The Situational Theory of Publics connects issue-specific problem recognition, perceived constraints, and involvement with information seeking and processing. Public categories can change with circumstances, active publics may oppose an organization, and diagnosing communication conditions does not determine which intervention will work or whether mobilization is desirable.
- FamilyModel
- CategoryTheories & Explanatory Models
- DomainMedia, Publics & Society
What these mean
Editorial orientation · Family
Model
In this series, Model names the editorial family primarily used to understand and explain communication: theories, frameworks, effects, traditions, principles and other conceptual resources. It is an umbrella for a route into the field, not a claim that every included object is a predictive model.
Editorial orientation · Category
Theories & Explanatory Models
Explains how or why a communication process works by relating mechanisms, conditions or variables. Its value is an account that can guide inquiry into what produces an outcome, rather than a name for the outcome alone.