Communication as Ritual

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Communication as Ritual

At The Revealer, Jay Rosen has a short but fascinating piece framing the Democratic National Convention as ritual. He contrasts the transmission view of communication or news (messages for information) with the ritual view (a representation of shared beliefs). In a ritual reading of the text or event, people insert themselves into the narrative or root for one side or the other. Rosen's point is that journalists who look for information at the DNC miss the point, it's all about performing social ritual, celebrating shared beliefs, and denigrating those who believe differently. Sounds like General Conference, another big convention long on shared belief but short on information. Maybe we could use a little less reverence and a little more hoopla come October! We certainly need something to spice up the semi-annual proceedings.

Jul 26, 2004 at 01:46 PM | Permalink

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I'll wear a different hat each session!

Posted by: Kori | Jul 27, 2004 at 12:03 AM

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