Symbolic interaction, public sociology, and the potential of open-access publishing

Abstract

Symbolic interactionists can gain much by engaging more with public audiences. One way to do this is through open-access publishing, such that the content of interactionist research is freely available to the global public. We reflect on the issue of public sociology within symbolic interactionism, considering the recent impact of digital technology and social media. Within this context, we consider the rise of the open-access movement in scholarly publishing, and consider strategies to better realize open-access in the symbolic interactionist field. We argue that doing this will greatly benefit the development of a more public interactionism moving forward.