Everyday communication in the digital society: Proposing a concept for the analysis of interpersonal communication

Abstract

In this contribution, the concept of Alltagskommunikation (everyday communication) is introduced, which aims to analyze the complex interpersonal communication entanglements in the digital society in a contextualized way. The concept locates the mobile and sometimes parallel communication processes with other individuals, which are shaped by different media, within the lifeworld of an individual. These processes are understood as interrelated, embedded in and influenced by permanent structures of interpersonal communication. To empirically apply the concept, specific (thematic) segments of interpersonal communication are examined and analyzed holistically through four analytical lenses. These analytical lenses comprise 1) the communicative relationships, in which the interpersonal communication takes place, 2) the patterns of communication by which communication is shaped, 3) the media and communication repertoires utilized for communication, and 4) the functions the communication fulfills. In this article, first, the concept of everyday communication is explicated and, second, its empirical feasibility is illustrated in a case study on interpersonal communication about satirical media content.

Keywords

• everyday communication
• interpersonal communication
• digital media
• life-worlds
• digitalization
• analytical concept