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A smart, incisive toolkit for understanding how the framing of information influences the way we see the world.
In today’s chaotic media landscape, working out who and what to believe is a daunting task. Lies and misinformation are only part of the problem – often the way a story is presented has just as much effect on us as what the story is.
In Framing, sociologist Mikael Klintman offers a cutting-edge toolkit for exposing and analysing the rhetoric that saturates our everyday lives. Combining insights from the social sciences, economics and evolutionary biology, he lays out a four-part approach to understanding how information is ‘framed’ for us, built around the key elements of texture, temperature, position and size.
Demonstrating this approach through an array of real-world examples, from climate change denial to the subtle messaging of caviar ads, Klintman reveals how canny communicators mislead us without relying on overt deception. At the same time, he probes the deeper evolutionary and cultural roots of our susceptibility to frames.
‘In this sharp and entertaining book, Mikael Klintman exposes how the framing of arguments can influence us to accept or reject them, regardless of the basic facts. Packed with fascinating examples, this is a crucial guide for navigating the increasingly confusing information landscape of the twenty-first century.’
Jonah Berger, author of Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way
‘We are social beings – how we frame things shapes how well we communicate, cooperate and avoid being deceived. If you want to excel in all of this, read this book!’
Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, co-author of Framers: Human Advantage in an Age of Technology and Turmoil
‘How a topic is framed shapes virtually every decision people make. In this foundational book, Klintman identifies four framing techniques that fundamentally shape societal outcomes. He also provides a recipe for how people can acknowledge and use frames in their lives. Anyone who reads this stunning book will be better positioned to make decisions.’
James Druckman, co-author of Partisan Hostility and American Democracy
‘This book crosses cultures, disciplines and time periods, sprinkled with a balance of theory and application making it accessible and insightful to scholars, consumers, global citizens and movement activists alike. It reveals how under-explored “framing” is despite its extraordinary influence on our political, social, legal and emotional lives.’
Jamie R. Abrams, Professor of Law and Director of Legal Rhetoric, American University, Washington, D.C.
'What influences how people make sense of the world? This thought-provoking book offers an insightful tour of social science approaches to this question, complete with advice on how to frame issues in the service of social influence.'
Norbert Schwarz, Professor of Psychology and Marketing, University of Southern California
'An intriguing thesis on personal, group and societal stability and change.'
George Gaskell, Professor of Social Psychology and Research Methodology, London School of Economics
Introduction
1 Perspectives on framing
Part I: Making bad seem good – and other frame texturing
2 Why is our frame smooth and theirs so often rough?
3 Sanctifying sinners and sinnifying saints
4 The allure of rough
Part II: Making hot what’s not – and other frame tempering
5 Temperament tricks
6 How timing is of the essence
7 Metaphors as frame thermostats
Part III: Making meanings move – frame positioning
8 Up-down positioning: reading on or between the lines
9 Sideways positioning: what is the matter?
Part IV: Making boundaries bend – frame sizing
10 Roots to social elasticity
11 Metaframing: from difference to higher sameness
12 Questions, answers and discussion
Index