| As one of the most influential sociologists in the20thcentury, Robert KingMerton had comprehensive contribution to various fields of sociology. He was widelyknown as the founder of the sociology of science, the theorist of structural-functionalanalysis in sociology, the core leader of the Columbia School or scholar circle, andthe founder of ‘middle range’ theory. However, his influence upon masscommunications research has not been realized enough yet, although the ORR wasregarded as the birthplace of mass communication, and his lifelong friends andcollaborator Paul Lazarsfeld has been regarded as one of the founders of masscommunication research. In viewpoint of the social integrity&background of thecommunication origin, to investigate and discuss Merton’s communications workfully will be both interested and pressing now.The reexamination is crucial not only for accurately evaluating his methodologyvalues, in its origination background, on communication effects upon mass withbalanced social issues and terms, but also for us to apply and develop the proven orpotential ones among Merton’s to new challenges of mass media’s efficiency in aworld being ever-increasing globe economy, legislation and internet communicationstrend.There are three purposes in this dissertation. The first is to understand, discussand re-evaluate R.K Merton’s communications thought and his influence uponcommunication research. The second, accompanied with new advancement andchange of society and communication tool, try to find out some clues on potentiallyuseful concepts and approaches for further research. The last purpose is, try to find,through Merton’s communication study, the contributions to his sociological thought.In order to understand and evaluate Merton’s communication thought andresearches properly, we need to follow two different contexts: Merton’s sociologicalworks and the history of mass communication study.In the history of mass communication study, Merton contributed mainly on threeaspects: theoretical, practical and conceptual.On the aspect of theory, his paradigm of functional analysis provided a usefulframework for the communication research, especially through Charles Wright’swork-“Partial Functional Inventory for Mass Communication”. It has been used for the classification of many alleged and some documented consequences of masscommunication activities for individuals, groups, societies, and cultural systems in1950’s to1970’s. The functional perspectives helped examining different aspects ofmass communications, and reminded researchers of the need for research on theconsequences which other social institutions have for mass communication. In thisway, communication research accumulated empirical knowledge gradually. Althoughsome critical researchers blame the functional analysis for its ideologicalconservatism and could not get a decisive conclusion of the mass media’s function, itstill appears alive for the analysis on modern media circumstance.His paradigm of structural analysis also provided sociological framework formass communication research. On the macro level, mass media are regarded as a partof the social institutions, and having been discussed in the whole social structurebackground. On the micro level, individuals are embedded in social structures whichsimultaneously present opportunities and constraints. This perspective gavetheoretical explanations for the ‘limited effects’ theory,‘active-audience’ as well as“uses-and-gratifications’ theories. This paradigm reminds us of considering differentperspectives in researching.On the aspect of practical, he contributed middle-range theory and focusedinterview to communication research.Firstly, middle-range theories, applicable to limited ranges of data, transcendsheer description of social phenomena and fill in the blanks between raw empiricismand grand theory. It guided the empirical researcher of mass communication, taughtthem not limited to empirical generalizations, but to work for a higher goal, tocontribute to the development for theories. The information diffusion theory is one ofthe best know examples.Secondly, the focused interview which he developed in the war-related works,transformed into ‘focus group’ in1970’s, has become an important tool for marketand academic research. As a qualitative research method, it was defined to be usedtogether with some quantitative methods. It was focused on the respondent’s ‘personalcontext’, and capable of eliciting subjective understandings of specific social situation.It was also seen as valuable because it could form a basis for asserting that theconsequences of some action were unanticipated. In addition, interviewing couldthrow up unexpected findings. Thirdly, his empirical research on propaganda and mass communication, not onlydeveloped concepts and theory, abstracted from particular cases, and suggestedprograms for continuing research. The research of Rovere local community, whichsandwiched between Lazarsfeld “the people’s choice’ and “personal influence”,distinguished “local” versus “cosmopolitan” types of leaders and showed how suchdifferences underscored meaningful differences in influence. The work also connectedthe mass media and interpersonal communication in the process of opinion leadership.Though Merton studied a considerable range of social situations and socialcategories or groups, one of his basic and enduring contributions to sociologicalanalysis is human behavior. His studies in mass persuasion, propaganda andinterpersonal influence, are only derived from his basic concern. On the micro level,human behavior should be understood as embedded in social structures (groups,organizations, social classes, communities, nations) which simultaneously presentopportunities and constraints to their members. Individuals in the social structuralwebs are influenced both by mass communication (propaganda) and by interpersonalcommunications. In viewpoint of the researching, on the macro level the change ofindividual values and motives influenced by communication means also a change ofsocial structure, which suggested Merton for further research. From this point of view,communication research enriched Merton’s sociological thoughts and research field.Due to the shortage of comprehensive realization on the forming background andprocess of Merton’s theory when it was introduced by us, the study on Merton’scommunication thought and work has both theoretical and realistic significance.Theoretically, the work not only enriched and corrected the history of masscommunication, expanded the understanding of his communication research and hisinfluence upon mass communication field, but improved understanding of Merton’ssociological theory also. Realistically, the concepts and ideas originated from hisempirical communication research are still valuable and alive in contemporaryinternet era. |
PDF Full Text Request