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The involvement concept-replaceable or irreplaceable? A case for a conceptual analysis of a core concept of media
Holger Schramm1, Zoe Olbermann1, Fabian Mayer1
1Department of Media and Business Communication, Institute Human-Computer-Media, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Abstract:
The concept of involvement has enriched media psychological communication studies for more than three quarters of a century. The original concept of Sherif and colleagues-the so-called ego-involvement-has been extended piece by piece by various researchers over the decades, so that already in the 1980s voices were raised questioning the usefulness of such a broad meta-concept. In this article, we try to answer the question whether the involvement concept has become obsolete in the meantime by taking a more differentiated look at three different central understandings of the involvement concept (involvement as ego-involvement, as personal relevance and as mode of reception) and discussing their explanatory value. As a result, we conclude that the original conception still has its raison d'être and that media psychological communication research should take more account of this fact when designing its studies.
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We can participate in these relationships through verbal, nonverbal, and mediated communication. We engage in verbal communication when we use words during our interaction to convey specific meanings. On the other hand, nonverbal communication refers to various factors that can impact how we understand each other—for example, facial expressions.
We interact with others using mediated technologies like the...