ABSTRACT
Social construction perspectives on social problems begin with the belief that people create meaning because meaning is not inherent in objects. This chapter explores through this world of constructing meaning by focusing on the people who make this meaning (claims-makers) and the people who evaluate the believability and importance of what claims-makers say (audiences). It illustrates some basic definitions and examples of the key constructionist terms claims and claims-making. The chapter argues that claims are all around us in our daily life, so we need to ask why we hear so few claims. People on the bottom of the hierarchy of credibility do make claims but these claims are not heard, they are silenced. The chapter examines more closely three important types of claims-makers: social activists, scientists, and people in the mass media. It focuses on relationships among activists, scientists, and mass media.
