Symbolic Convergence Theory

Professional communicators want to tell clear, concise, yet genuine narratives. Stories help to achieve digital marketing goals; for instance, increasing brand awareness, engaging users more, or growing the number of followers. Creating customer allegiance and commitment is not easy, but symbolic convergence theory, which includes fantasy themes and rhetoric theory, aids staff in reaching organizational goals.

Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT), developed by Ernest G. Bormann from the University of Minnesota (Braithwaite, 2015), explains how individuals in groups come to a shared reality through communication (Littlejohn, Foss, & Oetzel, 2017). A handful of assumptions about reality and symbols underpins SCT (Vaughan, 2009). First, communication creates reality for individuals, groups, organizations, and families (Braithwaite, 2015). Hence, reality and its subjective meanings are shared. Symbolic forms are authentic and “give form and law to [a] chaotic and disorderly sensory world” (Vaughan, 2009, p. 944). Transcending the present moment and getting wrapped up in telling a story is one way humans dramatize and this amasses culture (Braithwaite, 2015). Another simple example is an inside joke. They are common and some understand the joke, and others do not understand the joke: that is the idea of symbolically converging. Also, it is an indicator for who is in the group and who is not in the group (Braithwaite, 2015). Stories mirroring “how things are believed to be” work to explain an individuals’ images of reality (Littlejohn et. al., 2017, p. XXX). Ideas, either verbally or non-verbally, bound to the process of fantasizing go from individual to individual then are passed from group to group and, eventually, spread until shared worldview results (Littlejohn et al, 2017).

In SCT, the process of fantasizing or dramatizing is an interpretation of the past, a description of the present, and contemplation of the future (Vaughan, 2009). The real event is at a distance in time and space from the depictions (Vaughan, 2009). Reality is constructed for group members by fantasy themes (Vaughan, 2009). They tell a story with characters, plots, settings, and sanctioning agents (Littlejohn, et. al., 2017 & Vaughan, 2009). A sanctioning agent is, sometimes, an authority figure that legitimizes and lends credibility to the story, perhaps, a company, a God, a common enemy, or a pledge to justice or an honour code (Littlejohn, et. al., 2017). According to Littlejohn et. al. (2017), the themes are character, setting, and action. Character themes are the heroes, villains, and supporting players in the drama. A setting is a certain time and place both tangible property and intangible socio-cultural context. The action theme is the plotline. It adds to story development by describing what happens next and what the characters are doing. The symbolic converged piece starts, perhaps, as a lesser-known inside joke moves to a more popular story then to a fantasy type, a recurring story that is told repeatedly, so much so that it ascends to a higher level a national and societal saga all to make sense of the world (Littlejohn, et. al., 2017).

Fantasy themes are rhetorical visions (Littlejohn, et. al., 2017). To unpack this statement first, turn to the ancient Greeks who defined rhetoric well. The logos, logical argument, the ethos, speakers’ credentials, and pathos, the emotional argument are combined into rhetoric often thought of as empty words, talk without substance, or a performance (Foss, 2009). Often, rhetoric is a style that is taught. A rhetorical vision is deeper than a narrative. The vision’s core is righteous, needs social interactions to be successfully propagated, and is practical. Rhetorical visions help in the sense-making of reality. A “critical mass of adherence” to a rhetorical vision builds up and maintains group cohesion, loyalty, and pride (Littlejohn, et.al., 2017, p. XXX). At times, the vision is familiar, and it needs a one or two-word trigger to congregate up the entirety (e.g., Ronald Regan). Next, by investing and believing in the intrinsic values and themes of the vision one accepts them.

Communication professionals take SCT, fantasy themes, and rhetorical analysis to develop digital marketing strategies and to conduct marketing research. One research method is to use a focus group, and measure which themes spread and which do not (Vaughan, 2009). A/B testing is another method. A subset of an audience is taken and divided into two groups. One group is sent message “A” and the other message “B” then it is determined which message had the most reach. The winner is sent to all the audience members going forward. Testing and using the theme with the greatest propagation helps organizations to strengthen the connection between audience and message to reach business goals (Vaughan, 2009 & Littlejohn et. al., 2017).

References

Braithwaite, D. O. (2015). Symbolic convergence theory [Streaming video]. Retrieved from http://sk.sagepub.com.ezproxy.royalroads.ca/video/symbolic-convergence-theory

Foss, K. A. (2009). Rhetorical theory. In S. W. Littlejohn & K. A. Foss (Eds.), Encyclopedia of communication theory. (pp. 853 - 856). Sage.

Littlejohn, S., Foss, K. A., & Oetzel, J.G. (2017). Theories of human communication. (11th ed.). Waveland Press Inc.

Vaughan, D. R. (2009). Symbolic convergence theory. In S. W. Littlejohn & K. A. Foss (Eds.), Encyclopedia of communication theory. (pp.). Sage. (pp. 943 - 945). Sage.