SOCIAL AFFILIATION AND THE ACHIEVEMENT OF ONTOLOGICAL SECURITY THROUGH INTERPERSONAL AND MASS-COMMUNICATION

Following the proposal of Rubin & Rubin (1985) that scholars turn thei r attention to the study of the intersection between mass and interper sonal communication, this paper reviews literature comparing different forms and contexts of communication. Underlying the motivations for b oth mediated and face-to-face communication is a basic need for social affiliation. The need for social affiliation is so central for commun ication because it stems from, and is necessary for, understanding who we are in relation to the world around us, thus enabling us to achiev e what Silverstone (1993) terms ''ontological security. ''That is, our desire for security underlies a need for social affiliation that lead s us to communicate with others in different ways. It is hoped that th is proposition may form the basis for a more integrative theory of com munication that may transcend specific media, content, or contexts. Th e differences in the ways various modes of communication serve to crea te such an understanding are explored and compared along five dimensio ns: intimacy, accessibility, control, relaxation, and identification. Finally, suggestions for the extension of this proposition are discuss ed.