This article develops and tests a communication infrastructure model of belonging among dwellers of urban residential environments. The concept of a communication infrastructure—a storytelling system set in its communication action context—is discussed. Storytelling neighborhood, the communication process through which neighborhood discussion transforms people from occupants of a house to members of a neighborhood, is proposed as an essential component of people's paths to belonging, an attachment to a residential area that is evidenced in everyday exchange behaviors. A multimethod research design is employed to study seven residential areas in Los Angeles through the use of multilingual data collection to discover the relevant factors that determine belonging in new and old immigrant communities. A communication infrastructure model that posits storytelling as an intervening process between structural location and belonging is proposed and tested. Overall, the most important factor in creating belonging was found to be an active and integrated storytelling system that involves residents, community organizations, and local media. The diagnostic potentials of the communication infrastructure approach and the policy implications of the findings are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Allen, J. P.
, & Turner, E. (1996). Spatial patterns of immigrant assimilation. Professional Geographer, 48(2), 140-155.
2.
Anderson, B.
(1991). Imagined communities. New York: Verso.
3.
Ball-Rokeach, S. J.
(1974, August). The information perspective. Paper presented at the American Sociological Association, Montreal, Canada.
4.
Ball-Rokeach, S. J.
(1985). The origins of individual media system dependency: A sociological framework. Communication Research, 12, 485-510.
5.
Ball-Rokeach, S. J.
(1988). Media systems and mass communication. In E. F. Borgatta & K. S. Cook (Eds.), The future of sociology (pp. 317-332). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
6.
Ball-Rokeach, S. J.
, Gibbs, J., Gutierrez Hoyt, E., Jung, J.-Y., Kim, Y.-C., Matei, S., Wilson, M., Yuan, Y., & Zhang, L. (2000). The challenge of belonging in the 21st century: The case of Los Angeles (White Paper 1). Los Angeles: Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California.
7.
Ball-Rokeach, S. J.
, Kim, Y.-C., & Matei, S. (2001). Communication infrastructure and neighborhood belonging (Working paper). Los Angeles: Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California.
8.
Bates, F. L.
(1997). Sociopolitical ecology: Human systems and ecological fields. New York: Plenum.
9.
Baumgartner, F. R.
, & Walker, J. L. (1988). Survey research and membership in voluntary associations. American Journal of Political Science, 32, 908-928.
10.
Bellah, R. N.
, Madsen, R., Sullivan, W. M., Swidler, A., & Tipton, S. M. (1996). Habits of the heart: Individualism and commitment in American life. Berkeley: University of California Press.
11.
Bentler, P. M.
(1988). Comparitive fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 238-246.
12.
Bentler, P. M.
(1995). EQS: Structural equations program manual. Encino, CA: Multivariate Software.
13.
Blau, P. M.
, & Schwartz, J. E. (1984). Crosscutting social circles: Testing a macrostructural theory of intergroup relations. New York: Academic Press.
14.
Bogart, L.
, & Orenstein, F. E. (1965). Mass media and community identity in an interurban setting. Journalism Quarterly, 42, 179-188.
15.
Bollen, K. A.
(1989). Structural equations with latent variables. New York: Wiley.
16.
Campbell, D. T.
(1960). Recommendations for APA test standards regarding construct, trait, or discriminant validity. American Psychologist, 15, 546-553.
17.
Chavis, D. M.
, & Wandersman, A. (1990). Sense of community in the urban environment: A catalyst for participation and community development. American Journal of Community Psychology, 18(1), 55-79.
18.
Cortes, E.J.J.
(1996). Community organization and social capital. National Civic Review, 85(3), 49-53.
19.
Cutler, S. J.
(1973). Voluntary association membership and the theory of mass society. In E. O. Laumann (Ed.), Bonds of pluralism: The form and substance of urban social networks (pp. 133-159). New York: Wiley.
20.
Durkheim, E.
(1995). The elementary forms of religious life (K. E. Fields, Trans.). New York: Free Press.
21.
Edelstein, A. S.
, & Larsen, O. N. (1960). The weekly press' contribution to a sense of urban community. Journalism Quarterly, 37, 489-498.
22.
Finnegan, J. R., Jr.
, & Viswanath, K. (1988). Community ties and use of cable TV and newspapers in a Midwest suburb. Journalism Quarterly, 65(2), 456-463, 473.
23.
Fischer, C. S.
(1975). The study of urban community and personality. Annual Review of Sociology, 1, 67-89.
24.
Fischer, C. S.
(1982). To dwell among friends: Personal networks in town and city. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
25.
Fischer, C. S.
, Jackson, R. M., Stueve, C. A., Gerson, K., Jones, L. M., & Baldassare, M. (1977). Networks and places: Social relations in the urban setting. New York: Free Press.
26.
Fisher, W.
(1989). Human communication as narration: Toward a philosophy of reason, value, and action. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press.
27.
Florin, P.
, & Wandersman, A. (1990). An introduction to citizen participation, voluntary organizations, and community development: Insights for empowerment through research. American Journal of Community Psychology, 18(1), 41-54.
28.
Freeman, L. C.
, Fararo, T. J., Bloomberg, W. J., & Sunshine, M. H. (1963). Locating leaders in local communities: A comparison of some alternative approaches. American Sociological Review, 28, 791-798.
29.
Friedland, L. A.
(2001). Communication, community, and democracy: Toward a theory of the communicatively integrated community. Communication Research, 28(4), 358-391.
30.
Friedland, L. A.
, & McLeod, J. M. (1999). Community integration and mass media: A reconsideration. In D. Demers & K. Viswanath (Eds.), Mass media, social control, and social change: A macrosocial perspective (pp. 197-226). Ames: Iowa State University Press.
31.
Fulton, W.
(1997). The reluctant metropolis: The politics of urban growth in Los Angeles. Point Arena, CA: Solano Press.
32.
Galaskiewicz, J.
(1979). Exchange networks and community politics. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
33.
Galaskiewicz, J.
(1985). Social organization of an urban grants economy. Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
34.
Gamson, W. A.
(1992). Talking politics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
35.
Giddens, A.
(1991). Modernity and self-identity: Self and society in the late modern age. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
36.
Giddens, A.
(1999). Runaway world: How globalisation is reshaping our lives. London: Profile Books.
37.
Guest, A. M.
, & Stamm, K. R. (1993). Paths of community integration. Sociological Quarterly, 34(4), 581-595.
38.
Habermas, J.
(1979). Communication and the evolution of society (T. McCarthy, Trans.). Boston: Beacon Press.
39.
Habermas, J.
(1984). The theory of communication action (T. McCarthy, Trans.). Boston: Beacon Press.
40.
Hirschbury, P. L.
, Dillman, D. A., & Ball-Rokeach, S. J. (1986). Media system dependency theory: Responses to Mt. St. Helens. In S. J. Ball-Rokeach & M. G. Cantor (Eds.), Media, audience, and social structure (pp. 117-126). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
41.
Hui, C. H.
(1988). Measurement of individualism & collectivism. Journal of Research in Personality, 22(1), 17-36.
42.
Janowitz, M.
(1952/1967). The community press in an urban setting: The social elements of urbanism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
43.
Jeffres, L. W.
, Dobos, J., & Lee, J.-W. (1988). Media use and community ties. Journalism Quarterly, 65(3), 575-581, 677.
44.
Jeffres, L. W.
, Dobos, J., & Sweeney, M. (1987). Communication and commitment to community. Communication Research, 14, 619-643.
45.
Jöreskog, K. G.
, & Sörbom, D. (1989). LISREL 7: A guide to the program and applications (2nd ed.). Chicago: SPSS.
46.
Jung, J.-Y.
, Qiu, J. L., & Kim, Y.-C. (2001). Internet connectedness and inequality: Beyond the “divide.”Communication Research, 28(4), 509-537.
47.
Katz, E.
, & Lazarsfeld, P. (1955). Personal influence. New York: Free Press.
48.
Keeter, S., Kohut, A., Groves, R. M., & Presser, S. (2000, January). Consequences of reducing nonresponse in a national telephone survey [Online]. Available: http://mason.gmu.edu/∼skeeter/nonresponse.zip
49.
Kim, Y.-C. (2001). Media ecology in multiethnic Los Angeles. Unpublished manuscript, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California.
50.
Knoke, D.
(1981). Commitment and detachment in voluntary associations. American Journal of Sociological Review, 46, 141-158.
51.
Knoke, D.
(1986). Associations and interest groups. Annual Reviews of Sociology, 12, 1-21.
52.
Knoke, D.
(1990). Organizing for collective action: The political economies of associations. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
53.
Laumann, E. O.
, & Pappi, F. U. (1976). Networks of collective action: A perspective on community influence systems. New York: Academic Press.
54.
Lee, B. A.
, Oropesa, R. S., & Metch, B. J. (1984). Testing the decline-of-community thesis: Neighborhood organizations in Seattle, 1929 and 1979. American Journal of Sociology, 89(5), 1161-1188.
55.
Livingstone, S.
, & Lunt, P. (1994). Talk on television: Audience participation and public debate. London: Routledge.
56.
Loges, W. E.
, & Jung, J.-Y. (2001). Exploring the digital divide: Internet connectedness and age. Communication Research, 28(4), 538-564.
57.
Matei, S.
, & Ball-Rokeach, S. (in press). Real and virtual social ties: Connections in the everyday lives of seven ethnic neighborhoods. American Behavioral Scientist.
58.
Matei, S.
, Ball-Rokeach, S. J., & Qiu, J. L. (2001). Fear and misperception of Los Angeles urban space: A spatial-statistical study of communication-shaped mental maps. Communication Research, 28(4), 429-463.
59.
Matei, S.
, Ball-Rokeach, S. J., Wilson, M., Gibbs, J., & Gutierrez Hoyt, E. (in press). Metamorphosis: A field research methodology for studying communication technology and community. Electronic Journal of Communication / La Revue Electronique de Communication.
60.
McLeod, J. M.
, Daily, K., Guo, Z. S., Eveland, W. P., Jr., Bayer, J., Yang, S. C., & Wang, H. (1996). Community integration, local media use, and democratic-processes. Communication Research, 23(2), 179-209.
61.
McLeod, J. M.
, Scheufele, D. A., & Moy, P. (1999). Community, communication and participation: The role of mass media and interpersonal discussion in local participation. Political Communication, 16(3), 315-336.
62.
McLeod, J. M.
, Scheufele, D. A., Moy, P., Horowitz, E. M., Holbert, R., Zhang, L., Zubric, S., & Zubric, J. (1999). Understanding deliberation: The effects of discussion networks on participation in a public forum. Communication Research, 26(6), 743-774.
63.
McMillan, D. W.
, & Chavis, D. M. (1986). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14, 6-23.
64.
McPherson, J. M.
, & Rotolo, T. (1996). Diversity and change in voluntary groups. American Sociological Review, 61(2), 179-202.
65.
Morley, D.
(1990). The construction of everyday life: Political communication and domestic media. In D. Swanson & D. Nimmo (Eds.), New directions in political communication: A resource book (pp. 123-146). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
66.
Navarro, A.
, Anderson, S., Walters, R. S., Dove, A., & Rossum, R. (1992). An atlas of South-Central Los Angeles. Claremont, CA: Rose Institute of State & Local Government.
67.
Neuwirth, K.
, Salmon, C. T., & Neff, M. (1989). Community orientation and media use. Journalism Quarterly, 66(1), 31-39.
68.
Olien, C. N.
, Donohue, G. A., & Tichenor, P. J. (1978). Community structure and media use. Journalism Quarterly, 5(3), 445-455.
69.
Park, R. E.
(1915). The city: Suggestions for the investigation of human behavior in an urban environment. Amerian Journal of Sociology, 20, 577-612.
70.
Park, R. E.
(1929). Urbanization as measured by newspaper circulation. American Journal of Sociology, 34, 60-79.
71.
Park, R. E.
(1940/1967). News as a form of knowledge. In Robert E. Park: On social control and collective behavior (pp. 33-52). Chicago: University of Chicago.
72.
Perkins, D. D.
, & Brown, B. B. (1996). The ecology of empowerment: Predicting participation in community organizations. Journal of Social Issues, 52(1), 85-110.
73.
Pilisuk, M.
, McAllister, J., & Rothman, J. (1996). Coming together for action: The challenge of contemporary grassroots community organizing. Journal of Social Issues, 52(1), 15-23.
74.
Putnam, R. D.
(1995). Tuning in, tuning out: The strange disappearance of social capital in America. PS: Political Science & Politics, 284, 664-683.
75.
Putnam, R. D.
(2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon & Schuster.
76.
Rechy, J.
(1963). City of night. New York: Grove Press.
77.
Robinson, D.
, & Wilkinson, D. (1995). Sense of community in a remote mining town: Validating a neighborhood cohesion scale. American Journal of Community Psychology, 23(1), 137-148.
78.
Rokeach, M.
, & Ball-Rokeach, S. J. (1989). Stability and change in America value priorities: 1968-1981. American Psychologist, 44, 775-784.
79.
Rothenbuhler, E. W.
(1991). The process of community involvement. Communication Monographs, 58, 63-78.
80.
Rothenbuhler, E. W.
(1998). Ritual communication: From everyday conversation to mediated ceremony. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
81.
Rothenbuhler, E. W.
, Mullen, L. J., DeLaurel, R., & Ryu, C. R. (1996). Communication, community attachment and involvement. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 73(2), 445-467.
82.
Sampson, R. J.
(1988). Local friendship ties and community attachment in mass society: A multilevel systemic model. American Sociological Review, 53(5), 766-779.
83.
Sampson, R. J.
(1991). Linking the micro- and macrolevel dimensions of community social organization. Social Forces, 70(1), 43-64.
84.
Sampson, R. J.
, Raudenbush, S. W., & Earls, F. (1997, August). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277, 918-924.
85.
Shah, D. V.
(1998). Civic engagement, interpersonal trust, and television use: An individual assessment of social capital. Political Psychology, 19, 469-496.
86.
Shah, D. V.
, McLeod, J. M., & Yoon, S.-H. (2001). Communication, context, and community: An exploration of print, broadcast, and Internet influences. Communication Research, 28(4), 464-508.
87.
Simmel, G.
(1950). The sociology of Georg Simmel (K. H. Wolff, Trans.). New York: Free Press.
88.
Skjaeveland, O.
, Garling, T., & Maeland, J. G. (1996). A multidimensional measure of neighboring. American Journal of Community Psychology, 24(3), 413-436.
89.
Stamm, K.
(1985). Newspaper use and community ties. Westport, CT: Ablex.
90.
Stamm, K. R.
, & Guest, A. M. (1991). Communication and community integration: An analysis of the communication behavior of newcomers. Journalism Quarterly, 68(4), 644-656.
91.
Star, S. L., & Bowker, G. C. (in press). Infrastructure. Handbook of Communication Research.
92.
Tarde, G.
(1901/1989). L'opinion et al foule [Opinion and the public]. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.
93.
Thompson, J. B.
(1995). The media and modernity: A social theory of the media. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
94.
Viswanath, K.
, Finnegan, J. R., Jr., Rooney, B., & Potter, J. (1990). Community ties in a rural Midwest community and use of newspapers and cable television. Journalism Quarterly, 67, 899-911.
95.
Weaver, D. H.
, Zhu, J., & Willnat, L. (1992). The bridging function of interpersonal communication. Journalism Quarterly, 69, 856-867.
96.
Weimann, G.
(1994). The influentials: People who influence people. Albany: State University of New York Press.
97.
Wellman, B.
(1979). The community question: The intimate networks of East Yorkers. American Journal of Sociology, 84, 1201-1231.
98.
Wellman, B.
(1990). Different strokes for different folks: Community ties and social support. American Journal of Sociology, 96, 558-588.
99.
West, N.
(1939). The day of the locust. New York: Penguin.
100.
Westley, B.
, & Severin, W. J. (1964). A profile of the daily newspaper non-reader. Journalism Quarterly, 41, 45-50.
101.
Wilson, M. (2001). Leading the community chorus: The role of organizations in society. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California.
102.
Wyatt, R. O.
, Katz, E., & Kim, J. (2000). Bridging the spheres: Political and personal conversation in public and private spaces. Journal of Communication, 50(1), 71-92.
