Lect.

1 : Introduction to Communication and Media

Communication - process that allows beings - in particular humans - to exchange information by one of several methods. It requires symbols - languages -such as (i) speaking or singing, (ii) nonverbal, (iii) physical means, such as body language, sign language, touch or eye contact. Level of Communication: many levels (even for one single action), in many different ways, and for all beings, and some machines. Dimensions: Content (what type of things are communicated) Source (by whom) Form (in which form) Channel (through which medium) Destination/Receiver (to whom) Purpose/Pragmatic aspect (with what kind of results)

Communication as information transmission processes of information transmission governed by three levels of semiotic rules:

Syntactic (formal properties of signs and symbols), pragmatic (concerned with the relations between signs/expressions and their users) and semantic (study of relationships between signs and symbols and what they represent). Therefore, communication is a kind of social interaction where at least two interacting agents share a common set of signs and a common set of semiotic rules. (This commonly held rule essentially ignores autocommunication, including intrapersonal communication via diaries or self-talk).

In a simplistic model, information or content (e.g. a message in natural language) is sent in some form (as spoken language) from a emissior /sender/encoder to a destination/receiver/decoder. In a slightly more complex form a sender and a receiver are linked reciprocally.

Forms of Communication Non-verbal Nonverbal communication - act or emotional meaning . Interchanging thoughts, opinions or information without the use of words, using gestures sign language, facial expressions and body language. Language Language is a syntactically organized system of signals, such as voice sounds, intonations or pitch, gestures or , written symbols which communicate thoughts or feelings.

Mass media Mass media is a very large audience (typically at least as large as the whole population of a nation state). mass society .

 Channels / Media The beginning of human communication through artificial channels, i.e. not vocalization or gestures, goes back to ancient cave paintings, drawn maps, and writing. Dominant communication medium divides history into the following stages: (i) Ideographic writing produced the first civilization; alphabetic writing,

(ii) The second; printing, (iii) The third; electronic recording and broadcasting, (iv) The fourth; and computer communication, (v) The fifth; mobile devices, involves adhoc organization through, allowing for effective many-to-many communication and social networking

 Electronic media A revolution in telecommunications providing new media for long distance communication. The first transatlantic two-way radio broadcast occurred on July 25, 1920 and led to common communication via analogue and digital media: Analog telecommunications include traditional telephony, radio, and TV broadcasts. Digital telecommunications allow for computer-mediated communication, telegraphy, and computer networks.

 Communications media impact more than the reach of messages. Thomas Edison had to discover that hello was the least ambiguous greeting by voice over a distance; previous greetings such as hail tended to be garbled in the transmission. Modern communication media now allow for intense longdistance exchanges between larger numbers of people ( many-to-many communication via e-mail, Internet forums). On the other hand, many traditional broadcast media and mass media favor one-to-many communication (television, cinema, radio, newspaper, magazines).

Media may refer to various aspects: In communication: Recording media, devices used to store information Print media, communications delivered via paper or canvas Electronic media, communications delivered via electronic or electromechanical energy
Multimedia, communications that incorporate multiple forms of information content and processing Hypermedia, media with hyperlinks Digital media, electronic media used to store, transmit and receive digitized information

 Published media, any media made available to the public

Mass media, all means of mass communication
Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass electronic communication networks News media, mass media focused on communicating news
News media (United States), the news media of the United States of America

Media meshing, the act of combining of multiple communication mediums to enrich an information consumer's experience New media, media that can only be created or used with the aid of modern computer processing power