1. Communication in the 21st Century
Chapter 1
Communication in the 21st Century

2. Chapter Objectives
Understand the nature and characteristics of the Communication Age
Define communication
Identify the various contexts within which communication occurs
Describe metaphors used to describe communication
Explain the importance of considering the ethics of communication
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3. The Communication Age
An age in which communication, technology, and media converge and permeate daily life
Convergence: The ways in which the many forms of technologically mediated and face-to-face communication overlap and intersect in our daily lives.
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4. The Communication Age (cont.)
Permeate: Communication, Technology, and Media saturate or infuse our daily lives
Digital natives – people for whom digital technologies already existed when they were born
Digital immigrants – people for whom digital technologies were adopted and learned later in life
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5. Benefits of Studying Communication
Good communication abilities are associated with physical, emotional, and psychological health and well-being
Strong speaking and listening skills are associated with greater health literacy
The ability to communicate well is the key to fulfilling your need for a satisfying identity
According to employers, communication skills are the most valuable abilities employees can possess
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6. Benefits of Studying Communication
Communication is a primary influence on social and personal relationships
An understanding of communication promotes media literacy
Communication skills are critical to building healthy and vibrant communities
Communication is the foundation of democratic citizenship
Communication drives social change and reform
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7. What is Communication?
Communication is the collaborative process of using messages to create and participate in social reality
Communication is a dynamic ongoing process
Communication is collaborative requiring the involvement of others
Communication involves messages
Communication is creative
Communication is participatory creating and taking part in social reality
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8. Contexts of Communication
Face-to-face
Physically, or bodily, present while speaking directly to one another
Mediated
Communication or messages that are transmitted through some type of medium
Interpersonal communication
Communication between people sharing a relationship
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9. Contexts of Communication (cont.)
Small group communication – communication among members of a small group of people working together for a common goal
Public communication – situations in which a person delivers a message to an audience
Audience is a unified body with a common interest
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10. Contexts of Communication (cont.)
Mass communication – messages transmitted by electronic and print media to large audiences
Mass personal Communication- happens when a person uses a mass communication context for interpersonal communication or when a person uses an interpersonal communication context for mass communication, such as social networking posts
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11. Communication Metaphors
Communication as Transmission
Source sends a message through a channel to a receiver in an environment
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12. Communication Metaphors
Communication as Interaction
Two way process of action
Adds feedback and fields of experience to the Communication as Transmission model
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13. Communication Metaphors
Communication as Transaction
Participants are simultaneous sender-receivers linked in relationship to one another
Exchanged messages impact people by sharing surface information and meaning about the relationship of the participants
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14. Communication Metaphors
Communication as Social Construction
Communication shapes and creates shared social reality
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15. Metaphors Matter
Each metaphor builds on the previous ones to go one step further
The metaphor you adopt makes a difference in your life
People who can understand communication from multiple points of view have higher communication competence (O’Keefe, 1988)
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16. Communication Competence
Communication competence refers to the ability to communicate in a personally effective yet socially appropriate manner
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17. Communication Ethics
Ethics is a code of conduct based on respect for yourself, others, and your surroundings
To be ethical, communication should provide empowerment and responsibility
Communication ethics adjust depending on which metaphor you adopt
© 2017 SAGE Publications, Inc.

18. Connecting and Engaging in Communication
The process of communication is all about connecting and engaging
Connecting is the power of communication to link us to people, groups, social institutions, and cultures
Engaging is the act of sharing in the activities of the group
Communication activism is the application of connecting and engaging in support of needed social change for individuals, groups, organizations, and communities
© 2017 SAGE Publications, Inc.