Conclusion: Mediated Communities

The idea for this volume was borne from discussion among the editors and their colleagues about the multiple ways in which resiliency, community, and efficacy intersect and are understood. These terms, while certainly not new, have current “buzzwordiness” reflective of scholars’ and practitioners’ increasing employ of and interest in them across academic fields and professional industries. And yet how we understand them conceptually, how different disciplines and professions might approach them, can vary widely depending on the study or context. Central to the query were the roles of communication and human socio-environmental systems. The ways in which communication can elevate or silence community voices, respect or diminish identities, support or undermine existing networks and opportunities for engagement present significant opportunities for unpacking deeper meaning. Communication can provide the means to be more than reactive to stressors, hazards, and risk; after all, communities have always had to be resilient. As seemingly never-ending global stressors such as climate change and public health crises continue to pressure societies in uneven and uncertain ways, the dialogues surrounding coping, resiliency, efficacy, and community become even more urgent to understand. Indeed, resilience has been articulated as a communicative process, as we seek to reintegrate after our lives have been upended (Buzzanell, 2010; Ishak & Williams, 2018).