What Is Connectism?
Connectism is a way of understanding communication through connection. In a connected world, what happens often depends less on any single brand, message, or channel than on how they connect.
Most marketing questions focus on parts. How strong is our brand? How persuasive is our message? Which media should we use? These questions matter. Connectism adds another: how do the connections among them shape influence?
Formally, Connectism is a meta-theoretical paradigm – a broad lens that shapes which questions get asked and how evidence is read – introduced by Jooyoung Kim in the International Journal of Advertising in 2026. It understands communication as "a relational, distributed, and emergent process of meaning-making across dynamic connections among human and non-human agents." In plain terms, meaning and influence take shape through connections among people, brands, content, and technologies, including AI.
Five core assumptions
- Relational primacy. Influence comes from relationships, not from a message or a person on its own.
- Distributed cognition. What people know and decide is spread across their devices, platforms, and other people – not stored only in their heads.
- Embedded shared agency. Influence is produced jointly by people and machines – platforms, algorithms, and peers help decide what reaches whom.
- Emergent interpretation. People build meaning from scattered cues in context; it is not delivered whole.
- Systemic persuasion. Persuasion builds through repeated, looping interactions across a network – not a straight line from exposure to attitude change.
The 5Cs: five properties of connection
Connection is not one thing. Connectism describes it through five properties, each with its own question.
- Connectibility – Can the connection be made?
- Connexity – Is it the right connection in the right context?
- Connectedness – How deeply does the connection resonate?
- Connectance – How much of the possible network is connected – and how saturated does it feel?
- Connexus – How well do the connections work together?
The 5Cs are not steps in a funnel. They build on one another, and they also feed back into one another: what happens in one can change the conditions for the others.
Beyond advertising
Connectism was developed in advertising, but its lens applies wherever meaning and influence move through connections – in organizations, media systems, innovation, and artificial intelligence. The mechanisms differ. The question stays the same: what can we understand by examining not only the things themselves, but the connections through which they become consequential?
FAQ
Is Connectism an AI framework?
No. Connectism is a way of understanding communication through connections among people, brands, content, and technologies. AI is one of the most important places to apply it, because AI increasingly shapes which connections form – but the framework is not limited to AI.
Is Connectism a theory or a model?
Neither, strictly. It is a meta-theoretical paradigm: a lens that shapes which questions get asked and how evidence is interpreted. Specific theories and models can be developed within it.
Are the 5Cs a funnel?
No. The 5Cs build on one another, but they are not stages. They also feed back into one another – relevant connections can deepen relationships, and deeper relationships can make future connections more welcome.
Does more connection mean better results?
Not necessarily. Density amplifies whatever moves through it. Well-aligned connections reinforce meaning; repetitive or misaligned ones create saturation, fatigue, or confusion. See Connectance.
How is this different from "connectivity"?
Connectivity describes whether things are linked. Connectism asks how connections differ – in potential, relevance, depth, density, and how well they work together – and what those differences mean for influence.
Is Connectism only about advertising?
It was developed in advertising, where it redefines advertising as a "brand-activated communication system that connects people, content, and technology to generate influence as it emerges within connected environments." Its lens applies more broadly to communication in organizations, media, and technology.
Where can I read the original research?
The full article is open access. See the Research Foundation below.
Research Foundation
Connectism was introduced in a peer-reviewed article in the International Journal of Advertising. The article sets out the paradigm's core assumptions, defines the 5Cs, and proposes a research agenda for studying communication in the connection era. It is open access.
Read the article: Advertising's movement to the connection era: A new paradigm for understanding connections among brands, people, content, and technology
How to cite:
Kim, J. (2026). Advertising's movement to the connection era: A new paradigm for understanding connections among brands, people, content, and technology. International Journal of Advertising. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2025.2611696