UNIT IV

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION

This unit gives you an idea of how communication technologies work, such as the Internet, multimedia,
email, telephone, and other means of communication-based on video and sound.

Technology and Communication

Technology and communication maintain technical communication systems according to the needs of a
particular business, industry, or market.

Technological devices play a vital role in the way people communicate nowadays. Personal and relational
identities are created and maintained through the use of these technologies. Duck and McMahan (2009)
refer to cell phones, iPods, and other technological devices as relational technologies to emphasizes the
relational functions and implications of their use in society and within specific groups.

The meaning of Relational Technology

Using relational technologies develops unique significances for specific social groups.

1. Some groups view the cell phone as less as a device to contact others and more to display social status
and membership.

2. The social means accompanying technologies, along with their significance, vary according to the
social system used.

3. Members of some organizations may prefer contracts through a cell phone or face-to-face
interactions.

The views governing the use of these technologies are developed mostly by how technology is used and
discussed by other members of these organizations. Technological progress plays a significant role in the
identification of generations' perceptions and experiences.

According to Gumpert and Cathcart (1985):

1. Media experience, the traditional notion of separating generations according to time, can be replaced
by segregating generations.

2. The chronological era in which they were born and the media and technology that encompass their
world are what separates generations.

Media generations are characterized by unique media grammar and media awareness, based on the
technological environment in which they are born (McMahan & Duck, 2010). Each technology influences
people's thinking, sense of experience, and perceptions of reality.

People born in the era of print media perceive the world differently from those born after the technology
was introduced. Learning has taken bipolar opposites in favor of the Internet and digital products as
media generations born into a digital world now undervalue printed books and traditional television. In
the same way, differences image with the use of relational technology also shows considerably.
Evaluating Messages and/or Images

As part of the online age, you have to be good in examining how signs communicate with you in the
context of the author and the reader/recipient in the emerging linguistic landscapes.

Linguistic Landscapes

Whenever you come to a new place, you would first look around you and find signs that may tell you
where exactly you are and signs that may give you directions to where you need to go. Those signs, may
be street names, signage, or billboards. The things that you actually see, with words or without, are called
linguistic landscapes.

Linguistic landscapes and semiotic materials like signage, street names, traffic regulations, or graffiti are
everywhere. These materials go unnoticed most of the time. Advertisements, flyers, memes, troll posts,
and tweets are prevalent and they are all part of the linguistic landscapes.

Linguists consider signs to express symbolic meaning and messages. It is both a language and medium of
communication on its own. In some cases, signs can usually be identified on the basis of form of signage
or symbol.

 Official signs are produced with a top-down discourse.

This sign is from Britain which contains two

languages; British and Welsh. It is top down because it
is an official request from an official rule which you
can attribute to the authority.

 Signs produced by an individual or group, but not officially recognized has bottom-up discourse.

This sign is bottom-up because it is not an official

request from an official rule or authority, but from a
group or individual.

Knowing where to draw the line between top-down and bottom-up is not always easy. Signs from a mall
is bottom-up as it is a personal plea or request of the mall administration and these allow for personal
choice in their composition and display. However, these mall signs may be considered as top-down in the
context of the mall itself as they are from the authority in the mall.
Moreover, the kind of signage and symbols vary depending on culture as each cultural environment has
different reading practices. Some languages are written from left to right, top to bottom. Some have
different semantics (meanings), context, and language structure from another.

Kinds of Signs

Regulatory signs

- if it indicates authority and is official or legal

prohibitions

Infrastructural signs

- if it labels things or directs for the maintenance

of a building or any infrastructure

Commercial signs

- if it advertises or promotes a product, an event,

or a service in commercial

Transgressive signs

- if it violates (intentionally or accidentally) the

conventional semiotics or is in wrong place, like
graffiti and a discarded snack food wrapper

As mentioned, graffiti are transgressive signs. A graffiti may have varied meanings. It is a medium for
people to have a public voice. Most of these graffiti express a narrative outside the boundaries of the
conventional language.

Graffiti is a way for disempowered people to make a visible mark, to disrupt the landscape that is
increasingly occupied by the increasingly powerful. Linguists argue that graffiti creates a narrative and is
therefore, a form of participatory culture where the people provide evidence of their experiences, views
and actions. It allows for the visibility of a unseen and unheard community of people and it permits this
community to see itself in this environment.

Having said that, examine the narrative in the graffiti below. What could be the story behind the graffiti?
How did the artist disrupt the landscape? Was the artist successful in communicating his views, and in
making the community to which he belongs visible?

https://bit.ly/3MTe8bA

Online Landscapes

People who go online are called netizens - metaphorically considered as citizens of the virtual world. We
now communicate through virtual landscapes more than ever. This virtual space is also a language
landscape.

Social media is a computer-based technology that facilitates sharing ideas, thoughts, and information
through virtual networking and building community. Social media is design-based on the Internet and
provides quick, electronic communication of content to users. The content includes personal data,
photographs, documents, videos, etc. Users interact via computers, tablets, or smartphones with social
media (Dollarhide, 2019).

According to her, social media-originated as a way to interact with friends and family that was later
adopted by companiesthat wanted to take advantage of a popular new communication method to reach out
to clients.

The many forms of social media. According to Guadagni (2019), the most popular social media websites
as of January 2019 are as follows:
Memes

Memes are prevalent in the social media. It is a term given to any posts, language, or photo that has an
uptake to a social, moral, or political idea that most of the time seems funny. It is a striking example of
extensive, bottom-up activity that changes the linguistic landscape.

Mediated Communication and Its Impact on Personal Relationships

Technology affects people's lives in both foresee able and unpredictable ways. Considering how
computers influence the way people engage in relationships, it is essential to understand that people are
just beginning to assimilate into their daily lives. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) has
infiltrated various aspects of the lives of humans. For many people, CMC has proven to be a valuable tool
for initiating, developing, and maintaining relationships with the move towards increased use. Although
email did not achieve the universality of the telephone, the signs point to a similar pattern of assimilation.
Computer-mediated communication represents the full spectrum of media using some form of digital
encoding and discussing CMC as a unifying concept is a misnomer in many ways. Instant messaging
services supplement the synchronous CMC media family (Walther & Rabby, 2003).

Cell Phones and Personal Relationships

Smartphones and their constant access to text messaging and social media make it easier for people within
their social networks to disclose personal information and respond to others than ever. And these
networks are far broader and more substantial than our ancestors (Aps, 2019).

Constant Connection and Availability

The dynamics of identity and social relations have changed with constant connection and availability.
With the ability to continuously create and recreate ourselves, individuals are allowed to shape how they
present themselves to the world (Johnson, 2016).

Shared Experience
Cell phones also allow individuals to engage in shared experiences, even when they are physically
separated. Direct voice, picture, sound, and video transmission gives people a sense of experiencing an
event or occasion. A person who is in disagreement with a romantic partner maybe in simultaneous
contact with a friend who offers guidance, support, and then shares the experience. Cell phones make this
shared experience happen anywhere, and their multimedia capabilities make it more authentic (McMahan
& Duck, 2010).
Characteristics of Online Communication
 Immediate delivery
 It is interactive
 Individuality
 It helps build communities
 Entertainment And Enjoyment

Personal Relationships and Social Networks

 Unfollow and/or remove your exes from social media.
 Be aware of your online presence.
 Carry out your new relationship(s) and not through social media.

Competence and Challenges in Mediated Communication

1. Attentiveness means showing appropriate concern and catering to the 'uniqueness' of the individual
you communicate within.

2. Interaction Management helps you understand how and when to open and close CMC topics and
what kind of medium to use.

3. Expressiveness concerns how articulate and pleasing you are within your CMC. Those who can
respond and engage rapidly and expressively generally consider to be more competent online.

4. Your Composure is a measure of how skilled you are at expressing yourself online.

Learner Messages
In the age of information and communication, the conveniences and speed of transactions and online
social networks affect several aspects of life. Besides traditional desktop computers, a variety of modern
devices such as laptops, tablets, and mobile phones can be used to access leading online social network
sites. Online social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, and Google+, address communication
needs. Consequently, these sites are used for various purposes, including education. Also, learning
network building can be enhanced based on the fact that students are already using the online social
network, which could create academic discussions and criticism among tertiary students using the sites'
discussion tools.

Disinhibition
In online communication, where we don'tsee, hear, or sometimes even know the target of our remarks, the
tendency to transmit in censored message scan be especially significant.

1. In online communication, where we don't see, hear, or sometimes even know the target of our
remarks, the tendency to transmit uncensored messages can be especially significant.

2. A growing body of research shows that, when using mediated channels, communicators are often
critically more direct than face to face contact.

3. Communicators sometimes take disinhibition to the extreme, and even vicious e-mails, text
messages, and website posts blast off angry. The common expression for such outbursts is
flaming.
 On November 14, 2012, an ugly confrontation between a lady
guard and a lady passenger in LRT 2 Santolan station went viral on a
different social media platform. The irate train commuter is Paula
Jamie Salvosa, also tagged "Amalayer" ('m a liar!) by the netizen. She
was repeatedly berating on the lady guard identified as Sharon Mae
Casinas in an altercation that led to cyberbullying by the netizen on
Salvosa. She became the target of memes and parody videos that
make fun of her or demonize her. Another train commuter uploaded
Salvosa's video, and it uncontrollably spread like wildfire. Her
situation has shown the ugly side of social media and the disinhibition of social media or online
communication as a tool for bullying rather than healthy discussion (Yango, et al . , 2018).

Permanence
Apart from common decency, their durability is the risk of hostile e-messages-or any inappropriate
mediated messages. Blurring out a private thought or lashing out in person maybe bad enough, but your
indiscretion is not permanently recorded. By contrast, a regrettable text message, email, or web posting
can be archived virtually forever. It can be recovered and transmitted in ways that only in your worst
dream scan be imagined. The best advice is to take the same approach within-person mediated messages:
think twice before you say something you might regret later.

Choosing the Optimal Communication Channel

Deciding which channel of communication to use is no trivial matter. Sometimes a written message
succeeds when an oral message fails to speak to the recipient in person at other times, failing the printed
word (Adler & Elmhorst, 1999).

1. Face-to-face communication
Some of them are one-to-one meetings, scheduled, or spurred by the moment. Others involve small
groups of people, gathering together either spontaneously or informally. In large groups, where one or
more speakers make presentations to an audience, another face-to-face communication takes place.
Whatever the setting and the number of people, all types of face-to-face communication possess the same
qualities.

2. Teleconferencing
Face-to-face meetings may be desirable, but distance often makes the impractical. Its promoters bill
teleconferencing as the next best thing to meeting in person since it allows participants in two or more
locations to see and speak with each other.

3. Telephone and voice mail

Communication from face to face comes in many forms. A conversation by telephone lacks the visual
feedback that often reveals that your message is getting across. But the phone still communicates vocal
signals such as voice tone, pauses, interruptions, pitch, and rate. Telephone conversations also make it
more challenging to hold your listener's attention. For example, remember all the fingernail cleaning and
paper-clip sculpting that you did while unsuspecting speakers rattled on.

 It often allows you to contact a recipient who would not be able to reach them in person.
 Telephones, as well as one-to-one contacts, can be a useful tool for group communication.
  Audio conferencing allows a group of geographically separated people to speak via telephones.

You can use voice mail most effectively if you follow these tips:
 Know the schedule of the person you're trying to reach.
 Leave the name of the person for whom the message connected.
 Identify yourself.
 Leave your phone number, especially if you want to be called back quickly.
 Organize your message in advance.
 Keep the message as short as possible.
 Speak slowly and clearly.

Oral communication is no perfect medium despite its advantages. Possibly the most considerable
disadvantage of speech is its transience. All communication is fragile, but the spoken word is especially
prone to be forgotten or misunderstood. Listeners quickly forget much of what they hear-halt of the
message almost immediately and halt the remaining two days later. Thus, a customer might forget three of
the five product features you mentioned, or your boss might forget precisely why you need more staff
support and only remember the amount of money you requested.

Even if they remember a verbal message, it will likely be distorted by listeners. With each storytelling,
specific details drop out, facts and figures change. Receivers may even invent variations on the truth to
make the story more exciting or to make it fit their idea of what ought to have happened. The farther the
message travels in space and time from its original sender, the higher the distortion.

Written communication
Written communication comes in a host of different forms. Letters, memos, bulletins, and reports are
standard features in the careers of almost everyone.
1. unlike speech, written communication is permanently
2. written communication can be more accessible to understand than speech
The advantage of written communication is that
1. you can compose it in advance.
2. You can try out several versions to test readers to anticipate the reactions of your real audience,
and you can make changes until you finally get the desired response.
3. Written messages are less prone to errors.
Electronic mail (or email) is another unique channel of communication. It enables communicators to send
and respond to written messages from one another via a computer. Like phones and faxes, email is
virtually instantaneous: once you press the "send" key on your computer, the message will wait for the
addressee, usually within minutes (Yango, et al., 2018).

E-mail Dos and Don'ts

Like any communication medium, electronic mail can use well or poorly. The following guideline can
help you take advantage of this medium and avoid unnecessary problems.
1. Don't use email: For off-the-record correspondence. "Delete" may only mean that a message
disappears from your screen, and not from the server's archives. Information you thought was erased
may show up years later, creating legal or personal problems.
2. For personal messages, at least not at work. A message misdirected can lead to embarrassment and
humiliation. Furthermore, a recipient can forward your private thoughts to others without your
permission or knowledge.
3. If there is any chance, your tone will be misunderstood to be critical, sarcastic, or humorous. Email
text lacks the richness of vocal, or even handwritten messages. Your attempt at cleverness might be
misinterpreted.
4. When you are angry or in a hurry, once you've sent a message, it usually can't be retrieved. You may
regret your careless or impulsive words later. To avoid personal discussions, that would be better-
handled face-to-face or in a phone call.
5. To pass along information you are not sure is accurate (e.g., canceled meetings, changed deadlines,
budget figures).

Do use e-mail:

1. To be part of networks that will give you essential information. It means sharing information useful to
others as well as seeking information from them.
2. To shrink hierarchy and expedite team projects. Email can help you reach essential people and save
time otherwise spent in meetings.
3. To solicit or send information quickly and easily to a large number of people. With a few strokes, you
can reach a high number of addresses virtually around the globe.
4. To create a professional image. Use correct spelling and grammar. Messages can be informal, but
they should never contain inaccuracies.

E-mail etiquette:
1. Always include the subject field with a concise, informative heading.
2. Don't ramble in emails relating to business. Keep your communications clear and as brief as possible.
3. When you need to communicate about more than one issue, use separate messages. It makes it easier
for the recipient to keep track of and respond to each one.
4. Only send copies of your messages to people who are likely to care about it. Bombarding receivers
with what they regard as junk email may cause them to disregard essential messages when you send
them.

What is the best channel to use?

The question is not what communication channel is best to use, but when to use each one effectively.
Each channel of communication has both advantages and drawbacks. Despite these pros and cons, some
guidelines will help you decide how to deliver your message effectively. Following these guidelines can
produce dramatic results.

Oral communication is generally bets for messages which require a personal dimension. Verbal channels
are also best suited to ideas that require strong visual support-demonstration, photos, or slides, etc.
Spoken communication is especially useful when immediate feedback is needed, such as question-and-
answer sessions or a quick response to your ideas.
**For classroom use only**