Five Fundamental Principles of Communication
We often think that modern media is fundamentally different from anything that came before it. It's true that Egyptian pharaohs did not carry smartphones in their pockets or leave messages on Facebook walls. They did leave messages on other walls, though.
The pharaohs, their contemporaries around the globe, and our ancestors for many generations before them all exchanged ideas in numerous ways. Their communication practices were dramatically different from how we interact today. Yet all of us also have a lot in common.
Media can be described as people communicating with each other through technologies. But what is "technology" exactly? Broadly defining this term will lead us to broaden our understanding of media as well. Without discounting the uniqueness of modern communication forms (big data, algorithms, the World Wide Web, and so on), we may need to acknowledge that some things have not changed. In my book, I propose five fundamental principles of communication that describe human interactions in the past and today—when the latest technologies can fit into our pockets:
#1 — People need to communicate
#2 — By communicating, we create the world within and outside of us
#3 — Communication happens according to rules of human perception and cognition
#4 — Communication reflects and reinforces power relationships that exist in society
#5 — People influence each other through communication
Culture is constantly changing. There are similarities between the walls of the great pyramids and Facebook walls, but ignoring their differences would be naïve and misleading. Exploring new cultural forms in the context of the fundamental principles listed above may be the best strategy for understanding both similarities and differences.
These ideas are developed in detail in my book Media Is Us.
You can also read my blog on Goodreads.
The pharaohs, their contemporaries around the globe, and our ancestors for many generations before them all exchanged ideas in numerous ways. Their communication practices were dramatically different from how we interact today. Yet all of us also have a lot in common.
Media can be described as people communicating with each other through technologies. But what is "technology" exactly? Broadly defining this term will lead us to broaden our understanding of media as well. Without discounting the uniqueness of modern communication forms (big data, algorithms, the World Wide Web, and so on), we may need to acknowledge that some things have not changed. In my book, I propose five fundamental principles of communication that describe human interactions in the past and today—when the latest technologies can fit into our pockets:
#1 — People need to communicate
#2 — By communicating, we create the world within and outside of us
#3 — Communication happens according to rules of human perception and cognition
#4 — Communication reflects and reinforces power relationships that exist in society
#5 — People influence each other through communication
Culture is constantly changing. There are similarities between the walls of the great pyramids and Facebook walls, but ignoring their differences would be naïve and misleading. Exploring new cultural forms in the context of the fundamental principles listed above may be the best strategy for understanding both similarities and differences.
These ideas are developed in detail in my book Media Is Us.
You can also read my blog on Goodreads.
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE INFOGRAPHIC BELOW
