IMPRESSION LAUNDERING THEORY: A Strategy of Communication Corruption

Abstract

Impression laundering is an effort to clean up bad impressions and perceptions about a person or institution through intensive communication to turn negative images into positive ones. Through a narrative review approach, this study identifies two types of communication used in the impression-laundering strategy: dramaturgic and angelic communications. Dramaturgic communication includes: 1) context engineering, namely setting the context of the event with a particular style, design, and framing to create an impression according to communication objectives; 2) content plotting, which is a narrative scenario of an event or news to make an impression according to communication goals, 3) heroic roleplaying, namely efforts to create specific images through roles, functions, and figures as heroes for others, both individually and communally, 4) good acting, namely convincing actions according to scenarios played out successfully to create positive impacts according to communication objectives. Angelic communication goes through the stages from negative to positive images as follows: 1) atonement, which is the stage where the actor/party/communicator realizes mistakes/shortcomings/deviations that have occurred/been done in the past and is determined to improve/change them, 2) replacement, which is an advanced stage in efforts to replace all evil actions in the past with right moves in the present, 3) establishment, which is the stage where good impressions begin to form, 4) acknowledgment, which is the stage where all actions/progress/good impression gets recognition and praise by the surrounding environment which then has the potential to produce a positive image and affect the reputation and credibility of the actor/party/communicator. Impression laundering is often used (intentionally or unintentionally) for communication corruption.

To cite this article:

Wijaya, Bambang Sukma. 2016. Impression Laundering Theory: A Strategy of Communication Corruption. Journal Communication Spectrum: Capturing New Perspectives in Communication Vol. 6(1), 44-59. DOI: 10.36782/jcs.v6i1.2087