Communication is basically trade of ideas or signals between individuals, organisms and machines. One can say that communication and trade are in fact the same thing, because every action committed by a person always has a meaning behind it; intentional or not is a different story. Just like other verbs, there are degrees of communication. A simple gesture or road sign is basically a direct and quick form of communication, while lyrics written by a rapper such as Lil-Wayne or Eminem are able to communicate far deeper with a person living in the ghetto who has been through the same life experiences as them.
Then there’s the dog whisperers or horse whisperers; communicating with animals. Laptops, cell phones and web servers allow people to communicate with a far bigger audience in a short span of time; Egypt being the prime example, where a whole country can unite against a dictator simply by standing together in the center of a city (Burning a car here and there but I heard that was from the opposition). Believe it or not but scientists have also sent various instruments in the space trying to communicate with aliens one day; let’s hope they didn’t say anything offensive.
The author of “Myths of the Masses” states that communication; Mass communication in particular is the defining force in the determination of a society. I honestly believe that he couldn’t be any more right. If you look at a society closely, it’s just various forms of communication being folded around each other ultimately forming a society. If a people couldn’t communicate in a society they would never be able to adapt to each other’s way of living in order to form a unifying culture which can be separated from the rest of the world. However, if this society were to be examined from the outside, I think there is a lot of room for bias. Because unless you wear the shoe, you would not know if it fits! Personally I have my own share of experience with communication. Even though I was born in United States, my parents took me to a different country when they started a new business, excluding me from the society for a long period of time. While I was able to connect through movies and television shoes, I didn’t absorb all the customs. So when I came back I had a hard time communicating with people, often times when I was trying to be polite, I came off as rude so there was a lot of miscommunication because I wasn’t used to it. You guys should read the article by Hardt Hanno, it’s nothing new but an interesting read regardless.
Citation:-
Hanno, Hardt. "An Essay on Mass Communication." Myths of the Masses. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publication, 2004. Print.
By
Shahnawaz Syed
It is interesting to see the kinds of communications that were used in your posting. You used things from dog whisperers or horse whisperers to machinery. Very cool way of explaining communication in its various ways.
ReplyDeleteI think it was important you mentioned that there are certain degrees and levels of communication because to some extent that is overlooked. There are forms of communication that often make more of an impact on an individual than others. In a way, the origins of the source accompanied by any bias can work in the favor of the receiver; this links in with your mention of the impact of lyrics in relation to past experiences. Also, I agree with Jessica and find your examples very entertaining and interesting.
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