Abstract
Public communication on digital platforms has become more polarized and emotionally reactive. Much of communication theory explains these patterns through Western perspectives such as deliberation, rational debate, or structural critique. These approaches are valuable, but they do not fully describe how communication also depends on relational and affective processes. This paper introduces the Advaita–Spanda Communication Model (ASCM) as a non-Western framework that highlights these dimensions. ASCM is based on five principles from the Kashmir Shaiva tradition: non-dual relationality between communicators, the dynamic movement of meaning, recognition of the other, the role of shared emotion, and moments of communicative attunement. The purpose of the study is to examine how relational and affective markers associated with ASCM appear in digital public discussions and how they shape the ethical quality of interaction. Public conversations on X (formerly Twitter) are used as the empirical case because the platform is an important site of everyday communication in many Asian contexts. The study applies a mixed-methods design. Digital ethnography is used to observe communicative patterns. Qualitative coding, guided by ASCM principles, identifies markers such as empathy and recognition. Basic computational text analysis and network visualization examine whether these markers relate to cohesive or fragmented interaction structures. The study contributes to communication scholarship by offering a pluralistic theoretical perspective, by showing how relational ethics can be analyzed empirically, and by providing a framework for understanding ethical interaction in culturally diverse, digitally mediated environments.
Presenters
Lok PokhrelAssistant Professor, Communication, University Canada West, British Columbia, Canada
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
COMMUNICATION THEORY, RELATIONAL ETHICS, DIGITAL PUBLIC DISCOURSE, NON-WESTERN COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORKS
