Communication of Interest

Posted: September 3rd, 2013

Communication of Interest

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Communication of Interest

The impact of technology on communication has revolutionized the manner in which human beings interact with one another. Information technology has changed man’s capacity to communicate over space and time due innovations in the areas of satellite technology and papyrus. The internet offers a number of opportunities in regards to how we communicate and interact with each other. On a commercial scale, organizations are the biggest beneficiaries to reap from this wave by having seamless communication channels hence efficient production methods. Information technology has transformed the communication industry by providing faster and more interactive services. This report looks into the opportunities, challenges and trends that the communication industry is taking in light of the new dynamics.

The electronic media has created a shift from the fragmented time and space era to usher in the new age of instant messaging and multimedia broadcasts. With effect to this access to information has increased resulting in more inquiry and demand for accountability (Weaver, 2010). The electronic media has influenced our identity, culture, mode of doing business, relationships and our overall decision-making (Wood, 2005). The question of great concern is whether we have any control on how we allow it to influence and reorganize our lives.

The new media has resulted increase in volume and manner in material is transfer electronically leading to distortions and information overload. Nevertheless, the new media is indispensable and embedded itself fully in all facets of society (Weaver, 2010). With the electronic communication sector evolving day and night, it is worth noting that the innovations are just slight variations and modifications of the earlier versions. The degree of “change” varies between different media. For instance, Facebook and social networking has redesigned the manner, which humans communicate and keep in touch. The issue is to integrate the new forms of media with the old (Wood, 2005).

The fast-paced communication industry has created some complicated legal issues especially in the areas of privacy infringement and sharing of information. As illustrated in the case of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios Inc et al. Vs. Grokster et al Ltd, the plaintiff had distributed software that allowed his clients to share files through peer-to-peer networks. This allowed the clients to share music and other materials thus infringing on the copyright law. The question was to what extent was the defendant liable for the crimes of his clients irrespective of whether he foresaw the misuse. Such grey issues are bound to be common as the communication industry takes new unexplored paths.

The key areas of change have been the shift from face to face communication to the introduction of video conferencing and virtual conferencing. There is also a need by people to be constantly in touch giving rise to miniature internet enabled gadgets leading to instant communication. Because of this, the message is informal with acronyms and mistakes are more common. On the benefits scheme communication is fast and effective hence saving time cost of doing business. For instance, videoconferencing has replaced the routine hustle of executives between different branches to attend meetings saving time and money on flight and accommodation costs.

In societal development, communication has forged new ways of creating friends, associates and overall community development. The social media sites provide an avenue for distanced relatives to interact further and provide support systems. In addition, the academia and research fields have benefited greatly through access to free information, information sharing and easy access to consultation (Wood, 2005).

On the other hand, technology has affected communication negatively. For instance over reliance on technology has hindered the growth of communication skills because communication is becoming more informal and unstructured. There is also erosion of communication skills and person touch as the new media does not require face-to-face interactions. Due to the open nature of the internet, there is little credibility on the authenticity of the information posted. This has resulted in the emergence of cyber crimes like hacking, fraud, identity theft and viruses. There are also cases of addiction on internet games, chat rooms and webs increasing their social isolation leading to health problems. This kind of lifestyle has been shown lead to food eating disorders, obesity and mental disorders.

The access to information depends on an individual’s perspective and his social economic status (Weaver, 2010). The individual’s perspective results from the desire of an individual to search for particular information depending on his needs and desires. His social economic status may determine which side of the digital divide he falls in. this is so because technology is unevenly distributed along ethnicity, social economic status, level of education, geographic location and incomes.

The future trends in communication powered by information technology are numerous and it is very difficult to predict the future per se but some of the emerging technologies showing prospects are in fields of modeling and simulation. The future trends will be influenced our cultures, level of technological advancement, economic and cultural globalization (Weaver, 2010). However, the following innovations show many prospects: Virtual conferences will provide audio and visual simulated conferences and development of virtual online social communities. Another area of great interest is the development of chat bots. These are internet-based programs that can have conversations the same way humans do.

References

Metro G. Vs. LTD. (2005). Supreme Court of United States, No.04-480. Retrieved from http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=8647956476676426155&q=information+shairing+royalties&hl=en&as_sdt=2,5&as_ylo=2000

Weaver, J. (2010). The Impact of Communication Technology on Culture and Writing. Analytical Synthesis, IDC 6010. Retrieved from http://www.john-weaver.com/SPSU/weaver-6010manuscript.pdf

Wood, A. F., & Smith, M. J. (2001). Online communication: Linking technology, identity, and culture. Mahwah, N.J: L. Erlbaum.