Understanding Communication Ecologies to Bridge Communication Research and Community Action

Abstract

This paper describes the research process that informed the development of the MetaConnects platform, a university-based engaged scholarship initiative that connected communication researchers with community-based social change organizers. The paper outlines the investigation of community organizers' communication practices and demonstrates the utility that these findings had for the work of the practitioners. It also explores the lessons learned by the academic researchers in terms of the potentials and limitations of their engaged approach. The work highlights the theoretical and practical significance of communication ecologies—a term that refers to the networks of communication connections that groups or individuals depend upon in order to achieve a goal. It argues that, for academic researchers, understanding the communication ecologies of community-based practitioners can be an essential way to design optimally functioning engaged scholarship initiatives. An understanding of communication ecologies can also be leveraged by practitioners in order to strengthen a neighborhood communication infrastructure and encourage social change.

Keywords:

• Communication Infrastructure Theory
• Engaged Scholarship
• Communication Ecology
• Community Organizing
• Formative Research Strategies

Acknowledgments

This project was supported by The California Endowment (#20081339) and by the USC Annenberg School. The authors thank the journal editors and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. They also thank their community partners for their dedication and collaboration.