Communication in the digital age

Introduction  

Communication plays a significant role in our lives. It includes how we learn new things, gain information and interact with each other. Communication takes numerous mediums and forms all over the history; from stories and oral histories to town criers, to cave paintings and newsboys shouting. In these days the digital age, it is accessible than ever to search facts on the other hand what effect has this new found availability had on our culture, our perceptions and the method we manage the business. I would like to say that societies have always been formatted more by the media nature by which humanly communicates than by the communication contest.

To comprehend the working of the media, we must comprehend the medium, shape format of the technique we demonstrate, project or communicate our thoughts shapes the message itself. It is clear that in these days the digital instruments demand our continuous attention was totally changing the methods we communicate, create, conduct business, gain knowledge, entertain, work, advertise and interact and so much more. I would like to say that in these days we can communicate to anybody at any time. Thoughts can flow rapidly and are frequently quite explosive. Due to the digital communication age, the photography and images have become an integral part of our understanding and culture (Thomas Webb, 2010).

There are numerous barriers to digital communications in the organizations such as no support from senior management; clients are disorganized about the concept, conflict within organization and organization is too specialized. It is significant for a company who implements digital communication to have the assurance from all levels of workers involving senior management. Some organizations like as advertising companies could take benefits of the digital communication model due to the pressure they receive from the customers or clients and budgets being reduced. One of the basic of the digital communication is that of the emphasis aspires toward a client orientation instances include advertising, direct marketing and public relations.

Basic and key dimensions of Communication process are:

1. Sender:

In any communication process, the first and foremost dimension and element is the sender. The sender is the person who encodes and transmits the message to any other party, audience or receiver for the desired feedback.

2. Message:

The message, in any communication process the content which is required to encode and transmit is called message. This is the second necessary component and dimension of the communication process.

3. Channel:

For communication or transmit a message or content by a sender that medium used is called channel of communication. It may be verbal, non-verbal or any digital source of communication.

4. Receiver:

Receiver or audience in any communication process is who receives the message or content sent by a sender to derive meaning.

5. Feedback:

Feedback is the desired outcome of the communication process. It is provided by the receiver to message sender. This very important and essential element and dimension of the communication process and without this element communication process is incomplete.

Body

Technology has improved lives in numerous ways; on the other hand, some specialists believe it might influence the ability of individual to think deeply. Due to the communication in the digital age society has long valued the capability to valise beyond the ordinary. In a society where knowledge is, innovation and revered equals development those capable of bringing forth understanding and greater insight are destined to make their blaze and mark a trail to greater enlightenment.

Fading Geographical Location

Digital communication serves dual purposes often contradictory purposes. Along with its many pros, there are some cons also that may create some problems for both parties i.e. senders and receivers involved in the communication process. The gap between the digital communicators is invisible by the fact of fading of geographical location. Mostly the message sender through any digital source does not know the location of the receiver, and in some cases, the receiver does not know that from where the sender is sending messages. Geographical location of both the sender and receiver are faded and are not visible in most the cases.

Peoples involved in digital communication may harm each other by sending some harmful messages and emails, cyber threats, without showing their geographical location and identity. Peoples without physically involving themselves in some negative and harmful activity may show their annoyance and tease someone with whom they have revenge. In some cases, physically people's resolve their personal conflicts, but they don’t resolve their problems and conflicts from their hearts. They keep continuing their problems and conflicts alive through digital communication. Sometimes peoples involve parties from outside the country to deal with their matters. In this case, one can help or harm another party by providing some information, donating or funds from abroad.

Digital communication and technology not only provide the information from the outside but it is also useful and helpful in creating different types of alliances and groups by living in any area of the world. World widely peoples may bring peoples together and make some strong network and alliances of peoples. These alliances and groups may be of different type e.g. social, religious, economic, political or ethical for some shared cause and ideology. The factor of physical distance and fading geographical location may be helpful for some state actors to deal with their enemies in communicating their conflict narratives and influence their opinion etc. 

Many countries and societies use digital communication as a tool and source to spread their message and point of view about any specific issue or their personal, religious, social or political beliefs in all over the world. Many organizations and societies are using social media as a source of enhancing their members and marketing their ideas, products, and services. Many agencies use digital communication as a marketing tool, and by repeated advertisements and push emails, people's rush to buy or use the marketed products or services.

Gender impact on Communication

Many times both men and women struggle to communicate with a cross or opposite gender. For good communication, it is mandatory that the message sent by a sender is well understood by the message receiver. If the message is received but not understood by the receiver, the communication process is failed and incomplete. It shows that the message has not been understood and interpreted by the receiver, so he/she is not able to response the desired activity or reply. In this way, the gender is an important and vital barrier in communication either the communication is digital or faces to face with any other medium. However, communication for opposite gender is a bit easy when it is digital communication through the digital medium. To overcome and deal with the gender barrier in communication is to learn and identify male and female communication patterns. At that time we can learn and understand the specific aspects and patterns that male and female bring to the work place or in any organization.

Julia Wood wrote in her writing “Gender Lives”: Communication, gender and culture” explains that gender communication difference begins during the childhood. From a very early age, boys and girls are taught different linguistic styles and communication behaviors that are acceptable for girls and not be acceptable for boys and vice versa.

Growing up girls are told in their childhood that they have to use their manners, play silently and quietly and be ladylike but it appeared that boys are told to play loudly and use rough language for communication. This norm continues even today, and boys and girls are told and taught accordingly to communicate and live in any society. Girls are taught to show feelings in their normal routine life. For example, if a girl scrapes her knee, fell and starts to cry, she is nurtured, but if the same type of minor injury had any small boy and started crying, he is told not cry, bear it like a brave man and be tough. Girls have to play with dolls in a group and remain inside the house, but the boys have to play videos game, sports, and different outdoor activities. The girls learn a relational style of interaction, but the boys learn a tough and competitive style of interaction.

The generation gap in Communication

In every era, needs and wants of the peoples remained different. In early nineteen, peoples lived in small villages, without electricity, without housing facilities, without modern transportation facilities and luxurious lifestyle. They were living very simple life and even don’t know that the world will change too fast and all the things we have nowadays will be realities. They had never imagined that peoples would fly to other parts of the world through air buses, with the highest level of comfort, pleasure, and safety. They had never thought that one would communicate to world’s far off countries without any physical link or sources. But all these things are realities and facts nowadays. No peoples think that the coming days will be faster and technologically changed. Peoples of old age and today’s young generation think differently.

Old peoples have old ideas and thoughts, but the new generation is planning to live on other planets. Here comes the generation gap when old peoples are unable to understand and to use the latest technology. Young generation feels to talk very strangely with them. Young generation thought that they also have to be aware of these technological changes, but they are not. So they behave to old people's very differently. And in digital communication, young people feel very discomfort in communication with old peoples.  Because young generation is using latest technologies and latest sources of communication but the old ones are not familiar with their use. New generation is too tastiest in all the matters of life and try to make decisions on urgent and immediate basis either they are in their favor on not. But the old people think many times before making any decision, and after making decisions, they communicate with some previous knowledge and reasons behind the decision. So generation gap becomes the biggest barrier to digital communication to each other (Hargittai, 2010).

Lack of interest in learning

Communication in the digital age has some disadvantages with its benefits. One of the most significant disadvantages of the communication in the digital age is a lack of interest in studying. In these days communication in the digital age is increasing rapidly for the reason that everything is now available through data saved and online in a mobile or computer devices, therefore students are likely to create a lazy attitude and poor academic habits towards education. There are many students may even contemplate they can skip academic responsibilities for the reason that they can find lessons and answers online. These types of habits can lead to students disremembering the fundamentals of the studying.

Computer malfunctions and technical issues can cause materials and assignments loss out coming in high levels of pressure those learners would rather not experience. It is clear that difference in capabilities of device and internet speeds can also lead to particular difficulties that possibly de-motivate students. The growth of digital technologies and the diversity of settings and contexts in which the investigation has been combined, conducted with the challenges in the manufacturing evidence from various methodologies makes it complex to recognize and particular implications for the educational experiences in the schools. For teachers and professors to stay abreast with the digital technology they possibly necessitate to be retrained.

In fact, there are numerous teachers have faith in that constant utilization of the digital technology is influencing an attention span of a student and his capability to protector when a stimulating work is thrown his way. On the other hand, the online research education did not begin a direct link to the interaction of individual effects a performance of a student.

Negative Impact on Business

There are numerous positive impacts of technology on the business such as internet makes it possible for the individual to communicate easily with the organizations. On the other had technology has some negative influences on the business. Internet technology like as Skype, chat rooms and other software has numerous benefits. To understand how digital communication can benefit business, there are three fundamental areas will be discussed and these areas are who the sender is, who is the receiver and what type of tools that can be used by the sender to pass the message. Branding is the main thing that plays an essential role in the digital communication. It is also clear that the digital communication plays a significant role in the development of any business.

Ethics play a significant role in the business and digital communication on the other hand communication in the digital age impact on the workplace ethics. Employees did not give importance to ethics in the communication in the digital age. Numerous organizations face many ethical issues due to communication in the digital age. Many conflicts in the organization have occurred due to the unethical behaviors. Social media has been an uprising in how individual plan communicate and events with each other. The popularity of the social media has permitted individual to rekindle friendships, gain new interests and make new friends. So, social media has many disadvantages in the communication in the digital age (Education, 2010).

Impact on health

There are several ways of communication in the health such as effective listening, presentation skills, cultural sensitivity, reading people, delivering bad news, digital techniques, handling, difficult people, giving directions, writing well and negotiation. Communication skills are pretty significant for the improvement of an institution. Communication skills support the manager to utilize the fundamental functions of the controlling, motivating, organizing and management planning. Health communication is pretty significant for the reason that because it equips the public with the elements and awareness to respond adequately to health crises. The qualities of effective health communication are balance, availability, consistency, evidence-based, cultural competence, reach, repetition, and reliability.

The barriers to communication in the healthcare are: little health knowledge, the absence of research is movement, and incapability of health employees to communicate with patients and the spread of low-value health care facts on the web. The strategies to improve health care communication are recognizing the objective audiences, set up training centers, and community skits and workplace guides. So the communication in the digital age impact on the health care’s communication (Sharpe, 2013).

References

Education, T. M.-H. (2010). The Dynamics of Mass Communication: Media in the Digital Age. Tata McGraw-Hill Education, 2010.

Hargittai, E. (2010). Digital Na(t)ives? Variation in Internet Skills and Uses among Members of the “Net Generation”. Sociological Inquiry, 92–113.

Sharpe, H. B. (2013). Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age: Designing for 21st Century Learning. Routledge, 2013.

Thomas Webb, J. J. (2010). Works citing "Using the Internet to Promote Health Behavior Change: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Impact of Theoretical Basis, Use of Behavior Change Techniques, and Mode of Delivery on Efficacy". Journal of Medical Internet Research.