Furruzzia J.

Landrito
COM31
Explain and discuss the different traditions in the field of communication
and give your insights. You may agree or disagree on some of these but
make sure you express your thoughts on such.
1. Critical Tradition
This is the Marxist tradition of critiquing society. This is centered
about very idealistic views. It defines communication as
something that leaves the main subject temporarily in speech or
writing from subject to subject. This tradition confronts the social,
historical, and ideological forces and structures that produce and
forces oblige it.
From this, I understood that this tradition is a way of critiquing
the society and culture. The reason the theorists are doing this
critique to society and culture is because they want to change
things in the society. They dont want the people living in society
to be oppressed. They want the people of the society to be able
to exercise their own freedom. They want to break free from the
norm that is upon all of us.
2. Phenomenological Tradition
This tradition is about two people not having the same
philosophical idea about an event, object or experience. This
interprets messages and experiences by filtering the
comprehension through their own values and understanding.
Phenomenological also refers to the intentional analysis of
everyday life from the standpoint of the person who is living it.
Based from my understanding, Phenomenological tradition is an
idea where two people dont have the same attitude or reaction
to a certain thing or event. We all know that no two people go
through what the others go through. Every human being in this
world has their own experiences that change their view in life.
For example, lets talk about the society today. As the society
today depicts beauty in women, they show women that are
skinny and tall. For the women who are fit in this category, they
would feel like it is a compliment to be one but for those who
arent and cant fit in this category, they think that the society
today is not for them because they have to have this traits in
order to be called beautiful and they know that they cant attain
one thing or the other. Another example would be eating a
chicken burger from a certain fast food restaurant. One would
comment that this is one of their favorite food to eat because
he/she probably likes to eat chicken whilst one wouldnt agree
that this is his/hers favorite because she experienced poisoning
or something unpleasant.

I actually agree on this because I know that no two people have

the same perspective of life. Everyone has his or her own trials
and challenges that make them who they are. I believe that
whatever a persons opinion on things is somewhat related to
their experiences.
3. Socio-cultural Tradition
This tradition is solely based on the premise that as people talk,
they produce and reproduce culture. Our view of reality is
strongly shaped by the language weve used since we were
infants. Linguistic relativity states that the structure of a cultures
language shapes what people think and do according to the Sapir
and Whorf hypothesis. This shows how a society functions
through communication while it stabilizes its social structures
and cultural patterns. This is as simple as the logic how we
present ourselves, is how we wanted to be perceived by others.
In this tradition, it is said that the way we talk and perceive
things is because of our culture. Our views about things work are
being passed from generation to generation because of the
culture in where we live in. Basically, this tradition is about our
social interaction in groups, district, and culture. Relationships
are being given its identity through this type of communication.
The language that you have been raised in is somewhat attribute
to how we react on things.
This tradition can be observed in todays time. This is very
evident in the Philippines for as we all know our country is a
conservative one. The United States of America is somewhat a
role model to all of the countries all over the world. A few weeks
back, the United States has legalized same-sex marriage. Since
then, the country has a very strong opinion about this and most
of it is about not legalizing same-sex marriage here because of
the fact that we are conservative and religious people.
4. Socio-Psychological Tradition
This is the tradition that looks for the cause and effect in
relationships because this is where they are going to base the
outcome of the social interaction of human beings. This tradition
conceptualizes communication as social interaction and
influence. Humans are more likely to believe in and follow the
practices and accept any new communication that acts to
already set of systems of knowledge, beliefs, and values.
This tradition talks about how one sees himself/herself. This is
like a study of knowing and interpreting how and why people act,
conduct them selves the way they do. It also tries to find the

answer on how individual human beings try to behave in a

certain communication situation.
Basically, what this is trying to portray is that an individual, may
communicate and exchange ideas, is still intact with his/her selfs
beliefs, ideas and values. The main focus of this tradition is how a
person sees himself. Its like collaboration teamed up with
communication in its efforts to study a social individual.
5. Cybernetic Tradition
This tradition is described as the field of artificial intelligence.
Cybernetics is the study of information processing, feedback and
control in communication studies. It also illustrates the way
feedback makes information processing in our heads and on our
laptops. This is the overall working of communications in relation
to systems.
Based from an internet reference, the way communication is
done is similar to the processing of the information. In an
example, our mind is the processor of things like the CPU of a
computer. When we see things, try input the image we see
before our eyes. Next is the processing of the image in our
system and creates output.
From the learnings I have acquired from my readings, this just
states that every thing in our body and mind, communicates like
the way we interact and socialize with other people. We tend to
communicate through our brains about what our body parts
should be doing. I think that is one of the most amazing tradition
because it talks about how everything communicates like from
the most complex system, to your DNA, or computer then to
other socializing groups and such.
6. Semiotic Tradition
This is the study of signs. This brings light to the importance of
signs and symbols and how they come to represent ideas and
concept through our own experiences and perceptions. Our own
interpretations and perceptions mean that we interpret meaning
for objects that hold a symbolic presence rather it being just an
object of reality. It also relies on signs to share meaning across
the gap between the subjective viewpoints.
Semiotic, basically, means that words used in this tradition are
somewhat plain but as the human mind processes this word, it
immediately assigns a link, therefore, giving it a meaning. A
meaning of the word doesnt mean that it is its own meaning. It is
rather a meaning that is given by a persons perception of it. A
good sample of this is the word holding hands. According to the
Urban Dictionary, this is to have and keep in ones grasp. It just

means that holding hands are just two people intertwining or just
holding their hands together, but why is this word associated
with love if it just means that they are just grasping one
anothers hands? This probably has just come up within peoples
mind that base from this gesture, it could show non-verbal
communication that shows how they care and love for each
other.
I actually am a guilty in this tradition because I tend to associate
words with other meanings based from the non-verbal
communication and gestures I see. If I were to think of it, this
tradition is just being passed to another because people are
telling you that when people do this, they are friends or they are
in love and such. I try to give out meanings to words that
shouldnt be given to. I tend to over-analyze things and how it
should mean.
7. Rhetorical Tradition
This tradition is said to be the oldest one because it kind of exists
around the time of Julius Caesar and such. This tradition is
commonly explained as a mean of persuasion that merely
focuses on lines, ideas, use and delivery. This requires the skill
and good judgment in deciding what to say in challenging
questions.
This tradition means that the way you speak and deliver a set of
words in front of an audience, affects how they would take it. As
it was said above, this tradition is in all means of persuasion and,
of course, persuasion is something that is done mostly through
verbal communication and its gestures. If we are just going to
read a certain text that is long and doesnt have any pictures on
it, we could get easily bored and not be persuaded to what
message it is trying to convey. But if this message were put to
verbal communication with a side of gestures featuring a good
oratorical speaker, then the audience would most probably be
persuaded and moved by the message. This just shows that if the
speaker uses the beauty of language in its delivery of the
thought, people are more likely to engage their self in the piece
of information it is being expressed. Unlike a speaker who just
reads it off on the paper and doesnt show enthusiasm and
liveliness, the listeners would just get bored and cannot be talked
into it because they dont think and appreciate what there is to
know about. Some may be introduced into this if they are really
interested in the topic that is being presented.
This tradition relates to me in a certain level because I have
experienced it. As a communication student, I have been on a lot
of classes, seminars, and workshops. I have listened to loads of
speakers in my life and it is true that I tend to be moved by

speakers who are livelier on stage or on the platform. It is like I

get to experience what has happened to them just by listening to
how they speak and how it has changed them or how they have
learned from the certain topic they are discussing. I dont always
learn or get inspired by speakers who talk as if they are just
discussing unless Im really into their presentation.