The term communication
stems from a Latin word communis which means ‘common’ and denotes the
act of imparting, conveying or exchanging ideas through speech, writing or
signs. It is one of the fundamental needs of human beings and it is as
important as the physical requirement for food and shelter. Thus, communication
can be considered as an individual as well as a social need.
We live in a mediated
society. Many of our ideas about the world, knowledge of what is happening and
the values mostly come from the media. Our ideas of the world are derived
largely from the modern media which produce and package versions of events and
issues in their output and which we consume as part of our daily lives and
situations.
WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?
Simply defined,
communication is the art of transmitting information, ideas and attitudes from
one person to another. It is a process of transmitting a message from a source
to an audience through a channel. For example, in a conversation, which is the
most common type of communication, the person who speaks is the source and the
person who listens is the audience. What is transmitted by the person who
speaks is the message and the spoken voice carried through the air is the
channel.
Ban and Hawkins define
communication as the process of sending and receiving messages through channels
which establish common meaning between a source and receiver. According to
Joseph A. Devito communication refers to “the act by one or more persons, of
sending and receiving messages, distorted by noise, within a context, with some
effect and with some opportunity for feedback.”
Wilbur Schramm,
a leading communication scholar, defines communication as a sharing process. He
traces the word communication to the Latin word ‘communis’ which means common.
According to him, when we communicate we are trying to establish a commonness
with someone. That is, we are trying to share information, an idea or an
attitude with someone.
ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
Elements of communication refer to the basic components involved in
an act of communication. These elements are also called the universals of
communication because they are present in every communication act. These
elements are briefly mentioned below:
1. Source : A person who sends a message
or a signal is the source in communication. Communication by definition demands
that someone send signals and someone receive them.
2. Receiver : A person who receives the
message or signal is the receiver in a communication process.
3. Context : Communication always takes
place within a context. It can either restrict or stimulate the communication
process. Communication in a funeral home, a public park, a cricket stadium and
in a church will be entirely different.
4. Message : Message is anything that is
sent and received. Generally we think of communication messages as being verbal
(oral or written). We can also communicate nonverbally.
5. Channel : It is the route or vehicle
along which the message is transmitted from a sender to receiver. When you talk
to a friend, the sound waves that carry your words constitute the channel. When
you write something, the piece of paper becomes the channel. Newspapers,
magazines, radio, television and internet become the channels in mass communication.
6. Noise: Noise in communication refers
to anything that distorts or interferes with the message. The screeching of a
passing car, sun-glasses a person wears, prejudices, bias, poor grammar etc.
interfere with the effective and efficient transmission of messages from the
sender to the receiver.
7. Encoding: Two important elements in
communication are ‘encoding’ (at the sender end of the model) and ‘decoding’
(at the receiver end). Encoding means that the message is translated into a
language or code suitable for transmission to the intended receivers.
8. Decoding: The act of understanding or
comprehending a message is referred to as decoding. When we speak we are
putting our ideas into sound waves (encoding). By translating sound waves into
ideas we are taking them out of the code they are in and hence decoding.
Similarly, when we read a text, we are decoding the written symbols of a
language.
9. Feedback: The information that is fed
back to the source is known as feedback. Feedback, in general, refers to any
process by which the communicator obtains information as to whether and how
his/her intended receiver has received the message.
10.
Effect: The consequences of communication are
referred to as effect. Communication has always some effect on one or more
persons. The effect could be on the source or on the receiver or on both of
them.
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
Communication has been classified into several types depending upon the
social groups in which it takes place and upon the technical devices used to
facilitate it. The types range from the intrapersonal and interpersonal to the
group and mass communication.
1. Intrapersonal Communication
Communication that takes place within an individual is called
intrapersonal communication. The individual functions here as the source and
receiver. It includes our reflection, contemplation, meditation, our inner
monologues, our reflection upon ourselves, and our relationships with others
and with our environment. Conversing with the Divine may be termed trans-personal
communication.
2. Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is face to face communication between two
persons or more in close physical proximity. In other words, interpersonal
communication describes any mode of communication, verbal or nonverbal, between
two or more people. It is considered the most effective type of communication
because it is personal, direct, intimate and allows maximum interaction in
word, gesture and expression. Communication between two persons is also known
as dyadic communication.
3. Group Communication
Communication by many persons in a face
to face situation is described as group communication. Here, as the group grows
in size communication tends to become more and more of a monologue reducing
participation. The degree of directness, therefore, depends on the size of the
group, the place where it meets and also the relationship of the members of the
group to one another. In group communication feedback is more difficult to
measure and respond to.
4. Public Communication
Public communication occurs when a group becomes too large for all
members to contribute. One characteristic of public communication is an unequal
amount of speaking. One or more address their remarks to the remaining members
who act as an audience.
5. Mass Communication
Mass Communication is the process of delivering information, ideas and
attitudes to a sizeable and diversified audience. This is done through the use
of media developed for that purpose namely newspapers, magazines, radio,
television, websites, social media networks. The act of mass communication is
much more complex than that of face to face communication. It is addressed to
masses, to an extremely large audience.
6. Verbal and Written Communication
Verbal communication refers to spoken messages that we transmit by
producing sounds. In general, we spend a great deal of time participating in
verbal communication either as speakers or listeners. Verbal communication is
important to human relationship starting from interpersonal, group
communication to other communication contexts
Written communication refers to communication through written or printed
words. Although, it is verbal in nature, written communication has a non-verbal
dimension. Written communication is formal, literate and follows the rules of
grammar.
7. Non Verbal Communication (NVC)
Human beings communicate verbally
through words and nonverbally through facial expressions and body movements. Non-verbal
communication can be understood as the process of sending and receiving
messages without the use of words. However, it should be noted that nonverbal
communication can take place either alone or with words.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MASS COMMUNICATION
Mass communication is
addressed to an extremely large audience through the mediation of print, film,
photography, television, radio and internet. The term mass communication is
still evolving especially in the context of the speedy changes in media
technology. The digital revolution can redefine the concept of mass communication
and its characteristics.
A number of
characteristics distinguish mass communication from other types of
communication namely intrapersonal, interpersonal and group communication.
These characteristics are given below:
1. Mass medium: An important
characteristic of mass communication is the presence of mass media like
newspaper, radio, television, magazines, books, websites and social media
networks. The medium is capable of taking the same message around the world.
2. Anonymous: The participants (senders
and receivers) in the mass communication process are usually unknown to each
other. The messages are not usually directed to anyone in particular. 3. 3. Delayed
feedback: Feedback is the information that is sent back by the receiver to
the source. In interpersonal communication feedback is instant. But in mass
communication feedback is slow.
4. Gate keeping: Mass communication implies
a gate keeping function on the part of the communicators such as reporters and
editors. In their capacity as people who control the flow of news they may
limit, expand or reorganise information.
5. Limited
sensory channels: In a face to face
communication process a person can see, hear, touch and even smell the other
person. But in mass communication, we may only be able to hear and see and even
these maybe limited depending on the way the mass communicator decides.
6. Universal access: Mass communication
experience is a public one. Everyone has access to it. It cannot be restricted
to anyone on account of colour, race, sex and other differences.
7. Rapid: Messages are sent to the
audience as soon as they are received by the communicators. News items and
events can be broadcast to millions of people worldwide instantly.
8. Mass audience: The receivers of mass media
are large. The number can vary from hundreds to thousands and even to millions.
9. Transient: Mass
communication experience is transient. The message is meant to be consumed at
once and then it disappears. Numerous messages and images come and go in
fleeting seconds.
FUNCTIONS OF MASS
COMMUNICATION
The popularity and
persuasive influence of the mass media can only be maintained by its
significant functions. Mass communication performs the following functions in
society.
1. Inform: Mass media carry out this
function by keeping us informed about the latest news in our region and around
the world. In many societies mass media have become the principal means of
information.
2. Entertain: Mass media design their
programmes to entertain. They attempt to entertain, to capture the attention of
large numbers of people. Mass media help us to pass time and to relax with
family and friends.
3. Educate: Media is a great teacher
and educator. Most of the information that we have obtained is not from
classrooms but from mass media like newspapers, magazines, radio, television
and internet.
4. Reinforce: Media function to
reinforce or make stronger our beliefs, attitudes, values and opinions. For
example, the communists will expose themselves to communist publications and
programmes and they will emerge ideologically reinforced from such experiences.
Similarly, the anti-communists will expose themselves to messages in line with
their ideology and will emerge reinforced or stronger in their convictions.
5. Socialise: Socialising is a process
in which an individual adopts the behavior, norms and values of a society. One
of the main functions of any media system is to socialise its viewers, readers
and listeners.
6. Activate: Mass media can activate
audience or move people to action. They function to get the audience to
channelize their opinions and pressurise the government and other civic bodies
to act.
7. Change or persuade: Media do not function
primarily to change our behavior. But media can be used to form public opinion,
influence voting behaviour, change attitudes, moderate behaviour, expose claims
and sell products.
8. Confer status: If you list the 100 most
important people in the country, they would undoubtedly be the people who have
been given a great deal of mass media exposure. Media confer status to people
with great media exposure.
9.
Focus attention: Mass media have the
ability to focus public attention on certain problems, events and issues at a
given time. The devastating earthquake and tsunami in Northern Japan in March
2011 and subsequent nuclear radiation in Fukushima were the lead stories in
most of our media.
10.
Ethicise: By making public certain deviations from
the norms, the media can arouse people to change the situation. It provides
people with a collective ethics or ethical system.
DEFINING MASS COMMUNICATION
This unit will introduce
Ø Components of mass communication
Ø Channels of mass communication
Ø The process of mass communication
Ø Nature of mass communication
Ø Functions and dysfunctions of mass communication
Ø Types of mass media
Introduction
We
learnt to define communication, identify its elements and categorize the
process based on the number of persons involved in it. Of the above mentioned
types of communication, our focus is on mass communication. In this unit, we
will learn the various aspects of mass communication, which is the thrust area
of this programme.
Components of Mass Communication
For
better understanding of the nature of mass communication, we should analyze its
two basic components: the mass and the communication media.
The Mass
The
concept “mass’’ in mass communication is defined as a large,
heterogeneous, assorted, anonymous audience.
‘Large’ means we can’t exactly count the number of the members of audience. It
is relatively large but it doesn’t mean that the audience includes all people.
‘Heterogeneous’ means the audience of mass media includes all types of people – the
rich, the poor, farmers, bureaucrats, politicians and so on.
‘Assorted’
means the audience of mass media is not necessarily limited to a particular
geographical sector. They may be scattered everywhere. For example, a newspaper
may have a reader in every nook and corner of the world.
‘Anonymous’ means we can’t specifically identify a reader of a newspaper of newspaper
with his certain characteristics. Today he may be reader of a particular
newspaper. Tomorrow, he may change his media habit. Anybody at any time may be
a member of mass media audience. The channels of communication that produce and
distribute news, entertainment content, visuals and other cultural products to
a large number of people. Mass media can be classified in to three major groups
on the basis of their physical nature.
They are:
Ø Print Media like newspaper, magazines and
periodicals, books etc.
Ø Electronic like radio, cinema, television, video
and audio records
Ø Digital Media like CD RoMs, DVDs and the Internet
facilities.
SHOULD BE HANDLED IN NEXT CLASS
Mass Communication Process
How does
mass communication work can be well explained in linear model of mass
communication? According to this traditional concept, mass communication is a
component system made up of senders (the authors, reporters, producers or
agencies) who transmit messages ( the book content, the news reports, texts,
visuals, images, sounds or advertisements) through mass media channels ( books,
newspapers, films, magazines, radio, television or the Internet) to a large
group of receivers (readers, viewers, citizens or consumers) after the
filtering of gatekeepers ( editors, producers or media managers) with some
chance for feedback ( letters to editors, phone calls to news reporters,
web-site postings or as audience members of talk shows or television
discussions). The effect of this process may formation of public opinion, acceptance
of a particular cultural value, setting the agenda for the society and the
like. A simple linear model of mass communication situation can be represented
with the diagram given below.
Nature of Mass Communication
From the
above model of mass communication, it is easy to identify the following
features of mass communication.
1. Mass
communication experience is public one. It means that anybody can be a part of
this communication process at any time without much effort or permission.
2. It is
a mediated communication act. Nature of the media involved in the process
defines the mediation in mass communication. For example, television can
transmit a news instantly as it is a fast medium, newspaper takes to bring the
same news report to the public because of its limitations. This is how nature
of the media defines the mediation process in mass communication.
3. Mass
communication is filtered communication. This filtering processing is called
gatekeeping. For example, a news report in a newspaper or on a television
channel filtered or controlled at different level by reporter, sub editor, news
editor, editor.
4. It is
the most complicated form of communication as it involves complex technology
like satellites digital networks, management structure, marketing chain etc.
5. Mass
communication can alter the way the society thinks about events and attitudes.
6. Mass
communication experience is transient. It means that once you used a message
(for example, a news report or a film) you may not use it again. The message is
meant to be used once and it is gone. Who will read yesterday’s newspaper?
7. Mass
communication is most often remains as one-way communication. As receivers, how
many of us write letters to editor (sender)? A very few. But, in interpersonal
communication, senders and receivers are in active conversation sending
feedback to each other.
8.
Unlike other communicators, mass communicators can’t see their audience. Karan
Tapar or
Pranoy Roy, the leading television personalities in India know that their programmes
are watched by millions of Indians. But, they can’t see how people respond or
react while watching their presentations. That’s why they can’t change the
style of presentation or mode of communication instantly as we do in
interpersonal or group communication.
Elements of Communication
Let us
analyse Joseph A Devito’s definition that ‘communication refers to the act by
one or more persons, of sending and receiving messages distorted by noise,
within a context, with some effect and with some opportunity for feedback’ to
find out the essential elements of communication.
According
to his definition, communication has the following elements:
a)
Sender
b)
Message
c)
Channel
d)
Receiver
e) Noise
f)
Feedback
g)
Context
h)
Effect
Discussion
on each of these elements with examples will give us more insight into the
entire process of communication.
Sender
Sender is the
idea generating component in communication process. In human communication,
sender may be a person or persons who create or formulate the message to be
sent to the receiver. Being the primary source of the message, sender is also
termed as source.
In mass
media, for example, news reporter is the sender or source as he/she constructs
the message (news story). In a musical performance, the singer is the sender as
his message is enjoyed by the audience.
Sender
is a critical component in communication as his/her social background,
personality status, education etc influence the quality of the message he/she
creates. The message is created from the idea generated in the mind of the
sender. The idea generation process is called encoding.
The
source/sender has three functions:
a) To
decide what is to be communicated
b)
Encoding (Put the idea in such a way that the receiver understands it)
c)
Transmitting the message to the receiver
Message
The
message is any verbal or non-verbal method that produces meaning in the mind of
the receiver. Simply, it is the meaning transferred from sender’s mind to
receiver’s mind. This happens mainly in two ways: verbal and non-verbal
methods.
Verbal message means written or oral messages. They are composed of words. Example:
A
newspaper report or a lecture by a teacher.
Non-verbal messages are those communicated through our behaviour, movements, actions,
clothes, style of conversation, pitch of the sound etc.
What is
fundamental in message construction is the agreement between sender and
receiver in the code used for it. If the receiver cannot identify the language
or meaning of the message, the communication will be defective.
Channel
The channel
means medium by which sender transmits the message to the receiver. Our
five senses such hearing, touching, smelling , tasting , seeing are basic
natural channels of human communication. Communication can be classified on the
basis of five basic natural channels.
They
are:
Tactile communication: Communication by touch or taste
Olfactory communication: communication by smell
Audio communication: Communication through sound waves
Visual communication: Communication through visual elements or properties.
We use
any technically developed medium (like television, newspaper, books etc) with
the help of one or more of these five senses. Similarly, sender uses one or
more channels to maximize the communication effect. For example – multi-media
class room where teacher uses projector, blackboard, lecture, gestures etc.
simultaneously.
Receiver
Idea
receiving end in communication process is called receiver. A person or
thing may be at the receiving end. The receiver’s role is as important as a sender’s
role. As in the case of a sender, receiver has also three roles to play:
a) To
receive the message
b) To
decode the message
Decoding is the
process of extracting a message from a code and interprets it. For this, sender
and receiver should have knowledge about the code (for example: language) used
in communication.
c) To
respond to the message through feedback
Receivers
may be audience watching movies, persons listening to music, students hearing a
lecture or a computer getting e-mail from a remote server.
Communication
fails or remains faulty when message is rejected or misinterpreted by the
receiver.
Feedback
Information
or message that is fed back to the source is called feedback. If you get
clapping for your singing, clapping is the feedback. Questions raised by
students in a class room for more information is another example for feedback.
Feedback
originated either from the sources’ own message is called self-feedback.
Example:
When you talk to somebody, you hear yourself and evaluate your tone, pitch etc.
Sometimes
you may think that you could have sharpened or softened your tone or pitch or
text, because of your own feedback.
Another
type of feedback is that originated from the receiver. It may be in the form of
questions, applauses, puzzled look etc.
Feedback
may be negative or positive, immediate or delayed.
Receiver’s
indication to the sender that the message was not received well is called negative
feedback. Eg. Looks of indifference, rejection or boredom may be considered
as negative feedback.
Receiver’s
favourable responses like acceptance, applauses etc. are positive feedback.
Feedback
at the time of the communication itself or just after it is immediate
feedback.
Eg.
Applauses a singer gets during the performance.
Receiver’s
response relatively much after the communication is delayed feedback.
Eg.
Letters
to the Editor.
Noise
Noise or
communication barrier is anything that distorts message. Noise may originate in
any of the components of communication like source, message, channel, context, receiver
etc.
Noise is
present when there is difference between the message sent and received.
Communication
is not possible without noise, but its effects may be reduced through various
methods such as using good grammar, clear voice, simple language, quality
signal etc.
Noise is
of different types depending on the nature and reasons of the distortion.
They
are:
Psychological
noise: Any communication error due to the psychological reasons. Eg. A fearful
audience can’t enjoy the musical programme.
Semantic
noise: Language related problems in communication. Eg. Poor grammar, complex
sentence structure, rare vocabulary etc.
Contextual
noise: If communication takes place in inappropriate time or place, message is
not conveyed well. Eg. Wishing compliments during a funeral function. Or an
outdoor meeting at noon in a hot summer.
Channel
noise: Medium related communication barrier. Eg. Poor signal affecting picture
clarity of television.
Context
Communication
takes place in a context. At times it is noticeable and at other times not.
In other
words, time, place, culture, physical and social condition and psychology of
the participants are important in determining communication effect. If we try
to interpret a message out of its context, we may get an entirely different
meaning which may result in communication error.
Rules
and roles are two important factors related to communication context. Rules are
the norms we have to follow while communicating in different situations. For
example, our communication behaviour is different when we are in class room,
market or prayer hall, depending on the rules the situation demands.
Roles
are the character or part each participant in communication has to play. For
example, in family communication situation, father plays a leader’s role. In
class room, students play the receiver’s role.
Effect
Why do
we communicate? It is a fundamental question. To make some effect on the
receiver is the answer. Effect is consequence or result of communication. Every
communication act makes some effect on the person/s. Effect may be positive or
negative. Communication is said to be success when we achieve the indented
effect.
Communication
effects are of three types:
Cognitive
effects: The consequences take place in the receiver’s intelligence due to
communication. Example: Knowledge acquisition
Affective
effects: The consequences occurred in the emotions of the person/s due to
communication. Eg. Compassion, love etc. Behavioral effects: The change in the
receiver’s bahaviour or actions due to communication. Eg. Political campaign
and change in people’s voting behaviour or purchasing new products inspired by
the advertisements.
Using
these elements, let us have a graphical representation of communication
process. Graphical representation of communication process is also called
communication models.
While
analysing this model, we should keep in mind that
·
Communication is a dynamic process involving different elements. No
element is static.
·
Some or all of these elements make communication possible. It is not
must for a communication act to have all these elements.
·
Elements of communication are interrelated.
Scope and Purpose of Communication Models
A model
is a miniature, a highly selective visual representation of any reality. In
that sense, communication model means graphical/visual representation of
communication process using various elements involved. The best example is the
above described graphic that visulanalizes various elements and processes in
the communication as envisaged by Joseph A Devito.
Purpose of Communication Models
A
graphic representation of any reality helps us visualize the relationships
among various elements of a structure, system or process; an object, event or
act. Mc Quil and Windhal say that a model is a consciously simplified
description in graphic form of a piece of reality. No single model can be
expected to present a holistic picture of reality. Communication models help us
to visualise, analyse and discuss various complex processes and issues that
would be otherwise difficult to explain
Functions of models
Organizing
function: Models help us by ordering and relating systems to each other by
providing with images of whole that might not otherwise perceived Explaining
function: Models help us study communication by providing simplified version
which would otherwise be complex yet another function of communication is
heuristic in nature. It means that in the study of communication, models guide
researchers to the key points of the process or system Thus communication
models help
- To assign probabilities to formulate
hypothesis in research
- To predict outcomes
- To describe the structure of a phenomenon
Aristotle’s Concept of Communication
The
first known scholar who wrote about communication, though not directly, is Aristotle
(384-322 BC). In his famous books, ‘Rhetoric’, Aristotle called the study of
communication as ‘rhetoric’ and elaborated three elements within the process.
According to him, communication process composed of a speaker, a message and a listener.
Person at the end of the communication process holds the key to whether or not
communication takes place.
In Aristotle’s point of view,
• Communication is purposive;
• It is based on the intention of affecting others;
• Its effects can be evaluated and measured in
terms of effect, and also in terms of the truth;
• Rhetoric considers not only what is or was, but
also what might be.
To his communicators need to develop five skills:
• Invention - ability to generate ideas;
• Disposition - ability to organize ideas;
• Style - use of appropriate language;
• Memory - ability to recall facts & ideas;
• Delivery - use of voice and gestures.
From
his observations, later scholars developed a model of communication using the
elements he mentioned. The model consists of four visible elements: Speaker or receiver, speech
or message, audience or receiver(s) and effect of communication. And, context
or occasion of the communication covers all the elements indicating that it has
influence on other four elements.
Lasswell Model of Communication
Harold Dwight Lasswell (1902-1978) is
the proponent of famous question formula, which is otherwise called Lasswell
formula of communication. We can’t call his definition of communication which
is presented in an array of question as a communication model in its strict
sense.
This American political scientist
stated that the most convenient and comprehensive way to describe an act of
communication was to answer the following questions: Who (says) What
(to) Whom (in) What Channel (with) What
Effect?
This model is self-speaking of the process of
communication which consists of five elements namely communicator (who), message
(says what), medium (in which channel), receiver (to whom) effect (with what
effect). Lasswell conceived communication as a linear process which starts from
communicator and ends at receiver with some effect. The major missing elements
of this basic model are feedback and context of communication. However, this
model is said to be highly helpful for organizing communication research as
audience analysis, content analysis, control analysis, reception analysis and
effect studies which are respectively represented by communicator, message,
medium, receiver and effect.
Comments