Ch03 Effects of Communication

EFFECTS OF COMMUNICATION Communication generally and mass communication in particular has a great deal to serve a diversity of purposes human beings have always wished to achieve. The strong effects of striving to achieve purposes of human communication are visible and helped bring harmony of living in a number of ways. Here we will see how the process of communication at different scales has helped people of different societies to benefit from exchanging views (messages) on subjects of their interest. First we will see to what effect the communication stands for. Discover The immediate effect of communication is to discover something – from an individual to an idea to physical exploration – as a consequence of generating a message. For centuries human beings have been striving to explore the world around them. Nothing more has helped them in this quest than the communication. It is usually the answer to a communication which brings in certain effects of discovery. Even today when two people meet the communication starts from here; my name is Sara and what is yours? Or, I live in Karachi and (where do) you (live)? It is an instinct of human nature to discover matters around him or her. The process of communication over the centuries has helped tremendously to mankind explore the world around and develop a civilization. Relationship Next to discovering, the most important effect of communication is to create relationship with people and things around. A piece of communication is always targeted towards other people with whom you want to have a relationship, or with whom a relationship – of friendship or enmity – already exist. Usually the effect of communication is that a new relationship is set or a fresh dimension, which may be strengthening an existing relationship, is given. And this phenomenon is not confined to individuals. Nations have been seen striving to use the tool of communication to bring this effect. High level diplomats and even heads of states are seen engaged in fresh communication with their counterparts from societies with whom little association has been witnessed in the past. The mass communication has always worked strongly to fetch this effect to societies living a distance apart from each other. Historically, many a travelers roamed about the world even when traveling facilities had been scant, to communicate and establish relationship. In many cases an effort by a small group of travelers had helped set up long lasting relationships between people of two societies. Helping Out Others Hallmark of communication effects has been the human effort to provide assistance to other fellow beings. It is due to communication from one part of the world to another that the suffering humanity is saved from various disasters. At a lower scale as well, a piece of communication works miracle to save lives of many. Think of a situation when a house catches fire and a family is trapped inside. One call to rescue operation team – a piece of communication, I will say – activates so much movement of rescuers that in most cases many lives are saved from what could have been a major catastrophe. Hurricanes, excessive rains, earthquakes, epidemics and floods are but everyday occurring around the globe but almost in every tragedy no sooner a communication is made, help starts pouring in from all around. Stimulation Stimulation, or persuasion, is another effect caused on human beings by communication. An advice58451755334000-31755334000 from a teacher may effect into activating students to work more seriously, or conduct research on a given topic. At mass level, an appeal from a cherished leader to donate blood or to draw certain measures may do a magic. For instance in the wake of soaring sugar prices if an appeal – a communication- is made from a leader asking people to reduce use of the sweetener may work more than other administrative measures and the price may start falling due to low demand. It is commonly observed that an organized and well thought after piece of communication causes a great deal of persuasion on matters of common interest. Relaxation Among effects of communication one huge area is the relief which is effective when an exchange of ideas or even receiving of messages is done in common life. It is a frequent sightseeing people telling jokes to ward off their worries. Watching a humorous TV play when one is tense does substantially well to change the mood and lessen the anxiety level. Similarly, watching a tense match and seeing your favorite team winning eventually relaxes you to a large extent. The effect of communication in relaxing people is also observed in meta-communication in which one is involved with non-living things as well. Social Growth Growth of social values, physical structures and increase in the overall intellectual level of a society are result of the net effect it receives from the everyday communication. The exchange of message on scores of issues commonly shared by the people living in one society always lead to organizing people in a better way. The coherence in living style gives a sort of strength to people of one community which distinguishes it from others. Likewise, sharing of economic knowledge by the people of same society is the effect of common swapping of expertise which some people have gained by their individual efforts. The present campaign of globalization and all the debate originating from it is a clear effect of the communication which has been taking place on this subject over the decades. It is a matter of common sense that the new approach of one village is going to benefit almost all the people who excel in any field of life. Again, it is a piece of communication which will make people in the same village to come to know how they can benefit from the expertise of others. Communication Effects in Time and Space Effects of communication are not limit to present day activities but as a matter of fact they go beyond the limits of time and space. This is quite possible that an idea generated at one time of history is materialized in some physical form at another stage. Most scientific inventions, like radio, are the result of a multiple pieces of communication made by scientists over a period of 150 years. Many scientists who professed presence of electromagnetic waves but could not prove this in their life time, left behind a theory on which others worked and were able to discover a truth in the original idea. The distance consideration has also been overcome by ever progressing process of communication. A little research done by a scientist on, for example a disease is widely known to others living miles away, thanks to communication. This brings great effect in the science world and makes the collective human progress more integrated. 58451758216900022479082169000 58451755334000-31755334000COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE The debate which always rant and rave whenever there is a talk about communication is the mystery of cultures which vary from place to place and through times and which cause perhaps the strongest hurdles in understanding of what has been said (by people of one culture) and what has been understood (by people of another culture). Before we start to examine as what factors are responsible to generate this debate, it seems only logical that we understand what culture is. Though no definition of culture exists on which all will agree, the one which is close to everyone’s belief is the way people live, or say the living style of people of a particular area is denoted as their culture. This includes their living habits, eating and cooking style, dressing up, language they speak in, social values and traditions they observe along with the religion they follow. Well, for a student of communication – who believes that a slight change on part of the sender or receiver may effect a huge change in the meaning of a message – the definition of culture and its little explanation offers only an embarrassing situation for there is plenty in the name of change that can vary (or destroy) the meaning and hence the process of communication may face hurdles. Enculturation The process of passing on culture from one generation to the next is referred to as enculturation. Most people are uncultured – they receive their cultural values from their parents including language, religion, dressing up eating and living habits etc. The impact of enculturation is very strong. You generally carry this culture with you wherever you travel or even settle for some time. For instance a Pakistani settling in UK will continue to practice its eating, living habit along with other cultural values. In the field of communication he or she would remain on the look out to find another Pakistani with whom he/she could talk in Urdu or they sit together and dine the way they have been doing back home. The two would enjoy the enculturation to the utmost by communicating to each other matters pertaining to their life style. Acculturation The most difficult part in the process of communication and cultural conflicts is the process of acculturation. In this process one tends to learn the rules and norms of a culture different from one’s native culture. Easy said than done. It may take years even to those who command some expertise on communication techniques for it is very difficult to break the shell of your own culture only to adopt another. But people do tend to do so if they have to live longer in another land. For instance if a Pakistani is settling in America, he will have to acculturate himself by learning the living style of that part of the world – at least in areas where it could be adopted. It does not mean to scrap your religion but it certainly means living by the rules and practices of that part of the world if you want to stay there for generations. If one resists acculturation, one is bound to face embarrassment in every day communication for every message from him / her will be understood differently (wrongly) by fellow people there and vice versa. The communication problems arising out of cultural conflicts will simply make life miserable. And not to be seen as a cross country phenomenon, the cultural differences may exist among different shades of culture within one society. For instance all the Muslims around the world make one community but vary drastically in their life style. There being dressing up, traditions at the time of child-birth, weddings and other major events in life are very contrasting. Within a country these traditions may vary. A Sindhi life style is different from Baluchi’s and Punjabi traditions on scores of matters are different from what are observed by Pashtoons. The existence of sub-cultures also leads to communication snags and problems may arise only due to these factors when people from sub-cultures undertake a joint business. Cultural Shock This phenomenon in communication is very common around the world. It occurs when people from one culture have to live in another culture where normal life values are radically diverse. One may not like to send his daughter to join dancing, or swimming classes at school in Pakistan, it is a must in certain 58451751974850022479019748500 58451755334000-31755334000Countries. You may have separate colleges, universities or even medical colleges for boys and girls in Pakistan and some other Islamic countries. But there is no such concept in the west. A family going to the west will have to face the cultural shock – which is complete breakdown of communication, as long as they live there without conceding to the concept of acculturation. Principles of Intercultural Communication Prepare yourself The best to overcome communication gaps in multicultural society is to prepare yourself in advance about the new culture you may face. These days videos, newspapers and magazines are widely available which tell about the social norms of a society. By learning a good deal on these values, the process of communication is eased out to a great extent. Overcoming fears of unseen Scholars believe that even learned people have a sense of fear when they tend to communicate to the people of a different culture. At ordinary people level this fear exists even more. That is one reason you would not find foreign tourists mixing up with local people frequently. Not that they feel superior, but the fear that any miscommunication by way of words and gestures should not infuriate a local and put the visitor in an embarrassing situation. The solution here is again in making a fair assessment of what you want to communicate juxtapose to the social values of the people to whom you want to communicate. Once getting a positive feedback on your message would dispel the earlier fear and equip you with confidence for more communication. Know different meanings due to change in culture One most important aspect of improving communication in a new culture is the consideration of meanings of different phrases, gestures and body language in the new culture. Some body gestures which stand for certain meaning to you due to enculturation may be entirely different in the other culture. A study of some basic differences in meanings of words and actions between the two cultures is obviously going to ease the communication gap hence making the process of communication gainful for all involve in the interaction. Knowing some hard and fast values As mentioned earlier, certain societies are strongly under influence of their centuries old traditions. For instance Muslims do not like eat with left hand or even shake left hand. Others may not find any problem in using the left hand. In Indonesian culture direct eye contact is a case of disrespect especially when talking to older people. For Americans avoiding eye contact means disinterest. Think if a young Indonesian is talking to an American and the two do not know cultural values of each other, where the communication end up! There are some times few small things but which have strong implications in the sense of communication. In America if someone says ‘come over and pay us a visit’, it amounts to only a friendly gesture and not a formal invitation. In some other cultures the same set of words make the listener (receiver) take the words seriously and a formal invitation. Think of a situation when an American family says this to a family from a different culture. World moving towards acculturation But with the advancements in electronic media, internet chatting and enhanced movement of people due to increased traveling facilities, the level of understanding of each other’s culture is going up and so is the communication. It appears that the communication hurdles raging for the last many centuries would be reduced as people see more of each other’s living style on the high number of TV channels now available in most parts of the world. 58451756705600022479067056000 58451755334000-31755334000LANGUAGE IN COMMUNICATION Previously we have discussed that nonverbal communication outsmarts verbal communication by a big margin but fact remains that the nonverbal communication matters the most in real time when you communicate, or you are communicated, through the human senses and body gestures and signs. In time and space mostly it is the language comprising words which communicates to others. For instance most historic records are available in the form of books written by scores of historians. The religious teachings and the scientific and philosophical works are also going down to generations through words. It is the words, spoken or written, by prophets and other scholars on which scholars of the day try to set explanations and seek guidance. It is, however, a mystery to say whether the languages – over 4,000 in recognized form, are manmade or divine. Who invented them and at what stage their grammar rules and nouns were set up, still remains shrouded in obscurity. Despite the fact that languages have been one of the strongest tools of communication, they also have innate flaws which hamper communication. Here below we will see how languages behave in communication. Polarization For almost every language it is a common practice to describe things in extreme position. At times people are made to take an extreme position while the fact remains that they want to stay somewhere in between. For instance a person is said to be good or bad. You ask about a friend and reply may be; he is good, or he is bad. The fact is that the person under question is bad in some respect and good in some others. There may be a person who is said to be bad because he has committed a serious crime but this may be a fact about him that he always speaks the truth which is good. At the time of elections, you are asked to say yes or no. Yes means you fully endorse policies of a person, and no will mean you fully reject the same for another. Fact is you do like some policies of a person you are made to say no about and there may be some fault in the policies of a person (leader) you are made to say yes. You watch a movie and you observe it as good or bad and so you tell others about it. The fact is you like the music and acting but not the direction and the script or story. The use of polarized feeling does not allow you to communicate the very truth about something you have a different feelings. The worst occurs when having said well; you cover an extra distance to justify it if ever there is a debate on the matter, although your first observation has been polarized due to in-built inadequacy of language. Labeling A language help you label people of different categories and thereafter always keep an impression about them as such. For instance Scots are labeled as stingy people. Every Scot is not but whenever you are going to have a business with a Scot, a friend may tell you be careful while dealing with a Scot. People of some tribe and clan are labeled as quarrelsome. There may be some who are very peaceful and reasonable but if you are in communication with them under the impression of label, no sooner a point of dispute arises that you are prompted to observe that nothing is wrong with you; you belong to a tribe which is well known for such behavior. 58451753517900022479035179000 58451755334000-31755334000-50807048500 It is common in the third world countries to see the United Nation with suspicion and regard it as an extension of the developed world only to twist arms of poor nation when needed. This may be far from truth in a given case but such labeling would go along the communication process and stand firm in giving certain obsessed meanings on part of the sender if he belongs to other side of the divide. Static meanings Sometimes some words are attached with a person and he/she continues to be known by the meanings of those words. For instance there is your college fellow whom you regard as nuts who is difficult to handle. Now the fellow has gone to US and married and has turned very reasonable – as one can keep changing overtime. But whenever friends meet and talk about those fellow even years after, they will refer him as nuts. You visit a foreign land only once in your life time and cheated by some natives. You will continue to call people of that land as cheats whenever there will be any mention of that country though the event took place decades ago. So harsh are the feelings and the words to give such meanings whereas the fact is that people, who might have cheated, are now changed. At times some ruling tribes are described with static meanings in the book of history and their generations are continued to be known with those characteristics once attached to their forefathers. All this is because language does not offer any scientific approach to measures matters as done in physics or chemistry or other natural sciences. Indiscrimination Another problem in the usage of languages is that it provides you common nouns and suggests that people in this area are also similar in behavior. For instance, people from the police department, customs department, are seen with preconceived meaning. You use the word police and immediately particular meanings would be drawn in your mind. If a group of students resort to some hooliganism, people would quickly remark it as a common thing about students. Say she is a model and immediately people would assume a particular meaning about her. So on and so forth. This indiscrimination among individuals, once they are grouped in a common noun, is another skirting area of language. Purpose of debate As we undertake the debate on language and communication, the purpose is not to prove that languages are worthless, but only to highlight areas where languages fall short of meaning and hence cause some problem – sometimes very serious – in common communication.5845175333883000224790333883000 58451755334000-31755334000STEREOTYPING – A TYPICAL HURDLE IN MASS COMMUNICATION Ever since the emergence of mass communication, the media has been facing a problem of stereotyping in sending information across. This perhaps is the only area which even a layman can easily point out to and hold the mass media responsible for practicing and promoting what, by a common sense, is far from reality. Although stereotyping has its origin from ordinary human communication and the chronic problem which mankind is finding difficult to ward off, it has been strengthened particularly by the media of mass communication over the years. Media stereotypes are sometime inevitable, especially in the advertising, entertainment and news industries, which need as wide an audience as possible to quickly understand information. Stereotypes act like codes that give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group of people—usually relating to their class, ethnicity or race, gender, social role or occupation – true or false is left on the people who receive the information. As we get close to understanding the mass communication in its various forms, it is pertinent to mark this peculiar area which is widely in practice in news, views, scripts, TV/ radio shows and, honestly, in common remarks on mass media. What is stereotyping? Stereotypes are ideas held by some individuals about members of particular groups, based solely on their attitude. They are often used in a negative or prejudicial sense and are frequently used to justify certain discriminatory behaviors. Stereotypes are a generalization of characteristics; they reduce complexity, provide stability and also can offer opportunities to identify themselves with others. In common practice we assume a certain attitude by a group of people and start using our assumption as a reality and thereafter all our analysis are based on our assumption. Problem is compounded when listeners (receivers) also start taking the assumption for granted and so a wrong done once continue to cast shadows in our communication which at times results in complete disaster. Global Phenomenon The stereotyping in communication, which has its origin in printing process, is a global phenomenon and hurting the mass media alike all over. The preconceived assumption about people or group of people in the form of nationality, ethnicity and cast and in business matters is holding strong ground in communication and the experts are still striving to get out of this menace. One solution is to make media people aware of it so that its usage may be reduced. One Example from Hinterland Pakistan has produced some finest hockey players from a small town called Gojra – besides from Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad and Sialkot. But still Gojra stands distinguished in this matter. Now, there is a hockey coach who has not seen two hockey players but asked to include one in the team. One of the players belongs to Gojra and the other from little known town (in the sense of producing hockey players) Nawabshah, for instance. What the coach would do in general, is any body’s guess. To economize time and effort and, in his own way to justify selection, the coach would not bet on one from Nawabshah. If he takes in the one from Nawabshah, the coach may be criticized for experimentation, favoring or showing prejudice to Gojra etc. Who can risk against such strong stereotyping. Stereotype Groups5850255533400012705334000 Not in sports, but stereotyping is found in scores of ways. Let’s see the common stereotype groups based on: Age Race Ethnicity Gender Nationality Religious belief Profession Social class Stereotypes can also be based on an individual's physical size, handicaps or other characteristic like the blinds. About all the above mentioned groups we attach a particular behavior and characteristics which, if examined individually on every member of the group, may not prove true. Islamic (religious) Approach Every individual is responsible for its individual deeds and not be seen as what cast, creed or tribe he/she belongs to at the time of justice on dooms day, is only to defy stereotyping approach towards human beings. Media transform assumptions into realities The sore point in media stereotyping is that by the (over) use of certain ideas people (receivers) start believing a truth in what is being said. It is a common sight watching plays in theater or in comic stories especially, to portray a group of people standing for certain characteristics. The worst is ethnic division. In early Urdu dramas, the role of baser nature characters was assigned to certain ethnic people, it continued in TV plays for some time till a strong voices in opposition were raised. Commercial Interest in Stereotyping – A Case Study This example has been taken from US media where stereotyping is being opposed very vehemently in recent years. Beauty Image in the Media Images of female sell everything from food to cars. Popular film and television actresses are becoming younger, taller and thinner. Some have even been known to faint on the set from lack of food. Women’s magazines are full of articles urging that if they can just lose those last twenty pounds, they’ll have it all—the perfect marriage, loving children and a rewarding career. Why are standards of beauty being imposed on women? The roots, some analysts say, are economic. By presenting an ideal difficult to achieve and maintain the cosmetic and diet product industries are assured of growth and profits. And it’s no accident that youth is increasingly promoted, along with thinness, as an essential criterion of beauty. If not all women need to lose weight, for sure they’re all aging, says the Quebec Action Network for Women’s Health in its 2001 report (French) Changements sociaux en faveur de la diversité des images corporelles. And, according to the industry, age is a disaster that needs to be dealt with. The stakes are huge. On the one hand, women who are insecure about their bodies are more likely to buy beauty products, new clothes, and diet aids. It is estimated that the diet industry alone is worth $100 billion (U.S.) a year. On the other hand, research indicates that exposure to images of thin, young, air-brushed female bodies is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem and the development of unhealthy eating habits in women and girls. How much stereotyping can damage a group is so much despised by experts. To quote one: 58451755334000-31755334000 "We don’t need Afghan -style burquas to disappear as women. We disappear in reverse—by revamping and revealing our bodies to meet externally imposed visions of female beauty." - Robin Gerber, author and motivational speaker. The American research group Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders, Inc. says that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control—including fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse, and self-induced vomiting. In 2003, Teen magazine reported that 35 per cent of girls 6 to 12 years old have been on at least one diet, and that 50 to 70 per cent of normal weight girls believe they are overweight. Media activist Jean Kilbourne concludes, "Women are sold to the diet industry by the magazines we read and the television programs we watch, almost all of which make us feel anxious about our weight." Unattainable Beauty Perhaps most disturbing is the fact that media images of female beauty (stereotyping) are unattainable for all but a very small number of women. Researchers generating a computer model of a woman with Barbie-doll proportions, for example, found that her back would be too weak to support the weight of her upper body, and her body would be too narrow to contain more than half a liver and a few centimeters of bowel. A real woman built that way would suffer from chronic diarrhea and eventually die from malnutrition. 58451752076450022479020764500 Still, the number of real life women and girls who seek a similarly underweight body is epidemic, and they can suffer equally devastating health consequences, due to unhindered use of stereotyping in the mass media. Self-Improvement or Self-Destruction The barrage of messages about thinness, dieting and beauty tells "ordinary" women that they are always in need of adjustment—and that the female body is an object to be perfected. (This the media does not say about men. Why? Because they are not stereotyped this way). Jean Kilbourne argues that the overwhelming presence of media images of painfully thin women means that real women’s bodies have become invisible in the mass media. The real tragedy, she says, is that many women internalize these stereotypes, and judge themselves by the beauty industry's standards. Women learn to compare themselves to other women. This focus on beauty and desirability "effectively destroys any awareness and action that might help to change that climate." This case study does not end here. In fact all stereotyping used so frequently in the mass media fetches the same result. It is here that students of mass communication are told to be aware of using terms which carry stereotyping more carefully and in the sense that they may not be used at the cost of individuals in the groups formed by the stereotyping-approach for its own convenience. 58502553562350022987035623500