Bulding worlds through communication

According to the social constructionist perspective, our worlds are built through communication. Communication constructs our world because talking and being vocal have a lot to do with what we believe or value. The text states "If everyone around us talks about the world in a certain way, we are all likely to think of the world in that way and fail to question whether we are seeing things accurately" (p. 30). One of the first things we learn to do when we are young is how to talk. Communication from parent to child or friend to friend contains certain subjects and particular topics which in turn become beliefs or values. Instead of ideas or beliefs coming from "direct" experience, information flows from communication. For example, say someone just took a trip to Hawaii. You have never been to Hawaii before in your life, but your friend tells you it never gets cold and it is the most beautiful place on earth. A few weeks later, another friend tells you s/he is taking a trip to Hawaii. You tell this friend that Hawaii is always warm, and that it is the most beautiful place on earth, even though you have never been there yourself. This is how your world is constructed through communication. Your ideas about Hawaii are constructed from things you have heard or seen and not through direct experience.

The thing about communication is that it is also cultrually specific. There are topics that we discuss in American culture that would never be talked about in other cultures. Trenholm states "communication is a process whereby people in groups, using the tools provided by their culture, create collective representations of reality" (p. 30). In the U.S. we contain a highly consumeristic culture. Although money is important to people across all cultures, the U.S. has seen a culture of extreme consumption compared to other places in the world. Our communication has a lot to do with what we do to make our money, what we want to buy next week, what fancy phone we are saving our money for, and other related communication regarding consumption. This may not be the case in other countries who do not communicate about hoping to save money for a new BMW or Lexus or million dollar home that they have dreamed about since they were little. Communication is culturally specific, and success and happiness is definitley affected by the consumer culture. Kids grow up with shows like American idol that give them the idea that anyone can be a rich and famous star. Parents tell their children they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up, when in reality not everyone has the means to achieve stardom or hold the presidency. There seems to be a disconnect between reality and fantasy which leaves many of us feeling empty or unsuccessful because we are always searching for the next product that will fill the emptiness.