Evolution, structuration theory, and new research on free will

Abstract

Classic structuration theory explains how social actors use their personal and collective agency to contend with the structural forces they encounter in everyday life. The antonimous interface between structure and agency is analyzed from an evolutionary communication perspective as it applies to structuration theory generally and to media audiences specifically. The explanatory power of structuration theory is then reconsidered in light of new research on an eternally profound question: Is the power of human agency restricted, if not entirely eliminated, by a lack of free will that can be exercised in human endeavors? Although the nature of structural influence is proving to be much broader than previously recognized, the agentive capacity of social actors is not diminished in light of the recent findings. But while people deploy their agency to maximize rewards from their engagements with media and other settings, they may not be the autonomous, real-time authors of that agency.