture
• Chadha Kavoori
• Hallini Mancini

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Chanda Kavoori

• Globalisation and National Media Systems
• Media and globalisation intertwined and their
  relationship is not merely instrumental- the
  media play an important role as drivers of
  globalisation, they simultaneously engage with
  and transformed by its dynamics
• Chadha Kavoori focus on the interplay between
  the processes of globalisation and the media
  systems in the context of the nation states.
• They move beyond the global-local dichotomy in
  analysing national media systems

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Hallini Mancini

• Comparing Media Systems
• Identifies and compares three media systems
  models. Agents and structures can be identified
  in the three models
• The Polarised Pluralistic Model (Southern Europe)
• The Democratic Corporatist Model (north/central
  Europe)
• The Liberal Model (North America)

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Messages

• No lecture on 27 September
• Lecture on 4 October Globalisation Hollywood
  has been moved to 8 November. So no lecture on 4
  October.
• Opening of the Films From the South week on 4
  October at 18h00 (running from 4 -11 Oct)
• Guest lecture on 18 Oct by Elizabeth Eide has
  changed to The Caricature Controversy A Local
  Media Event turning Global