Page 24 - Sustainability Communication Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Theoritical Foundations

1 Sustainability Communication – An Introduction 7

these exchange programmes would be to examine findings from communication
theory. An important role here is played by common character encoding, language,
values and norms, all of which allow the achievement of mutual understanding in
communication and the establishment of stable social order. Sustainability commu-
nication is strongly influenced by mass media, which is needed to give it resonance,
and therefore has a number of special characteristics:
• Reflexivity in regard to the problematic situation and how to handle it
• The establishment of sustainability as an intrinsic social value and the related
issue of creating acceptance, with the possibility of different interpretations of
sustainability clashing with each other
• The tendency to normalisation with the consequence that the more sustainability
becomes a topic the less attention it receives and the less pressure there is to
reach understanding
• And medialisation, which is an attempt to counter the tendency to normalisation
in sustainability discourse by coupling it to the media

These characteristics have an impact on sustainability communication and should
be taken into account when these processes are planned.
In this context findings from media theory research are important, in particular
about the role of the media in disseminating an awareness of sustainability and
influencing social discourse about sustainability. Social networks, made up of indi-
vidual and group actors together with their ‘ties’, are becoming increasingly impor-
tant. This is particularly the case in that mediated forms of communication (e.g.
Web 2.0) and social interaction processes are part of these networks, with their own
specific online use practices consisting of individual rules, network relationships as
well as technical possibilities.
Another theoretical approach can be found in the systemic-constructivist per-
spective. Constructivism as a theory of perception and knowledge offers a way to
explain the difficulty in communicating new ideas and knowledge to others. From a
constructivist perspective learning is an intentional, self-controlled process.
Research findings suggest that what is learned is not the same as what is taught, that
individuals construct their own reality on the basis of previous experiences and
come to their own understanding. New knowledge and new experiences have to ‘fit’
so that they are compatible with previous experiences and insights. This approach
draws then attention to the importance of specific life experiences and of cultural
and biographical differences.
Handling complexity and indeterminacy plays an essential role in the debate
about sustainability and its core concept. There are still no conclusive answers as to
how complex subject matter can be broken down so that the perception and analysis
of problems become relevant for an individual. From a constructivist perspective the
individual reduces the complexity of a subject step by step until he can integrate the
new knowledge into his already existing stock of knowledge. In regards to action
this means that if we want to confront reality critically then it is necessary to be able
to first recognise and reflect on the our own perception as well as those of others.
This also holds true for indeterminacy. There is no certainty in action. This uncertainty