Media affects communication by changing how people send, receive, interpret, and respond to messages. From video calls and text messages to emojis and social media, different forms of media can make communication faster and more convenient.
On the other hand, they can also create misunderstandings and make nonverbal cues harder to pick up on, which is already challenging enough in person, let alone through a screen. Understanding those effects can help people communicate more clearly in both personal and professional settings.
Video conferencing affects communication by making collaboration easier across distances. If you work remotely, you’ve probably been part of plenty of video meetings: the good, the bad and occasionally the very awkward. While video calls make it possible to connect from almost anywhere, they can still change the way people communicate compared to in-person conversations.
Don’t get us wrong, these platforms are incredible tools allowing professionals to collaborate with team members they may have never met before, but are they a substitute for in-person interactions?
Not according to The New York Times. They report that disruptions during video conferences such as blurring, jerkiness, and out-of-sync audio can lead to feelings of anxiety, isolation, and—the scourge of college students—burnout.
Over time, the strain of making sense of chaos takes its toll. Humans are attuned to reading facial expressions, especially the minute muscle contractions that allow us to pick up on emotions.
Communicating through video conferencing alters our perceptions, preventing us from engaging in facial mimicry and empathizing with others. The self-consciousness that can often arise during video calls can also distract from key communication signals, as we tend to spend more time staring at ourselves than anyone on the call.
Text messaging affects communication by making conversations faster and more convenient, but it can also increase misunderstandings and make it harder to pick up on tone and emotion.
Texting has become the gold standard of communication, as text message chimes have become an overwhelming substitute for anxiety-inducing telephone rings. It’s easy to see why. A single-word text can sometimes effortlessly convey a message. Imagine the sheer number of text conversations that have been punctuated with just an “lol.”
Text messages could be doing more harm than good, however. Reducing interactions to a few choice words on a screen can lead to misunderstandings and curtailed conversations.
Engaging in a text conversation doesn’t require us to make eye contact or consider another person’s thoughts and feelings. Essentially, texting is lazy. Writing a letter, sending an email, making a phone call, or meeting someone all require far more effort, and when communication demands little to no effort, relationships can suffer.
This isn’t to say that texting isn’t convenient or that it’s somehow killing language. Research has shown that texting can improve children’s phonological awareness and reading skills. However, consideration should be given to how we communicate with people outside of a string of text messages. Notifying someone you’re late via text, though considerate, could come off as rude if you don’t bring it up in conversation.
Emojis and emoticons are visual forms of communication that have spread to our text messages, emails, and social media posts, which only makes sense: Images are a universal language. By referencing the intended emotion conveyed by a message, emojis and emoticons allow people to provide nuance to their communication that is normally lost outside of face-to-face interactions.
Emojis and emoticons are not without their drawbacks, however. They can carry different connotations across cultures, and like text messages, they can fail to convey a message’s intended meaning.
Not to worry, though. A confusing string of emojis won’t lead to any serious consequences — that is, unless it’s seen by an attorney. A review of American and European legal cases found that emojis are considered “the first step in non-verbal digital literacy with potential evidentiary legitimacy to humanize and give contour to interpersonal communications.”
This is further proof that media, regardless of the form it takes, has an incredible impact on how we interact with one another.
Social media affects communication by making it easier to connect and share with others. The vast majority of Americans have adopted social media, with about 72% of U.S. adults using online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Grabbing our phones and scrolling through feeds has become a part of our daily routine. Uploading a picture or liking a post is a way to engage with our community and reach friends and family, regardless of their physical distance.
There’s a looming concern, however, that social media leads to social displacement: the idea that time spent online takes away from time spent socializing. A study on social media habits, however, found that participants spent the same amount of time socializing whether or not they abstained from social media.
We tend to interact with our loved ones through many modalities, including the forms of media mentioned above. There are certainly reasons to be concerned about social media, not the least of which is lack of privacy, but it has yet to stop us from communicating.
Far more than a momentary distraction, the many forms of media that surround us are changing the way we perceive and interact with one another. Professionals who are able to communicate and collaborate across media platforms are invaluable in practically any industry, which is why The University of Texas Permian Basin offers an online Bachelor of Arts in Communication.
Our online BA in communication program takes an in-depth look at the theories of communication and how they can be applied in everyday life, especially in professional settings where success often hinges on effective messaging.
Through its exploration of crisis, interpersonal, and oral communication, our program can prepare you for many positions associated with communication, such as public relations professional, social media manager, or media specialist. Thanks to our program’s entirely online and asynchronous format, you can continue working in your current position while pursuing your degree. Join our online program to develop the knowledge and skills needed to navigate challenging workplace situations and facilitate workplace harmony.
Ready to become a UT Permian Basin Falcon? Apply now to our online BA in communication program to accelerate your career and become a more effective communicator.
Sources:
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/texting-really-ruining-personal-relationships-ncna1097461
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/emojis-forever-pringle-1.4577456
https://www.apa.org/members/content/social-media-research
Picture Martin Luther King Jr. standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, delivering his “I Have a Dream” speech to over 250,000 people gathered for the March on Washington. Could he have known, in that moment, that his words would terrify some, inspire many more, and echo across decades of social movements? King and…
You can speak the same language as someone and still completely miss each other’s meaning. That’s part of what makes intercultural communication so important. Whether you’re working with international teams, studying abroad, or connecting with people from different backgrounds, communication involves more than just choosing the right words. Intercultural communication is how people from different cultures share ideas and make sense of one…
AI is now an inseparable part of our classrooms, homes, and offices. Capable of performing trillions of calculations in a second, AI-powered machines dredge the depths of the internet to find and convey information in any style, language, or difficulty level. But don’t worry, AI is only here to lend a hand. At least, that’s…