Phatic Communication

Overview

The term phatic communication is derived from the Greek word phanai, which means “to speak,” and it is used to refer to both personal and professional speech that establishes and maintains human contact as opposed to speech involving the meaningful exchange of information, thoughts, or ideas. Saying “Hello, how are you?” to an acquaintance met on the street or remarking on the weather to a stranger while standing in line are both classic examples of phatic speech. Since the digital revolution and the rise of social media, the practice of engaging in phatic speech has expanded to include paralinguistic digital affordances such as “liking” or “poking” someone on Facebook.

Phatic communication is commonly defined as “small talk,” and it is often accompanied by a smile or by brief eye contact. Phatic communication is frequently described as useless because of its superficial nature. However, many communication experts reject the notion that phatic communication is useless because they find that it serves a real purpose in social communication. Phatic communication, such as smiling at strangers, making brief eye contact, and engaging in casual comments, make life more pleasant. Studies have shown that a smile or a casual acknowledgement by a stranger may make the difference between how one individual interacts with the next person they encounter. Phatic communication may also serve to break the ice when meeting someone for the first time. Furthermore, it may serve a professional purpose, as when social workers use phatic communication at the beginning and end of interviews or when meeting a person speaking another language at a business conference. Gossip is not classified as phatic communication because it has connotations of sowing ill will and being disruptive, while the purpose of phatic communication is to maintain contact with others in a way that promotes trust and goodwill.

In Rhetoric, the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 BCE) first developed the notion of phatic communication, writing that rhetoric is essential to facilitating good will (eunoia), which he considered a necessary element of ethos, along with practical judgment (phronesis) and virtue (arête). Cicero (106–43 BCE), a Roman statesman, subsequently expanded the idea of phatic communication with discussions of benevolentia that dealt with the importance of being polite, friendly, magnanimous, respectful, and complimentary. In ancient China, Confucius (551–479 BCE) recommended silence as a form of phatic communication to signal that attention was being paid. In Japanese culture, the word aizuchi is used to explain phatic communications such as maintaining eye contact or nodding when speaking to others to convey the importance of listening, even in casual conversation.

The term came into use in 1923 when the internationally acclaimed anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski (1884–1942) published the essay “The Problem of Meaning in Primitive Languages.” While studying Trobriand Islanders in what is now Papua New Guinea, Malinowski observed that they engaged in certain rituals in order to facilitate communication with one another. He found that some phatic communication had religious overtones, and it occurred with varying levels of intensity. Other scholars used the foundation laid by Malinowski to arrive at the understanding that phatic communication, though often irrelevant, is a valid method of casual communication. Austrian-born Israeli religious scholar Martin Buber (1878–1965) developed the concept of phatic communication in I-Thou (1971), identifying the phatic communication form as I-It moments as opposed to I-Thou moments that occurred in meaningful conversations. Buber viewed phatic communication as a means of paving the way for deeper communication.

In Language in Literature (1988), Russian linguist Roman Jakobson (1896–1982) contends that phatic communication is one of the six components of language, asserting that it functions to promote and prolong human interaction. Because of its casual nature, phatic communication often requires no response from the listener. Few people who ask, “How are you?” on greeting others really want an answer to their question. Likewise, newscasters who open newscasts with “Hello,” Good morning,” or “Good evening” do not expect individual listeners to respond in their homes. Hartley, Montgomery, and Rennie (2002) note that William Shakespeare also engaged in phatic communication with such phrases as “Lend me your ears!” Infants learning to speak, as well as talking birds, engage in phatic communication. Both infants and birds may say words without having the ability to understand a verbal response. Among contemporary scholars, French sociologist and cultural theorist Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007) maintains in Seduction (1991) that the phatic function identified by Jakobson has become hypertrophied through online communication, leading to the loss of symbolism and power traditionally associated with phatic communication. Rejecting the concept of phatic communication as a function of language, he suggests that it has begun to be associated instead with dysfunction of language.

Applications

Kane Hopkins (2014) suggests that objects created for a specific use, such as the telephone, may assume phatic characteristics when used for phatic purposes. The telephone was originally intended as a business communication tool, but it became a form of phatic communication when rural dwellers who were geographically separated from one another began using it simply to maintain contact with one another. In this same way, text messaging was first used to transmit government alerts, but the technology was embraced by teenagers with cell phones and, ultimately, by the population at large. In a 2013 study, New Zealand researchers examined the Facebook and Twitter posts of twelve major business organizations, learning that 41 percent of all Twitter posts were phatic in nature. Facebook “walls” were found to be filled with examples of phatic communication that included magazine covers, celebrity photographs, pictures of food, and similar kinds of information that needed no verbal explanation.

Online phatic communication is often communication that occurs without the use of words, such as with paralinguistic digital affordances (PDAs) that encompass such actions as “liking” a post, comment, or image on Facebook or Instagram, designating something as a “favorite” on Twitter, or “upvoting” it on Reddit. These reactions show that social media content is not being placed in an infinite void but is reaching real persons capable of responding. Such affirmations have also been shown to raise levels of self-esteem among users who depend on social media reinforcement. On most social media sites, PDAs are associated with approval; but on Facebook, they are also used as ways to show support or sympathy. For instance, a user posting a photograph of a beloved pet that has died might receive likes to indicate an understanding of the poster’s grief rather than showing approval of the pet’s death. Facebook likes are also used simply to acknowledge that a post has been read or an image seen.

By 2023, 4.9 billion people were estimated to be users of social media globally, with the most popular social media platforms being Facebook, Youtube, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Because of globalism, the need to engage in online phatic communication has become increasingly important because it helps to bridge cultural differences and ease communication among parties who might not always understand the nuances of one another’s languages.

Communication experts have identified virtual teamwork, intercultural communication, user help forums, and social media marketing as occasions when individuals engage in online phatic communication. James Porter (2017) suggests that online phatic communication is also used in emails, chat rooms, and discussion threads and in designing phatic bots. The emphasis is on using phatic communication to convey compliance with generally accepted rules of courtesy and netiquette. Leaders of virtual teams, for instance, need to be vigilant to avoid active personality or cultural conflicts.

Phatic bots are increasingly being used to facilitate online communication to interact with customers in online chats and user forums. Phatic bots have been used in a variety of other ways also. One of the best-known bots, Amy/Andrew Ingram, was created by the x.ai company to schedule business meetings by scanning emails and responding to requests for meetings. The bot had its own email address and Twitter account and has proved so successful at its job that it has received flowers and chocolates from grateful clients. Working with Microsoft, Chinese developers invented the chatbot Xiaolce, which means “little ice” in Chinese. It began as a text messaging application for Windows phones, complete with its own personality. It was programmed to provide emotional reinforcement, display a sense of humor, and “listen” as users “talked” to it. An updated version of Xiaolce has the ability to speak, allowing users to choose a male, female, or nonbinary voice and to select an age group and nationality. An example of a phatic bot that failed to meet expectations occurred in March 2016 when Microsoft introduced TayTweets on Twitter under the handle @TayandYou. Because it was programmed to respond to whatever was said to it, the bot was taught by hoaxers to spew anti-Semitic, pro-Nazi, and racist speech. Microsoft pulled the bot on its first day.

Issues

Phatic communication poses a particular dilemma when learning a foreign language because its meaning might not be immediately clear. Thus, linguistic and cultural nuances that native speakers immediately grasp might be missed by non-native speakers. English is considered the primary international language, and some English language teachers are using phatic communication in classrooms to narrow the gap between native and nonnative speakers. Studies conducted with students in English-language classes indicate that they are often content with a basic grasp of the language and do not understand the need for engaging in small talk. To force students out of this comfort zone, many English language teachers are assigning students to groups to engage in small talk that encourages them to more fully understand English and to improve their speaking and listening skills in English. By having students converse on subjects that they find entertaining or engaging, the small talk eases students into phatic communication. Topics for such discussions include a favorite place to vacation, a favorite food, the generation gap, a new technology, or what students would do if given $1 million to spend any way they choose.

In a 2011 study, Frisby, Byrnes, Mansson, Booth-Butterfield, and Birmingham examined the use of phatic communication among 118 military couples, defined as having at least one romantic partner in the military, and ninety-four nonmilitary couples, defined as having neither partner in the military. Frisby and colleagues found that all couples engaged in small talk, but phatic communication was found to be more important for military couples than for nonmilitary couples. Military couples are in a distinctly different situation from that of nonmilitary couples because they constantly face the threat of a partner being deployed for an extended period, being geographically separated when the military partner is dispatched on missions, and the potential for loss of life or life-changing injury. Other ongoing stressors may include constant relocations and readjustment issues after a deployment. In such cases, a partner might suffer from depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Divorce rates are also higher in the military than in the general population. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were identified as major contributors to high military divorce rates. Military reports indicate that in 2001, the divorce rate among both enlisted personnel and officers climbed to 2.6 percent and had risen to 3.7 by 2011. The divorce rate declined to 3.0 percent in 2015 and continued a slow decline from that point forward.

Openness in communication may vary greatly from one couple to another. In some couples, both couples freely engage in both phatic and meaningful communication. In others, only one partner is willing to do so. In some couples, a partner may be open only with the partner and be closed to meaningful conversations with others. Phatic communication between couples may be used to protect a partner from disclosing too much information, to save face with the other partner, and to maintain a relationship that might otherwise fall apart. It can also be used to avoid talking about the status of the relationship or moving a relationship forward to a new stage. Phatic communication might include making plans, complaining about family members, neighbors, or a job, or idly discussing who said what and who went where.

Terms & Concepts

Aizuchi: In Japanese, the word is defined as “listener response.” It is an important concept in Japanese culture because it conveys acknowledgement and respect for the speaker. Aizuchi may involve motions, like nodding, or sounds, like grunting, but it often requires a one-word response that signifies agreement such as hai, un, and sou, which are different ways of saying “yes” in Japanese. Experts suggest that two-thirds of Japanese statements require a phatic response, three times the rate required of English statements.

Paralinguistic Digital Affordances (PDAs): The term refers to online cues used in response to messages, posts, tweets, and images occurring on social media sites. PDAs, also known as digital affirmations, have become a generic way of showing approval. They may be used with family, friends, professional contacts, and strangers because they are understood across cultures and age groups and do not overstep cultural, professional, or personal boundaries.

Phatic Bots: Bots are simply software applications that are designed to perform specified functions, and phatic bots are those able to engage in interactive conversational exchanges. Common examples of phatic bots are Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Apple’s Siri. These bots have been programmed with phatic capabilities through developers adding interactive capabilities, such as human voices and a sense of humor. Alexa, for instance, will not only look up information or play music, it can also tell jokes or play games. When designing a bot, developers are required to create content-sensitive bots that do not alienate users through the wrong choice of words or using racist or sexist terminology.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A psychological disorder that may follow a traumatic experience. The term was originally called shell shock or battle fatigue because it most often occurred among military personnel involved in conflict situations. Experts now understand that PTSD may occur among rape or sexual assault victims, among survivors of natural disasters, bombings, school shootings, or plane crashes, among family members of those involved in such situations, and among those experiencing the death the death of a loved one. Common symptoms include intense fear, a feeling of helplessness, anxiety, depression, and loss of sleep and/or appetite.

Rhetoric: The term is generally defined as speech or writing intended for the purpose of persuading an audience. The phatic element of rhetoric is derived from the fact that, since the focus is on persuasion, rhetoric may be lacking in meaning. A rhetorician in the Aristotelean sense is one who instinctively understands persuasion wherever it exists and is able to use it to achieve particular ends.

Bibliography

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