Strategic Communication and Public Relations in the Philosophy of Byung-Chul Han: A Pro-materialist Critique Against the Hypertrophy of Storytelling and the Destruction of the Public Sphere

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n40a2012

Keywords:

Public relations, strategic communication, public sphere, storytelling

Abstract

This article takes a communicative approach to the work by Byung-Chul Han. The philosopher criticises how advertisers and organisations, through the incessant and abundant supply of information, have appropriated the public sphere by excessively emphasising storytelling. Han advocates for materialism, condemns the inflation of storytelling and suggests the need for message ecology to make the public sphere less distracting and more sustainable. The author highlights that Han opens up new avenues for the development of the field of corporate communication and public relations by suggesting a novel concept of CSR that involves restricting message dissemination.

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Author Biography

  • César García Muñoz, ESIC University, Spain

    Communication Professor at ESIC University. He was previously a Full Professor at Central Washington University (CWU). He specialises in teaching and researching public relations and strategic communication. He also has more than a decade of professional experience in Europe, having worked for international firms such as Edelman and Pleon. He has published over 45 peer-reviewed articles, primarily as a sole author, which feature in relevant public relations and global communication journals such as Public Relations Review, Public Relations Inquiry, Journal of Communication Management, Public Relations Journal, International Journal of Strategic Communication, Journal of International Communication and International Journal of Sport Communication, among others. Several articles analyse the intersection between public relations, culture, politics, and economics. He has participated in three R&D projects financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. He has authored three books: American Psique(2011); Historia de un Estereotipo. Intelectuales Españoles en Estados Unidos (1885-1936) (2009), and La Opinión Pública en Santayana (Public Opinion in Santayana) (2006). Moreover, he has contributed several chapters on the history of communication in several academic books.

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Published

01-01-2025

Issue

Section

Miscellaneous of Research articles and essays

How to Cite

García Muñoz, C. (2025). Strategic Communication and Public Relations in the Philosophy of Byung-Chul Han: A Pro-materialist Critique Against the Hypertrophy of Storytelling and the Destruction of the Public Sphere. Doxa Comunicación. Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication Studies and Social Sciences, 40, 169-182. https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n40a2012
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