Understanding Communication: Elements, Media, and Audience
Key Elements of Communication
Communication involves several key elements: sender, message, channel, receiver, code, context, and situation.
The Role of Feedback
Feedback is a crucial communication mechanism that reveals the consequences of a message on the receiver. It allows the sender to understand the effects of their message and adjust accordingly. Feedback helps the sender gauge the receiver’s opinion.
Feedback in Media:
- Receiver Capability: The ability of the receiver to respond to messages and stimuli from the media.
- Response Study: Analyzing the responses of the audience.
Roles in Media Production
- Producer: The producer is responsible for organizing and securing the necessary resources to achieve the desired outcome.
- Player: The player executes the plan to achieve the final result.
- Consumer: The consumer is the receiver of the content developed by the producer and player.
Mass Communication and its Characteristics
Mass communication occurs when the intended audience is a large, diverse group of people, often unknown to the sender. Characteristics of mass communication include:
- Wide dissemination of messages to an anonymous audience.
- Messages reach a passive recipient who generally cannot respond directly.
Types of Mass Media
Posters
Characteristics: Posters are placed in public spaces, using images, text, and color to capture attention.
Newspapers
Characteristics:
- Requires literacy.
- Promotes reflection and in-depth understanding of news.
- Provides diverse content, including current news and entertainment.
- Readers choose the time and place of reading.
Film
With over a century of history, film has evolved significantly, particularly with the introduction of sound and color.
Characteristics:
- Requires the viewer’s full attention.
- Viewers choose the time and location of viewing.
- Serves as a means of education and entertainment.
- It is a social event, but the viewing experience is individual.
Radio
Radio relies solely on spoken language and sound. It is the most widespread medium due to its accessibility and minimal technological requirements. Advances include stereo broadcasting and digital technology.
Characteristics:
- Stimulates only the sense of hearing, requiring less attention.
- Facilitates the listener’s imagination.
- It is the most agile medium.
Television
Television combines radio and film, achieving a reach comparable to radio. Technological advancements include satellite broadcasting and fiber optics.
Characteristics:
- Viewers do not choose the time of viewing; they must adhere to a schedule.
- Requires significant dedication as it is audiovisual.
- Occupies a prominent place in the home and is often on for many hours.
- Viewers can change channels, leading to fragmented viewing.
Internet
Characteristics:
- Wide dissemination of messages to an anonymous audience.
- More open to receiver response.
- Allows for absolute selection and deletion of information.
- It is the fastest medium.
Objectivity vs. Subjectivity in Information
A message is more objective the more faithfully it reflects reality. A message is subjective when it incorporates the sender’s opinion or interpretation. Every choice made in presenting information introduces a subjective element.
Audience Measurement
The audience level is the percentage of people watching TV, listening to the radio, reading a newspaper, or engaging with a specific program, network, or station within a city or country.