First off the bat, I have to say I certainly understand theory has it's place - there are theories out there on just about everything (yes, even about extraterrestrial existence), some work, some don't. Ultimately they help us to understand the who, what, when, where, how and why of human behaviours, but I do sometimes find it difficult to delve far into the nitty-gritty of theories (speaking like a true uni student)!!!
So this reading discussed Grunig's two-way symmetrical theory (amongst others) - the "holy grail" of PR as Melanie described in last week's lecture. Now sometimes I'm an optimist, rarely I'm a pessimist, but more often than not I'm a realist. On reading this (and the description of this theory in the textbook), I thought "can we honestly ever get the profession of PR to the level of two way symmetric?" I mean, we're talking perfect PR aren't we? So I appreciated in some aspects the criticisms that this theory has undergone by postmodernists, critical/cultural theorists and international scholars (see page 179). As much as we might wish and hope for a utopian organisational structure and function... is it really possible?
I loved the sentence on page 185 - "Today's public relations practice is fluid and complex." I find that concept somewhat exciting, because it provides so much room for exploration and experimentation, to learn more about human behaviours, corporations and organisations, the publics that are involved and the way they all function and integrate together.
The conclusion says "We are standing at a crossroads, unclear of our direction, we should view the choices before us as opportunities... Not everything will work, Not everything will be worth adopting or saving. The process of self-reflection itself will be worth the effort." Very well said... I'm giving a cyber round of applause!
I'm not aiming to be a theorist, but looking at theories of the past, present and future have application to what I am studying, so despite reservations about getting swamped with "too much information", I'm happy to take a look. Maybe one day when I'm working away I'll suddenly realise I'm a living, breathing theory!
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1 comment:
Laurie
The important point about theory is to consider it and take away what applies in your practice.
Yes, Grunig & Hunt's 2way pr model is often described as the "excellence" model or the "holy grail" of pr but it isn't going to suit ever circumstance. As you say or rather quote "the process of self-reflection itself will be worth the effort". Aint that the truth!
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