Journalism, Mass Media and Communication - Essay Example

Journalism, Mass Media and Communication Communication is a method of exchanging information, ideas and even culture. Communication plays an important part of the society. In this case, both the originator and he receiver of the communication have a great role to play. The media also play a vital part in communication, especially in today’s world where there are many media to send the information in. language is also used to define society and to gain power being defining which use of language is authoritative and which is not (Week 6: Power, page 13, Fall 2014). Mediated communication There is a common belief that mediated communication is worse off than the direct face to face communication. However, there is a need to identify whether this is just a fallacy or it is true that face to face communication is better than indirect communication that needs a medium between the originator of the message and the receiver. A good example of this is the communication between two people playing football. When a person wants to pitch the ball, he does not explicitly communicate that he wants to do so. However, his actions and his body language is enough to communicate to the person receiving the ball that he is about to pitch the ball. This does not qualify to be called face to face communication, yet, the two are able to interact with others and eventually at the end of the communication, both the originator (in this case the person pitching the ball) and the receiver are able to communicate and their cultural identities remain the same. This example is a very clear indication that face to face communication does not necessarily enhance communication and that mediated communication does not necessarily distort the message. The same can be said of mediated communication such as when people text each other across a mobile network. The media only helps in closing the gap between the two, or even more in some cases, communicators (Week 10: Communicative Technologies, page 39, Fall 2014). Large media Mass media affects communication in a number of ways. While there is a number of criticism with regard to mass media and how it affects communication in a negative way, the truth is that this communication has its function in the larger society. When information is delivered across mass media, for instance the inauguration of president Obama, there is a feeling of community because everyone who is watching feels that he is doing it along a community of individuals who have the same interest. The same applies to the print mass media. With print mass media, the readers may not read the newspapers or the magazine co-currently or in the same place, but the fact that they know that they are doing it along with so many others who are reading the newspaper makes it possible for them to feel as part of that society of strangers. This is very important and makes the basis for more advanced communication. In this case, mediated communication should not be said to distort communication but only provides for alternatives for communication. The effect of face to face or mediated communication can only be said to be perceived as opposed to being real. Mediated communication allows for people to communicate across geographical distances as opposed to changing the way people communicate. Socially indexed communication Social context in which communication takes place also plays a crucial role in communication. For instance, words and names of people mean various things to different people, based on the culture of the groups. Symbols also mean different things. For instance, an Indian name can mean something different to an Indian, especially when used in the context of that culture (Lecture Notes, Fall 2014). The meaning that individuals attach to the words, phrases and even certain doing words such as rituals and commitment made in words also differ in various societies. For instance, in some societies, when someone commits that he or she will do something at a specific time, they may not necessarily attach too much meaning to their words. This is unlike in societies such as the United States where even time commitments are taken seriously. For instance, the swearing in of the United States of America involves the uttering of words of commitment that commit the USA president to rule under the requirements of the United States constitution. In this case, the words of the United States president to be, when used in the context of the inauguration, are not just words used to communicate but worlds used to do something. When the words are used in this context, the words are used to offer a promise, a promise that is supposed to be kept. The media then performs a major role in this because the media makes it possible for the larger society to be able to participate in the communication. By covering the event through the media, the larger society is able to participate in the process of this communication and thus make it possible to serve a communication purpose. Does modern texting affect communication? One other part of modern communication that has been criticized a lot is the modern texting (Week 2: Signs And Language Ideologies, Fall 2014 page 37). Some people feel that texting has two main negative effects. The first effect is the fact that mobile phone texting removes the two communicators from the same presence and this is suspected to have some effect on communication. But as explained in the football analogy, this does not necessarily disrupt communication or the meaning carried thus (WEEK 3: PERFORMATIVITY, page 18, Fall 2014). The mobile texting as a media of communication allows two people to produce informational and relay the same to the intended recipient. This is important in that the two people communicating keep changing messages between themselves and this acts almost the same way as face to face communication. Secondly, these messages are criticized for being repetitive and ritualistic. While this may be correct in a sense, the upside of this is that this does not make it any less effective to communicate with such messages. Ritual makes a very important part of culture. A ritual creates an alternative cosmos that brings in new meaning to the world as it is known (Week 4: Ritual, Page 8, Fall 2014). In this regard, while text based communication may prove to be repetitive and ritualistic, it does provide for a way for the audience to be able to engage with the message and create their own meaning. Such media are also criticized for distorting the grammar. For instance, most young people who use mobile phones do not write correct English while writing their messages. Instead, they write typos that are easy to type and that are easy for their peers to understand. Does that constitute the evidence that the media can affect negatively communication? The answer is that it does not affect the way the people communicate. This is particularly true in anthropology where language and specifically words are considered to be just symbols with a meaning to a group of people. In such a context, whether young people are using colloquial language to communicate, as long as they understand each other within their circles, it cannot be said that the communication is not effective or that the media used to communicate is any more harmful to language. Conclusions It is evident that language and media have a relation. However, the old concept of media affecting language and communication in a negative way has to be considered again. Media compliments communication but does not necessarily distort it. In this regard, there exists a need to make sure that his is well understood. Language is just a combination of various symbols that have different meanings. In this case, in the context of anthropology, the notion that the media affects the quality of communication is just but a fallacy. Works Cited WEEK 1 : INTRODUCTION, Page 7. Anthropology Of Language And Media: An Introduction. FALL 2014. WEEK 10: COMMUNICATIVE TECHNOLOGIES, Page 39. Anthropology Of Language And Media: An Introduction. Fall 2014. WEEK 2: SIGNS AND LANGUAGE IDEOLOGIES. Anthropology Of Language And Media: An Introduction. Fall 2014. WEEK 3: PERFORMATIVITY, Page 18. Anthropology Of Language And Media: An Introduction. Fall 2014. WEEK 4: RITUAL, Page 8. Anthropology Of Language And Media: An Introduction. Fall 2014. WEEK 6: POWER, Page 13. Anthropology Of Language And Media: An Introduction. Fall 2014. Work Cited Read More