Question

What role does media play in shaping the process of communication? Offer your reaction to this statement: “Mastering communication is empowering.” Reflect on the changes in voice, message, and media, yesterday, today and tomorrow. How can communication connect a multicultural and global society? How has the convergence of old and new media affected communication? What essential skills are necessary for good communication?

Answer 1

Media is often referred to as the building block of a nation. It shapes peoples opinions and politics and through its communication prowess, media can change the narrative of an entire country. And it is this power of communication that gives media such strength. It can certainly be said that 'Mastering communication is empowering' and it can be understood through an example. Diplomacy between countries relies upon communication. Relationships between nations hinge on how they communicate their expectations and disappointments. The problem in Iran can also be attributed to poor communication between the country and the western world.

Over the course of time, the media's voice and messages have also transformed. From heavily relying upon print media in olden days we have come to a place where there is a social media takeover. Newspapers have become redundant and fake news is everywhere. It is not all bad though, media representation has become more diverse and inclusive as compared to yesteryears. This trend of inclusivity will be prevalent in the future too, with a rise in multicultural societies media is bound to get more cosmopolitan.

Communication is one of the most primal ways of connecting people and it is a proper culture-sensitive communication that can enable a positive discourse between multicultural and global societies. With the power of the internet, global communication is seeing an upward trend every day. The common language of pictures, videos, gifs are the new ear communication. The gulf of language is not felt anymore with such pictorial stimulations.

The convergence of old and new media has many aspects, for example, technological convergence, economic convergence, and content convergence. Technological convergence can be seen when a smartphone possesses call capacity as well as the ability to click pictures, which needed two separate devices earlier. Such convergence has empowered media to a great extent. It has increased circulation outreach, it has given people the ease of access to media, a huge amount of data that is being generated by users is instrumental in targeted delivery. Through the pluralization of content, media is able to reach and influence a larger sphere.

Skills required for good communication are many some of which are:

1. Mastery over language
2. Credibility of the source
3. Sensitivity towards people involved in the communication process
4. Clarity
5. Simplicity of contents
6. Openness to feedback