With these lectures, I am assuming that you have read Chapter One first.  The lecture will make more sense after you have done so.  J

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION:

A necessary starting point for any communication class is to discuss the models of communication.  Your textbook offers a limited description of communication forms and models.  Turow (text author) offers interpersonal, intrapersonal, mediated and not mediated as forms of communication.  While his explanations for mediated and not mediated communication are clear and appropriate, his explanation of interpersonal and intrapersonal require more explanation.  I would, therefore, like to begin by explaining some of the basics about these forms of communication.

First, let’s look at types of communication.  Generally, communication theorists say there are four:  dyadic, interpersonal, small group, and public communication.  Dyadic communication  occurs when two individuals ae talking in a public way.  Your interactions with the grocery store clerk is one example.  Interpersonal communication occurs when two individuals communicate within the context of a relationship.  That relationship can be with a family member, friend, co-worker, or romantic partner.  Small group communication occurs when 3-7 individuals communicate.  Small groups often include clubs, committees, task-oriented groups, etc.  The dynamics of a small group are much different than those of a large audience.  Public communication is often thought of as “one-to-many” and can be said to include mass communication.  You engage in public communication when you make a speech in your classroom, and the news anchor uses public communication when presenting the newscast.  The difference is that in the first situation, the audience is present in the room and provides a different dynamic than the newscaster experiences with no audience present.  It is here that the presence of a “mediated” form, as described by Turow, makes sense.  There is no mediated form when you deliver your speech; there is for the newscaster.

Next, you will notice that I did not list “intrapersonal” communication as a form.  Many communication scholars believe that you cannot communicate with yourself because to communicate means to transmit messages to at least one other person.  These scholars call “intrapersonal communication” self-talk.  A brief review of two communication models helps explain this viewpoint.

Linear Model of Communication:  On page 8 of your text you will find a diagram of the linear model of communication which was developed in the 1940’s by two telephone researchers.  Study the model for a few moments.  Since this model was patterned after the phone, you can easily see the one-dimensional nature of the communication. The above model does show feedback, however, it occurs in a one-dimensional manner.  Since the 1940's, communication scholars have come to believe that this model does not accurately portray human comunication.  Hence, another model, the Transactional Model, was developed to more accurately describe human communication.

Transactional Model of Communication:  More recently, communication researchers began to explain how communication can be accurately portrayed.  In contrast with the one-way nature of the linear model, the transactional model of communication describes communication as a continuous process with both parties sending and receiving at the same time.  In other words, if we were physically present in the same room, I would send a message to you.  While I was speaking, you would be receiving and sending feedback to me simultaneously.  The interference would still be present, but so would a consideration of our cultural values and the situation in which we were communicating.  We communicate differently with our parents, our bosses, or our children. 

These explanations are fine, but how do they explain mediated communication?  The answer is that humans, when present together, cannot help communicating as described in the transactional model.  But, when communication is mediated through print, radio, television, or film, we are again back to a linear, mediated model of communication.

The Hey  message I want you to understand is that mass media and human communication have different models to explain their dynamics.  Study the diagram on p. 10 of your text.  You will notice that the two key areas of difference in mediated and non-mediated communication have to do with source and feedback. 

CULTURE:

Definitions of culture are varied depending on the source.  What is consistent, however, is that values are what a society agrees are the important principles to live by.  Generally, our values drive our behavior.  In other words, we act in a way that is consistent with our values, whether we are aware of them or not.  How do the media come into play with culture?  The answer is that the media are a major source of cultural transmission, as are schools, religious institutions, families, etc.  That is why the media have been studied extensively with regard to their effects (discussed later in the course).  An extensive discussion of culture is beyond the purview of our class.  However, if you are interested, the Speech Department does offer Speech 174, Intercultural Communication, which studies this aspect of communication more closely.  What is more relevant to this course is that fact that the media often rely on stereotypes and transmit the political ideology of a few as the values of the “masses.”

Before moving on, I would also like you to study a term more closely.  Turow uses the word "subculture" to refer to such groups as the Amish and Catholic monks.  Generally, "subcultures" are based on ethnicity, nationality, religious beliefs, etc.  Do you see a problem with the use of the word "subculture"?  The implication of the word "sub" is that belonging to these groups is somehow "less than" the whole.  A more accurate term is "co-culture".  The implication of "co" is that I can belong to many different cultural groups within American society, but that experience is not demeaned--just multiplied.  Make sense?  If not, let me know and I will elaborate.   I just want you to think about the words you use and the connotations they hold.  :)

MEDIA LITERACY:

Your text covers the elements of mass media well.  As a reminder, the mass media direct people’s attention to acceptable behavior, tell people what counts, and tell people what other people think.  Because we are bombarded with thousands of messages each day, week, and month, we tend to click on our “auto pilot” and just process the messages.  The point of media literacy is that we need to turn off the auto pilot and begin to think, process, and question the messages we get through the media.  Turow discusses both media literacy and media skills.  So as not to be repetitive in this lecture, I will leave your review of those concepts to the text.  My point is to get you to think about how you can start to be a conscious consumer of media and place their messages within the proper contexts.

One more word of explanation.  You will see that Turow says "surveillance" is one reason we use the media (p. 19).  He does not mean spying.  Rather, he means gathering information.  A theory which helps explain this phenomenon is called Anxiety-Uncertainty Management theory by William Gudykunst.  To state it as briefly as possible, uncertainty is when you can't predict what's going to happen (e.g., you don't know how people are going to behave).  The emotional counterpart of uncertainty is anxiety (e.g. the stress you get when you don't know how people are going to behave).  As our uncertainty goes up, so does our anxiety.  As our uncertainty goes down (life becomes more predictable), our anxiety also goes down.  They always move in the same direction.  The key way we reduce uncertainty and anxiety is by gathering information--that's the surveillance Turow discusses.  Think about when we have a major earthquake.  We feel it, then instantly turn on our televisions or radios to get as much information as we can:  how big was it? where was it? do they expect another one?  were people hurt?  how will this affect me?????  Again, if this doesn't make sense, let me know and we'll discuss it in more detail.  I just think it helps to understand the larger concept.

Assignment:   You should now work on your Survey of Media Consumption assignment in E-tudes.