Week 3: Classical Statements

This week’s reading sets initial ground for the theoretical construct that weaves together democracy, community and communication. Tocqueville, in his exploration on the American democracy, advocates Americans’ tendency to form ‘associations’ on all matters and levels as the significant factor. Pursuit of self-interest leads to greater good as well, because they are coordinated for a common goal through close social interactions in those associations. Achieving this commonness is made possible through communication of information and ideas, and association newspapers play that role. As Park says, “the newspaper must continue to be the printed diary of home community” (Park, 1932).

To put the theoretical implications in short: democracy functions and maintains itself through communities, and communities are integrated by means of communication. The role of communication in this process becomes even more relevant with Bender’s argument that communities are not merely geographical or a specific form of goal attainment, but a form of human relationship experience. Such experiences cannot but be carried out by communication, especially mediated ones in today’s larger and/or more dispersed setting.

However, the classical view of democracy-community-communication is a basically a unidirectional one whereas in reality the relationships are more interlinked into an organic whole. For example, these views leave out the question of how can mediated communication can maintain its relevance to the common good of the community as a whole. Even in a small community media there are ‘journalistic choices’ to be made, on what messages should be selected to be circulated. It raises the issue of the democracy of communication itself. Other considerations such as the effects of the institutional features of the democratic system on the community structure are also crucial. Also, there are outside effects that play important roles that affect this democracy-community-communication model such as cultural values and shared historical memory. Thus, we must always remind ourselves that we are dealing with an open organic system, not a closed mechanical one.