Communication Theory and Gen Z Popular Culture

Table Of Contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Acknowledgements
• Kathleen
• Jonathan
• Table of Contents
• List of Tables
• List of Figures
• Introduction: Gen Z and Communication Theory (Kathleen Glenister Roberts)
• PART I Interpersonal and Group Dynamics
• Opposites Attract: Relational Dialectics in Wednesday (Amy A. Williams)
• Relational Dialectics Theory
• Relational Dialectics in Wednesday
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• “Playing” with Self-disclosure: Reality TV Dating Contestants’ Romantic Relationship Escalation (Adriane Stoner & Lynn Cockett)
• Principles of Self-Disclosure
• Principle 1: Self-disclosure typically happens over time in small steps
• Principle 2: Self-disclosure is initiated with less personal information and progresses to more personal information
• Principle 3: The reciprocation of self-disclosure is an indicator of relational progression
• Principle 4. Engaging in self-disclosure involves risk and requires trust
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• “It’s a warm summer evening in ancient Greece”: Recognizing Strategies for Effective Listening in The Big Bang Theory (Nancy Bressler)
• The Big Bang Theory
• Hearing vs. Listening
• Five Elements of the Listening Process
• Listening Barriers
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• “Are you in some kind of trouble?”: Uncertainty Reduction Theory in Stranger Things (Andrea L. Meluch)
• Overview of Stranger Things
• Uncertainty Reduction Theory
• Types of Uncertainties Encountered
• Uncertainty Reduction Process
• Uncertainty Reduction Processes Surrounding Eleven in Stranger Things
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• Not Just Fun and Games: Memes as Strategic Self-presentation and Relational Maintenance (Heather J. Hether)
• Impression Management
• Relational Maintenance
• Internet Memes
• Impression Management through Memes
• Relational Maintenance through Memes
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• Relationship Management Theory and Crime Junkie Podcast (Emily Leigh Jones)
• Crime Junkie
• Strategies for Relationship Management
• Assessing Outcomes of Relationship Management
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• Understanding “Swiftie” Identity and Behavior through the Social Identity Approach to Communication (Kelly M. Weikle)
• Social Identity Theory
• Self-Categorization Theory
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• “Do you want to call your dad?”: Understanding Family Communication Patterns through Succession (Hayley Hoffman)
• Family Communication Patterns Theory
• Succession
• Succession and Family Communication Patterns
• Protective families
• Consensual families
• Pluralistic families
• Laissez-Faire families
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• PART II Rhetoric and Persuasion
• Symbolic Convergence in Netflix’s Beef (Anthony Esposito & Ronald K. Raymond)
• Beef
• Symbolic Convergence Theory
• Fantasy Chains in Beef
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• The Hunger Games – Hierarchy of Needs (Paul A. Lucas)
• The Hunger Games Background
• The Hierarchy in The Hunger Games
• Level 1: Physiological Needs
• Level 2: Safety Needs
• Level 3: Love, Connection, and Belongingness Needs
• Level 4: Esteem Needs
• Level 5: Self-Actualization Needs
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• Functional Dysfunction in The Office: How Expectancy Violation Theory Mitigates the Power Dynamic Between Employee and “Boss” (Laura Brown)
• First Core Principle of EVT: Expectancies
• Context of the Interaction
• Relationship with the Communicator
• Communicator Characteristics
• Second Core Principle of EVT: Violation Valence
• Third Core Principle of EVT: Reward Valence
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• The Resonant Violation of Logan Paul’s Unconventional Success (Garret Castleberry)
• Understanding Resonant Violation Theory
• Internet Fame as a Resonant 21st Century Economic Engine
• Slap Fighting Championship
• Violating Tradition in the WWE Pecking Order
• Influencer Violations and (Self-Promoted) Transmedia Branding
• Concluding Thoughts on the Resonant Violation of Logan Paul
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• Identification, Division, and Consubstantiality in Cobra Kai (Brent Kice)
• Kenneth Burke’s Concept of Identification and Consubstantiality
• Identifying, Dividing and Empathizing in Cobra Kai
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• Curiosity in Action: Procedural Rhetoric in Interactive Systems (Brett Boessen)
• Identification and Persuasion in Gaming
• Serious Fun
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• PART III Media and Culture
• Media, Representation, Meaning, and the “Old Town Road” (Gretta Blackwell & Derek Blackwell)
• Representation 101
• Constructed-ness: Meaning is constructed
• Relationality: Meaning is relational
• Slipperiness: Meaning is not fixed
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• The Battle of “Old Town Road”: (Mis)Representation and the Struggle to Combat Media Stereotypes (Derek Blackwell & Gretta Blackwell)
• Who’s Stereotyping Whom?
• Resisting Annihilation and Changing the Landscape
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• “Can’t we be all things at once?”: Exploring Television Genre Theory through Riverdale (Lori Bindig Yousman)
• Case Study in Genre Theory: Riverdale
• Riverdale as Teen Television
• Genre-mixing in Riverdale
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• Encoding/Decoding: Truths, Lies, and Reconciliations in Bridgerton (Zari Taylor & Kumarini Silva)
• Encoding/Decoding Summarized
• Encoding/Decoding and Color-Conscious Casting: Bridgerton Comes to Netflix
• Encoding Bridgerton
• Decoding Bridgerton
• Dominant-Hegemonic: wherein the audience interprets the messages as the producers of the media text intend them to and within the dominant cultural order
• Negotiated: wherein audiences take a contradictory position with the potential to adopt or oppose the dominant televisual codes encoded into texts
• Oppositional: wherein audiences recognize the dominant cultural order being encoded, but oppose them
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• Cultivation Theory in the Streaming Age: 13 Reasons Why (Ryan P. McCullough & Brooke Anderson)
• Cultivation Theory’s Three Prongs of Analysis
• Findings of Cultivation Theory
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• What’s the Use?: Exploring the Cultural Significance and Gratifications of TikTok (Sharon. L. Storch & Cecily Jones)
• UGT Foundations
• TikTok Usage
• TikTok Demographics
• Generation Z & Social Movements on TikTok
• Gen Z’s TikTok Usage and UGT
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• Social Media Feeds and Agenda Setting (Elizabeth Stoycheff & Farah Harb)
• Agenda Setting
• Gen Z news consumption
• Social media sets the agenda
• The Role of Algorithms
• Gen Z Issue Priorities
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• There is No Planet B (blah, blah, blah): Networked Counterpublics and Gen Z Activism (Carolyn M. Cunningham & Heather M. Crandall)
• From Publics to Counterpublics
• Planet B Remixed
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• PART IV Culture, Power, Identity
• Double Vision: Netflix’s Maid and Feminist Standpoint Theory (Julie D. O’Reilly)
• Standpoint Theory
• Intratextual: Alex’s Situated Knowledge
• Extratextual: Viewers’ Exposure to a Marginalized Standpoint
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• Using a Co-Cultural Theoretical Lens to Understand the Nuances of BIPOC Professional Communication: Focusing on Issa Rae’s Insecure (Mark P. Orbe)
• Issa Dee and “We Got Y’all”
• Issa the Entrepreneur
• Concluding Thoughts
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• Hey Siri! Spill the Tea: Using AI to Understand Intersectionality (Rachel E. Silverman)
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• Concord Through Discord: Understanding the Fortnite Online Gaming Community Through the Lens of Hecht’s (1993) Communication Theory of Identity (Corey Jay Liberman)
• Introduction
• Components of CTI
• CTI and Discord
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• “I’m a man with no power. Does that make me a woman?”: Hegemony and Counter Hegemony in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (Jonathan Nichols-Pethick)
• Hegemony
• Barbie and Cultural Hegemony
• Patriarchy and Normalization of Gender Roles
• Barbie as a Counter-Hegemonic Text
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• Sidekicks and Signifiers: A Semiotic Analysis of Minions and the Despicable Me Franchise (Kasey Clawson Hudak)
• Signs, Symbols, and Semiotic Theory
• Because They’re Happy: Minion Semiotics
• Of Humor and Henchmen
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• The Remix, Hip-Hop, Postmodern Theory, and Generation Z Popular Culture (Hunter H. Fine)
• Remix, Reuse, Recycle
• Sampling as Remix
• Postmodernity
• Conclusion
• Chapter Keywords
• References
• Conclusion: Future Theories and Future Applications (Kathleen Glenister Roberts)
• About the Contributors

Kathleen Glenister Roberts and Jonathan Nichols-Pethick (eds.)

Communication Theory and Gen Z Popular Culture

Essays and Applications

New York · Berlin · Bruxelles · Chennai · Lausanne · Oxford

Bibliographic Information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek

The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Glenister Roberts, Kathleen, 1971- editor. | Nichols-Pethick, Jonathan, 1966- editor.

Title: Communication Theory and Gen Z Popular Culture : Essays and Applications / edited by Kathleen Glenister Roberts and Jonathan Nichols-Pethick.

Description: New York : Peter Lang, 2025. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2025002459 (print) | LCCN 2025002460 (ebook) | ISBN 9781636673981 (paperback) | ISBN 9783034357746 (hardback) | ISBN 9781636673998 (ebook) | ISBN 9781636674001 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Generation Z | Information theory. | Mass media--History--21st century.

Classification: LCC HQ799.5 .C555 2025 (print) | LCC HQ799.5 (ebook) | DDC 305.2--dc23/eng/20250212

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2025002459

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2025002460

Cover design by Peter Lang Group AG

ISBN 978-3-0343-5774-6 (Hardback)

ISBN 978-1-63667-398-1 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63667-399-8 (EPDF)

ISBN 978-1-63667-400-1 (EPUB)

DOI 10.3726/b22791

© 2025 Peter Lang Group AG, Lausanne, Switzerland

Published by Peter Lang Publishing Inc., New York, USA

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All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. Any utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution. This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming, and storage and processing in electronic retrieval systems.

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Acknowledgements

Kathleen

I would like to thank the editors at Peter Lang, and all the encouraging readers and contributors from the previous edition of this book which was aimed at millennials in college classrooms. The reception of the previous edition inspired this new attempt.

But I would not have known where to begin without my current students, who especially in Duquesne’s Honors College are the very best of Gen Z; and without my co-editor. Jonathan not only has supreme expertise in media studies, he is also the most hard-working and patient colleague I’ve ever known.

Finally, as always, deepest thanks to my family—especially Cannon—for their support in everything I do.

Jonathan

I would like to thank Kathleen first and foremost for inviting me into this project. Going all the way back to our days in graduate school at Indiana University, I have been a huge fan of Kathleen as a teacher, a scholar, and a person. To work with her in this capacity is a bucket-list item and a total honor. 10/10 would do this again!

I would also like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all of the contributors to this volume for their hard work and patience. I’ve been thrilled to work with and learn from each of them.

DePauw University granted me time to work on this project through a sabbatical, without which I doubt I could have done my part with any sense of calm or focus. And I must thank my departmental colleagues who have taught me so much about all aspects of Communication theory over the years. I hope you like what we’ve all done here.

Our enthusiastic editors and collaborators at Peter Lang were kind and patient throughout the process, which makes the whole endeavor so much more enjoyable.

Finally, my family at home gave me the time and space to work when I needed it, and maintained the level of delightful goofiness that they’ve curated over the years. Thank you for always helping me to keep everything in perspective.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Gen Z and Communication Theory

Kathleen Glenister Roberts

Part I
Interpersonal and Group Dynamics

1. Opposites Attract: Relational Dialectics in Wednesday

Amy A. Williams

2. “Playing” with Self-disclosure: Reality TV Dating Contestants’ Romantic Relationship Escalation

Adriane Stoner & Lynn Cockett

3. “It’s a warm summer evening in ancient Greece”: Recognizing Strategies for Effective Listening in The Big Bang Theory

Nancy Bressler

4. “Are you in some kind of trouble?”: Uncertainty Reduction Theory in Stranger Things

Andrea L. Meluch

5. Not Just Fun and Games: Memes as Strategic Self-presentation and Relational Maintenance

Heather J. Hether

6. Relationship Management Theory and Crime Junkie Podcast

Emily Leigh Jones

7. Understanding “Swiftie” Identity and Behavior through the Social Identity Approach to Communication

Kelly M. Weikle

8. “Do you want to call your dad?”: Understanding Family Communication Patterns through Succession

Hayley Hoffman

Part II
Rhetoric and Persuasion

9. Symbolic Convergence in Netflix’s Beef

Anthony Esposito & Ronald K. Raymond

10. The Hunger Games – Hierarchy of Needs

Paul A. Lucas

11. Functional Dysfunction in The Office: How Expectancy Violation Theory Mitigates the Power Dynamic Between Employee and “Boss”

Laura Brown

12. The Resonant Violation of Logan Paul’s Unconventional Success

Garret Castleberry

13. Identification, Division, and Consubstantiality in Cobra Kai

Brent Kice

14. Curiosity in Action: Procedural Rhetoric in Interactive Systems

Brett Boessen

Part III
Media and Culture

15. Media, Representation, Meaning, and the “Old Town Road”

Gretta Blackwell & Derek Blackwell

16. The Battle of “Old Town Road”: (Mis)Representation and the Struggle to Combat Media Stereotypes

Derek Blackwell & Gretta Blackwell