The Dialogic Persona and the Evil Wizard of Social Media: Transcending the Toolmaker’s Paradigm

• In Event: Dialogue, Communication, and Social Media

Abstract

In order to advance an argument for a more ethical stance to the treatment of stakeholders and publics, this essay brings together several bodies of theory including persona (Black, 1970; Wander, 1989), metaphor (Reddy, 1979), managerial rhetoric (Sproule, 1988), and dialogue (Kent & Taylor, 2002). The essay introduces an ethical orientation to stakeholders and publics, called the Fourth Persona, intended as a communication orientation that puts priority on relationships and dialogue.

Author

• Michael L. Kent, U of Oklahoma