COMMUNICATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Media and communication are important fields of study that have a significant impact on the lives of adolescents. They have become an essential part of our daily lives, often improving our quality of life. Communication is a fundamental human need, vital for survival since the beginning of life. With modern technology, new methods and gadgets for communication are constantly being introduced.

What is communication?

Communication is the process of sharing and transmitting feelings, ideas, thoughts, experiences, and knowledge with oneself or with others. It involves various actions like thinking, observing, understanding, listening, and watching.

The word "communication" comes from the Latin word communis, which means "common." This origin highlights a key aspect of communication: it's not just about sending a message, but also about ensuring the message is understood in the same way by both the sender and the receiver.

Note

Effective communication is a conscious effort to create a shared understanding of the intended meaning of a message. It is a continuous process that happens everywhere in our social lives—at home, school, and in the community.

Classification of Communication

Communication can be classified in several ways, depending on the type of interaction, the level at which it occurs, the means used, and the number of senses involved.

A. Classification based on the type of interaction

One-way communication: In this type, the receiver gets information but cannot respond immediately, or at all. The flow of information is only in one direction. [!example] Examples include listening to a lecture, watching a TV show, listening to music on the radio, or reading information on a website. In these cases, you receive the message, but you don't provide immediate feedback to the source.
Two-way communication: This involves two or more people exchanging ideas, thoughts, and information, either verbally or silently. All parties can both send and receive messages. [!example] Talking on a mobile phone, chatting online, or discussing plans with a family member are all forms of two-way communication. Even a baby crying from hunger is part of a two-way process: the cry is the message, and the mother feeding the baby is the response.

B. Classification based on the levels of communication

Intra-personal communication: This is communication with oneself. It's an internal mental process of observing, analyzing, and drawing conclusions that shape an individual's behavior. [!example] Mentally rehearsing what you will say in an interview or giving yourself a pep talk before an exam are forms of intra-personal communication.
Inter-personal communication: This refers to the face-to-face sharing of thoughts and ideas with one or more people. It can be formal or informal and uses verbal modes (words, sounds) as well as non-verbal cues (body language, facial expressions). [!note] Inter-personal communication is considered the most effective type because the direct contact makes it easier to persuade and motivate others, and it allows for immediate and strong feedback.
Group Communication: This is direct and personal communication involving more than two people. It encourages participation, collective decision-making, and self-expression. It can also be used for recreation, socialising, and motivation.
Mass Communication: This is the process of sending messages to a large, diverse, and anonymous audience using mechanical devices. The audience is often spread over a large area and separated from the communicator by time and space.
- Means: Radio, TV, satellite communication, newspapers, magazines.
- Feedback: Feedback is slow, delayed, expensive, and not always direct or complete.
Intra-organisational Communication: This type of communication takes place within a structured setting like a company or institution. It involves information flowing between different departments and levels of hierarchy to achieve common goals. The flow is often two-way at the same level (e.g., between colleagues) and one-way across levels (e.g., from a manager to a subordinate).
Inter-organisational Communication: This refers to communication between different organisations that are working together. [!example] An international agency providing technical support for a development project communicates with the central and state governments, which provide administrative support. It's important to remember that it is the people working in these organisations who communicate with each other.

C. Classification based on the means or modes of communication

Verbal communication: This uses auditory means like speaking, singing, and tone of voice. Research shows that individuals spend about 70% of their active time communicating verbally (listening, speaking, reading aloud).
Non-Verbal Communication: This includes all forms of communication that do not use words.
- Examples: Gestures, facial expressions, posture, eye contact, touch, writing, clothing, hair styles, symbols, and sign language (like smoke signals used by some tribal communities).

D. Classification based on the involvement of number of human senses

The more senses are involved in the communication process, the more effective and memorable it is.

People retain about 10% of what they Read (visual).
People remember about 20-25% of what they Hear (audio).
People remember about 30-35% of what they See (visual).
People remember 50% or more of what they have Seen and Heard (audio-visual).
People remember 90% or more of what they have Seen, Heard, and Done.

Types of communication based on senses involved:

Audio: Radio, audio recordings, CD players, lectures, phones.
Visual: Symbols, printed materials, charts, posters.
Audio-Visual: Television, video films, multi-media, internet.

How does communication take place?

The process of communication

Communication is the process of transferring information from a sender to a receiver using a medium, ensuring the message is understood correctly. It also involves getting feedback from the audience.

The process can be understood using the "The SMCRE Model", which involves six key elements that must be handled skillfully for communication to be effective.

The SMCRE Model Elements:

Source: The person who starts the communication process. The source (e.g., a teacher, parent, writer) is responsible for the effectiveness of the entire process and crafts the message for a specific audience to get a desired response.
Message: The content or information the communicator wants the receiver to understand, accept, or act upon. A good message should be simple, clear, appealing, specific, authentic, timely, and appropriate for the channel and receiver.
Channel: The medium through which the information flows from the sender to the receiver.
- Inter-personal channels: Face-to-face conversation, which is simple and highly effective, especially in developing countries.
- Mass media channels: Satellite, wireless, and sound waves used for radio, TV, etc.
Receiver: The intended audience for the message. The receiver can be an individual or a group. The more similar (homogeneous) the receiver group is, the higher the chances of successful communication.
Effect of communication (feedback): The response to the message, which completes the communication cycle.
- If the response is as expected, the communication is successful.
- If the response is not what was desired, the source must rethink the message and repeat the process. [!example] A teacher asking students questions after a lesson is a form of feedback. Letters to the editor in a newspaper and TV programme ratings (TRPs) are also forms of feedback.

What IS MEDIA?

Media is the means or channel used in the process of communication to share ideas, information, and experiences. When you talk to someone, the air is the medium for sound waves. When you watch a film or read a newspaper, a medium has been used to convey a message.

Mass media uses modern technology to reach a large, diverse, and anonymous audience. It includes not just radio and TV, but also satellite transmission, computers, and wireless technology.

Media classification and functions

Media can be broadly divided into two categories: traditional and modern.

Traditional media

For a long time, communication in rural and remote areas depended heavily on traditional media. These forms are still effective today.

Examples: Puppetry, folk dances, folk theatre (like Jatra in Bengal or Nautanki in Uttar Pradesh), oral literature (folk songs and stories), fairs, festivals, rituals, and print media like charts and posters.
Puppetry: Common forms include string puppets (Sutradharika) in Rajasthan and shadow puppets (Chhaya Putli) in southern India.

Over time, traditional media became insufficient to meet the information needs of modern audiences, leading to the rise of new media technologies.

Modern media

The arrival of modern technology has greatly expanded the range of communication media.

Examples: Radio, satellite television, modern print media, films, mobile phones, computers (especially with internet), video conferencing, and cable and wireless technology.
The handy size of modern equipment and increased access to the internet have brought a new era of communication.

Functions of media

Media influences adolescents and society in many ways and serves several key functions:

Information: Provides and exchanges information. Media like radio, TV, and newspapers are primary sources of information.
Persuasion/Motivation: Uses an understanding of audience psychology to persuade people to accept an idea or change their behavior.
Entertainment: Offers a wide variety of entertainment, from folk traditions to modern DTH telecasts.
Interpretation: Makes complex concepts easier to understand through visuals, facts, and figures. For instance, a map makes it easier to understand geography than just reading a text.
Transmission of values: Fosters a healthy society by transmitting positive values, often through engaging formats like cartoons and puppetry.
Education or training: Enriches the learning experience through tools like interactive videos and audio cassettes, especially when tailored to local languages and problems.
Coordination: Modern interactive technologies have made it easy to coordinate large projects across vast distances.
Behavioural change: Acts as the main vehicle for transmitting messages related to health, literacy, and environmental issues, leading to changes in behavior.
Development: Serves as a catalyst for national development by bridging the gap between specialists and the general public. Media has accelerated development and made the world feel smaller.

WHAT IS COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY?

We are living in a communication revolution where technologies change rapidly. Communication technology refers to the various technologies developed and used to handle information and aid communication. This includes hardware and systems used to transmit data, whether analogue (electronic signals) or digital.

Classification of communication technologies

Communication technologies fall into two main groups:

Cable (land) based technologies: These are relatively cheap and less complex. Examples include a landline telephone or a personal computer without an internet connection.
Wireless technologies: These require less infrastructure but can be more expensive to use. Examples include radio, satellite, microwave, and Bluetooth technology.

Two technologies that revolutionized communication were radio and television.

Radio: Reaches a universal audience, overcoming barriers of geography, income, and education. Small transistors made it accessible even in the most remote areas.
Television: Introduced in India in 1959 to promote education and rural development. It uses techniques like visual magnification, sound amplification, and zooming to create a strong impact on viewers.

Modern Communication Technologies

The list of modern communication technologies is constantly growing. Some major types include:

Micro Computers: These are personal computers based on microchip technology. They are used for processing and storing information, record-keeping, and publishing materials. When linked together, they can source information from across the globe.
Video text: An electronic text service transmitted from a central computer to a TV set via a telephone network or cable. It is interactive, allowing the user to choose the data they want to access.
Electronic mail (E-mail): A system for passing information electronically between users. A message is typed on a computer and sent to another computer, where it is stored in a digital mailbox until the receiver retrieves it.
Interactive video: A combination of computer and video that uses a multi-media approach (text, photos, video, audio). The user's responses determine the path of the information they receive.
Teleconferencing: A system for interactive group communication between people in different geographical locations, allowing meetings to be held without long-distance travel.