Communication and Mass Communication

1)    Concept of Communication

The term communication is derived from the Latin word ‘communis’ and ‘cammunicare’ are corresponding to communication’. Communis (noun) means common, commonality or sharing. Where as communicate (verb) means to make share. Hence communication is the process of sharing of information or knowledge or meaning. All the creatures in the world have their own way of communication. Communication purpostal and systematic way of sharing information between speaker and listener. Communication as general human activity is often referred to as-exchange of information or the exchange of thoughts, message or information as speech, signals, writing, or behavior.

Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender’s intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast distances in time and space. Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality. The communication process is complete once the receiver has understood the message of the sender. Feedback is critical to effective communication between parties.

There is no single definition of communication. There are hundreds of explicit and             implicit definitions of communication that have been published in the communication and related literature. Some definitions of communication are collected from different sources:

1. “communication is the process of sharing information “(Abuja and Chhabra)
2. “the exchange of thoughts message or information, as by speech, signals writing or behavior “.(Dictionary)
3. “Communication is social process and countless ways in which human beings keep in touch with one another. In essence, communication means sharing of ideas between /among  personal verbal and written symbols”.(Uma Neraula)
4. “communication is social interaction through messages”.(Fiske)
5.  “communication is the act of transmitting information”.(Ambler)
6. “communication is the process of exchanging information usually via a common system of symbols”.(Answer.com)

The  Element of Communication Process

Sources                   message                     channel                       receiver
Communication skills	Elements	Seeing	Communication skills
Attitudes	Structure	Hearing	Attitude
Knowledge	Content	Touching	Knowledge
Social system	Treatment	Smelling	Social system
culture	Code	tasting	Culture

Sources 

The source initiates the process by having a thought or an idea that he or wishes to transmit to some other entity. The sources may or may not have knowledge about the receiver of the message. Sources can be single individuals, groups or organization.

Encoding

This is the hidden element of communication process. This is a job related to given massage from the source translates the message into a linguistic format that the receiver can understand. Encoding is a job of shaping of symbolizing message.

 Message

A message is a pieces of that a sender wishes to dissemination to the receiver .the message are sent in written, printed or spoken forms and with signs, symbols or music . the most important aspect of a message is to create meaning  since communication is about creating meaning one must be able to top identify what he/she wish to send.

Channel

Channel refers to way in which a message is sent to the receiver channels are the tool through which information is transmitted to heterogeneous people. Channels are also known as media. There are 3- types of channels. They are:

I)                   print media

II)                electronic/ broadcast media

III)             new media

 Decoding    

This is concerned with receiving and understanding message. Decoding in           communication involves taking meaning out of message. This is the opposite process of encoding process to find the original message by reversing the coding process.  It is the process to find the message by receiving the coding process. It consist of activities that translate or interpret physical message into a form that has eventual meaning for receiver

Receiver

Who receive or gain the message, those are receiver. It is the target of the message. The receiver can be a single person, a group, an institution, or even large, anonymous collection of people. Understanding receiver background and characteristics is important in order to increase communication competency and productive. The receivers are listens for a radio, readers for newspaper or magazines, audience for television and viewers for online media.

Feedback

Effect, reaction or feeling resulting out of understood message is known as feedback. Feedback Communication scholars have traditionally defined two different kinds of feedback – positive and negative. It is important for improving communication as well as policy making systems. It is the response to any message. Feedback represents a reversal of flow of communication. It shapes and alters the subsequent message of the source. Feedback can be immediate or delayed.

Noise

The noise in communication process can be defined as anything that interferes with the delivery of message. There is no such thing as perfect communication. As increase, the quality of communication process decrease. On the other hand, as noise is eliminated, the qualities of communication process increase. Ideally, complete communication would be possible only in the absence of any kind of noise.

Level of Communication

Intra personal communication  

Intra personal communication is self communication such as reading, writing copying, thinking, imagining, dreaming, analyzing, guessing, calculating, meditating etc. This is the most basic level of communication. “We engage in intra personal communication when we talk to ourselves to develop our thought and ideas. This intra personals communication precedes our speaking of acting”. (Vivian 367)

The context or text of intra personal communication consists of thought, emotions, and feelings. The medium or channel for this kind of communication is the neurological/chemical apparatus through which thoughts are processed in the brain (Adhikari Communication, Mass media and journalism 8)

Inter personals communication

Communication between two person or individuals is called inter personal communication. In this communication feedback is received immediately. “It is a process of using language and nonverbal cued to send and receive message (between individuals) that are intended to arouse particular kinds of meaning” (Deflureta 132)

“In its simplest form, inter personal communication is between two person physically located in the same place. It can occur however, if they are physically separated but emotionally connected “(Vivian 367). Saying ‘Nameste’ to your teacher and conservation in a telephone are call example of inter personal communication.

Group communication

When group are involved in communication that is group communication. Communication with countable person is also known as group communication. Group may be small, medium and large. In simple word communication or discussion between more than two people is called group communication. Class, committee meeting and gathering etc. are some examples of group communication. Group setting permits both verbal and non-verbal communication. Group communication may be direct (face to face, without the aid of a mechanical device) or it may be mediated (machine-assisted)

Organizational communication

Communication activities performed between organizational is as organization communication. The communication taken place with in or among organizational communication. It has been defined as “the transmission of message through both the formal  and the informal channels of a relatively large, deliberately designed group, resulting in the construction of meaning that have influences on its members, both as individuals and on the group as whole” (192)

Mass communication

Mass communication is the term that refers to an open process of sharing information with the help of the mass media. Mass communication includes the use of mass media impersonal manner, gatekeeper role and impact. It occurs when a small number of people send message to a large anonymous and usually heterogonous audience through the use of specialized communication media. It represents the creation and sending a homogeneous message to a large heterogeneous audience through the media. 

Communication noise

In any communication model, noise is interference with the decoding message sent over a channel by an encoder. There are many examples of noise:

• Environmental Noise: Noise that physically disrupts communication, such as standing next to loud speaker at a party, or the noise from a construction site to a classroom making it difficult to hear the professor.

• Physiological-Impairment Noise: Physically maladies that prevent effective communication, such as actual deafness or blindness preventing messages from being received as they were intended.

• Semantic Noise: Different interpretations of the meaning of certain words. For example, the word “weed” can be interpreted as an undesirable plant in your yard, or as a euphemism for marijuana.

• Syntactical noise: Mistake in grammar can disrupt communication, such as abrupt changes in verb tense during a sentence.

• Organizational Noise: Poorly structured communication can prevent the receiver from accurate interpretation. For example, unclear and badly stated directions can make the receiver even more lost 

• Cultural Noise: stereotypical assumptions can cause misunderstanding, such as unintentionally offending a non-Christian person by wishing them a “Merry Christmas”.

• Psychological Noise: Certain attitudes can also make communication difficult. For instance. Great anger or sadness may cause someone to lose focus on the present moment. Disorders such as Autism may also severely hamper effective communication.

Verbal Communication and Non-Verbal Communication

Verbal Communication

Two Latin words verbalis and verbum were used in late 15^th century to describe a person who deals with words rather than things. A great deal of human communication is carried out verbally. Communication with language or speech is called verbal communication. Verbal communication may be direct (face to face) as well as mediated. All levels of communication may occur in verbal mode. There are two form of verbal communication.

a)      Oral communication: In oral form, the words are uttered. Different languages have different patterns of sounds of words and own rules for their sequences. Languages may differ in the aspect of vocabulary, grammar as well as syntax.

b)      Written communication: In written from, the words are inscribing in the form a script, such as Davanagari or Roam.

 

Non-Verbal Communication

Everything we do is a form of communication, even when we are not saying a word. The absence of words does not means that there is an absent of communication. Non-verbal communication is anything other than words that communication is massage. the  way we stand ,walk ,shrug our shoulders  ,the clothes we wear, the car we drive etc all are non verbal communication non verbal communication are not what people said .but how they say it. Non verbal human communication often adds to or extends verbal communication. Although the lake of codification and rules for non verbal makes it less than a language, there are often agreed meanings in a particular culture attaching to noise, gestures, posture, and so on.

According to DeFlure, non-communication can be defined as the deliberate or unintentional use of objects, action, sounds, time and space so as to arouse meaning in others.

MASS COMMUNICATION

Concept of mass communication

                                                

Mass communication is the term that refers to an open process of sharing information with the help of the mass media. Mass communications include the use of mass media, impersonal manner, gatekeeper role and impact. It occurs when a small number of people send message to a large anonymous and usually heterogeneous audience through the use of specialized communication media. It represents the creation and sending a homogeneous to a large heterogeneous audience through the media.

 There is no single definition of mass communication. There are hundreds of explicit and implicit definitions of mass communication that have been published in the communication and related literature. Some definitions of mass communication are collected from different sources:

1.      “mass communication involves the use of print and electronic media such as newspaper , magazines , film radio or TV to communicate to large number of people   who are located in various place – often scattered all over the country or the   world”. (Berger)

2.      “mass communication is the large scale dissemination of symbolic contains to heterogeneous and geographical dispersed audience” (mass communication dictionary)

3.      “mass communication is the process of rapidly conveying identical information ,assertion, and attitudes to potentionally large ,disperse and diversified audience via mechanisms capable of achieving the task”(Orlic)

4.      “mass communication can be defined as process of using a mass medium to send message  to large audiences for the purpose of informing, entertaining or persuading”(Vivian)

5.      “mass communication is the process of creating shared meaning between the mass media and their audiences” (Baran)

Function of mass communication

Information

Fact, opinion, objective or subjective maters are information. Information may be objective or subjective and primary or secondary. The function including all reports, news and happenings concerning the daily life are known as information.

Education

Communication provides us education directly and indirectly. Many distances education programs are direct and many programs provide education regarding health, sex, environment and moral norms indirectly. Some media broad cast for education During S.L.C. period, some media publish related matters.  

Persuasion

Persuasion is making influence on other mind. Media guide us and encourage to go for particular thing. Media context persuades us knowingly or unknowingly. The must obvious of the media message designed to persuade is advertising. Media persuasion may be positive or negative both

Entertainment

Mass media can entertain by comic, stories, table film, story telling film, etc. the factual materials, sports, film news, hobby columns, which deals with leisure also entertain to readers. Media helps people to make their reactional leisure time more enjoyable. The merge of entertainment and information is called infotainment (combine of information and entertainment).

Advertisement

An advertisement is the paid form of information to introduce any product or service in the market. It is commercially and service oriented. Through mass media any product can be introduced among many people with in a short period. Family planning, driving safely, child care, health care, etc. are many few examples of advertisements seek to promote the sole of their goods. It is good economical revenue for any media so this is a very important unction of mass media.

Socialization

People learn socialization by communication. Many values, behaviors, culture are taught by media. How to dress, how to others, what to become etc. are guided by mass media. Mass media help for togetherness and commonality. Mass media are important in creating community, national hood and fellowship of humankind.

Characteristics of Mass Communication

Five characteristics of mass communication have been identified by Cambridge University’s John Thompson.

• Firstly, it “comprises both technical and institutional methods of production and distribution” Thompson: The Media and Modernity, This is evident throughout the history of the media, from print to the internet, each suitable for commercial utility.

• Secondly, it involves the “co modification of symbolic forms”, Thompson: The Media and Modernity, as the production of materials relies on its ability to manufacture and sell large quantities of the work. Just as radio stations rely on its time sold to advertisements, newspapers rely for the same reason on its space.

• Mass communication’s third characteristic is the “separate context between the production and reception of information”, Thompson: The Media and Modernity, while the fourth is in its “reach to those ‘far’ remove’ in time and space, in comparison to the producers”. Thompson: The Media and Modernity

• Mass communication, which involves “information distribution”. This is a “one to many” form of communication, where by product are mass product and disseminated to a great quantity of audiences. Thompson: The Media and Modernity,

Mass communication theories

Amidst the sea of theories in social sciences, there are various mass communication-friendly theories to be considered. Such theories provide a ground for viewing issues and events with references it the mass media and their contents. Some major ones are as follows:

1. Functional Theory: The functional theory of mass communication mainly developed by Harold Laswell and Charles Wright primarily refers to the vital function of the mass media –surveillance, correlation, transmission, entertainments and mobilization. The theory interprets surveillances as the function of researching , gathering and writing news and information while the theory takes the media’s function of correlation for standardizing it before disseminating to people’s norms, values and cultures in the media forum. Entertainment provides a sort of therapy so as to energize us. Overwork damages life pleasure while entertainment programs of the mass media provide us physical and mental relief or relaxation. Let entertainment be no diseases! Exploring to know constructive entertainment and destructive entertainment would be logical. Another function mobilization is mainly concern with promoting public interest by stimulating audiences’ minds towards exercising on broader issues. Pro-people advocacy and lobbying are examples how the mass media can mobilize people. Besides, they can play a vital role in physically mobilizing people in crisis periods. But they mobilize brains first.
2. Social-scientific Theory: This theory is society–centric and follows scientific methods of study and research. It focuses on objectivity and ground realities. It tries to draw our attention to how different elements in society are interrelated and how their behavior affects one another. This theory helps communication scholars try to understand the world they live in and analyze the ongoing phenomena from scientific perspective rather than from conservative, predetermined perspectives.
3. Operational Theory: This theory focuses on how long practical experiences contribute to the enhancement of media work as a professional practice. So many journalist, for instance, are from background other than journalism. They may not be theatrically sound but are practically confident and mature. Stressing on the value of practical and operational experiences, those in favor of this theory try to undermine academic knowledge. However, media practice can be enriched and taken to a new height should we combine both their operational experiences and others’ academic foundation in mass communication and journalism. At present, there remains some misunderstanding  between those operational experiences and those with academic knowledge
4. Cultivation Theory: This theory, scientifically based, developed mainly by George Gerbner focuses on how over viewing or more hours and lights viewing less than 4 hours. Regularly exposure to TV violence create a negative attitudes towards the world, says gerbner. He refers to this effect as the “Mean World Syndrome”. This theory especially applies to those who have no; access to other worlds but believe in everything they view. Certain others do not agree on this theory.
5. Cultural imperialism theory: Cultural imperialism theory centers on how the overflow of information from the north to the south affect the cultures of the third worlds countries. It says that the western media have dominated the information market and manufacture opinion favorable to them. This theory whose chief proponent is herb Schiller, tries to alert the third world that the mega billion media corporations of the multinational corporations’ goods and services. The theory points out to the fact that a great number of people in the developing countries have already learn to act, feel, think and live in western ways. However, this theory cannot remain criticism –proof in the age of globalization.
6. Spiral of Silence Theory: The spiral of silence theory mainly developed by Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann tries to interpret about different factors causing people’s silence over so their opinion and preferences. Usually, people have a tendency to follow what is conventional and generally accepted while they hide their disagreement in order to avoid isolation or aloofness. Downtrodden masses feel those in power are not friendly to them. Those in power generally suppressed the voices of downtrodden masses this or that way. In this situation, too, they tend to remain pinions. They feel that the will be further isolated if they become dependent on majority opinions. In case of fear and threat also, people prefer to remain silent. When millions of people are suppressed, there may be silence up to a certain period. But this type of silence is explosive and dangerous. Therefore, it is a topic that communicator should heed. Media person can at least try to expose the nature of hidden silence under which there are many things to communicate.

There are many other theories. Some are; Agenda –setting Theory, User and gratification theory, media dependency  theory, Hypodermic Needle Theory, Normative theory, Marxist Media Theory