The new public : professional communication and the means of social influence / Leon H. Mayhew.
Professional specialists, using market research and promotional campaigns, have come to dominate public communication. The modern public of the Enlightenment, based on free discussion, has, in Leon Mayhew's terms, been replaced by a "New Public," subject to mass persuasion through sys...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge ; New York :
Cambridge University Press,
1997.
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| Series: | Cambridge cultural social studies.
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| Subjects: |
| Summary: | Professional specialists, using market research and promotional campaigns, have come to dominate public communication. The modern public of the Enlightenment, based on free discussion, has, in Leon Mayhew's terms, been replaced by a "New Public," subject to mass persuasion through systematic advertising, lobbying, and other forms of media manipulation. Professor Mayhew examines this sociological development in terms of discourse and social influence, offering an original theory which bridges Talcott Parsons and Jurgen Habermas. Most importantly, he shows how the rhetorical techniques of the professional communicators are designed to avoid having to defend their claims, thereby precluding meaningful discussion of public issues. As a result, institutions providing forums for good-faith, two-way discourse no longer exist, community through communication cannot be achieved, and the social order is unstable. |
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| Physical Description: | xi, 332 pages ; 24 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 303-325) and index. |
| ISBN: | 0521481465 9780521481465 0521484936 9780521484930 |