Media and Information: Cultures, Communities, and Technologies

Unit 1
MEDIA AND INFORMATION: CULTURES, COMMUNITIES, AND

TECHNOLOGIES
Communication is an innate human process and an inescapable fact of life. It can be simple as having a
face-to-face conversation between two people, or it can be complex like communicating to a large group of
audience using various media. Today, communication plays a more important function especially in the age of
information and technological progression. As such, we, as beings inherently born to communicate, must have a
full understanding of the important role of each element in the communication process to achieve effectiveness
in sending or disseminating information.
The world that you know of today is slowly getting smaller and smaller as newer media and
communication technologies come into being. Communication becomes more sophisticated and complex as
different media forms hybridize and converge. This unit on cultures, communities, and technologies introduces
the concept of media, information, and technology literacy in a fashion that is highly relatable to a learner like
you.
In this module, you will learn to understand the significant role of media and information in the
communication process and how it may influence its outcome. Furthermore, this lesson will also provide you
with a grasp of what media literacy, information literacy, and technology literacy is which will help you form a
responsible media habit as a producer and user of media and information.
TOPIC OR Module 1: The Role of Media in the Communication Process

LESSON NAME
COVERAGE
Week 1-2 / August 24-September 4, 2020
DATES
LESSON Trace the communication process that happens with human beings.
OBJECTIVES Compare and contrast traditional media and new media.
MOST
ESSENTIAL
Describe how communication is influenced by media and information.
LEARNING
COMPETENCY
TIME
4 hours
ALLOTMENT
I III
II
COMPONENTS OF THE COMMUNICATION

A WORLD WITHOUT MEDIA COMMUNICATION PROCESS
IV V VI
FORMS OF THE ROLE OF MEDIA IN MULTIPLE CHOICE

COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION
Imagine waking up one day to find no Internet, libraries, and cell phones. Newspapers, magazines, radio stations
and TV channels have also disappeared. Basically, all communication tools have vanished.
1. How would you be informed of anything now?

2. What ways would you have to communicate with one another?
3. How would you share information and communicate news and events?
4. How would it affect the way you live?
5. What would you personally miss most in such a situation?
To understand more the concept of communication, let us start by looking at the origin of the word and its
definition. The root of the word “communication” in Latin is communicare, which means to share, or to make
common (Weekley, 1967). Furthermore, communication is defined as the process of understanding and sharing
meaning (Pearson & Nelson, 2000). With this, we can see how communication has a lot to do with information
sharing and arriving at a common understanding.
Components of Communication
Although intrinsic in nature, communication is deemed a complex process. The course through which information
is sent, passed, or spread, involves several elements – elements which, in turn, have their own significant
components.
The book “Business Communication for Success” lists eight essential components of communication:
1. Source – a person, group, or entity that forms, creates, sends, or forwards a message or information
2. Message – the stimulus or meaning produced by the source for the receiver or audience (McLean, 2005)
3. Channel – the tool or manner in which the messages will be carried through from the source to the receiver
4. Receiver – receives the message from the source, analyzing and interpreting the message in ways both intended
and unintended by the source (McLean, 2005)
5. Feedback – the message or response of the receiver which is sent back to the source
6. Environment – the atmosphere, physical and psychological, where you send and receive messages (McLean,
2005)
7. Context – the communication interaction involves the setting, scene, and expectations of the individuals
involved (McLean, 2005)
8. Interference – anything that blocks or changes the source’s intended meaning of the message (McLean, 2005)
Harold Lasswell’s communication model shows a one-way transmission of information and simply illustrates
how communication starts from a sender who transmits their message through a channel to an intended receiver,
consequently with a corresponding effect. These channels may come in a form of spoken medium or through
digital or technological instruments like phones, computers, and the like. This model attempts to answer the
question, “Who says what to whom, through what medium, and with what effect?”
A development of Lasswell’s model is a version by Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver which takes into
account the concept of noise. Much like in Lasswell’s, this model also indicates how communication starts with
the information source who then sends a message with the use of a transmitter (channel). The signals that are sent
and received can vary depending on the method of communication. However, the difference of the models comes
from the incorporation of the “noise.” Noise refers to anything that may interfere – stop or alter – the message
being carried.
Figure 1.3 Berlo’s Communication Model
Years later, David Berlo developed Shannon and Weaver’s model shifting the focus to the context,
environment, and other factors surrounding the participants involved in the communication process. These
factors include the following:
• Communication skills such as reading, writing, speaking, listening, and watching.
• Knowledge about a subject or topic
• Attitude toward the topic and the audience
• Social and cultural aspects that influence the content of the message and the manner by which it is sent
Communication may come in different forms. These forms may vary and differ in terms of participants, channels
used, and contexts. The following are the five main forms of communication:
1. Intrapersonal Communication – It is a form of communication with oneself using internal vocalization or

reflective thinking (Communication in the Real World, 2010). We exercise intrapersonal communication more
often than we consciously remember. We do it every time we quietly decide on what to, when we contemplate on
what decisions to make, or even make observations or formulate opinions about the things around us which we
keep to ourselves.
2. Interpersonal Communication - Interpersonal communication is a form of communication between two
different people who may or may not have a direct relationship with each other but are mutually and actively part
of the communication process. Interpersonal communication can be planned or unplanned, but since it is
interactive, it is usually more structured and influenced by social expectations (Communication in the Real World,
2010).
3. Group Communication - It is a type of communication between three or more people interacting to achieve a
specific objective or certain goal. This form of communication happens often during team-based tasks mostly
done in school works or organizational endeavors.
4. Public Communication - This is a sender-focused form of communication in which one person is typically
responsible for conveying information to an audience. Among the other forms of communication discussed so
far, this is the most formal, intentional, and goal-oriented type.
5. Mass Communication - Public communication becomes mass communication when it is transmitted to many
people through print or electronic media. In the past, print media such as newspapers and magazines and broadcast
media like TV and radio have been the most used channels for mass communication. However, in the advent of
technology, mass communication has slowly and strategically shifted its medium to the internet world through
websites and social media.
Do you believe that media is with us from the moment we wake up until the time we sleep?
But first, what kinds of media are you familiar with?
Types of Media
1. Traditional Media covers the kinds of media that were invented prior to the invention of the Internet.
This includes all kinds of written or print media like newspapers and magazines.
Broadcast media pertains to electronic media that uses electricity and technology to deliver the
message.
Film or cinema pertains to the movies that carry audiovisual messages and are usually projected onto a
huge screen in the theaters or movie houses.
2. New Media was a term coined to refer to media that developed when the use of computer technology
became ordinary and common in most parts of the world. The computer is not exactly the media being
referred to with this term, but it encompasses computer-originated and usually Internet-delivered
information.
3. Social Media refers to Internet-maintained computer programs that could be installed in personal
computers or portable devices, the sole purpose of which is to connect with other people using the same
platform.
“Media and information plays a vital role not only in communication, but in our lives.”

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Unit 1

MEDIA AND INFORMATION: CULTURES, COMMUNITIES, AND

TOPIC OR Module 1: The Role of Media in the Communication Process

COMPONENTS OF THE COMMUNICATION

FORMS OF THE ROLE OF MEDIA IN MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. How would you be informed of anything now?

1. Intrapersonal Communication – It is a form of communication with oneself using internal vocalization or

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