The Shannon-Weaver model is a very basic model of communication. This model has many strengths, but also has its weaknesses. It is as simple as a childhood game of telephone; one child whispers the secret words to the next until it gets to the end. By the time the information gets to the last child, it has often been distorted or changed to a certain extent. The same applies to the Shannon-Weaver model of communication, as something as irrelevant or small as static or broken wires may lead to lacking communication. Communication is an ever-changing process and may even differ depending on when, where, or how it is taking place. The Shannon-Weaver model relies heavily on communicating though sources other than people and may lead to less-meaningful relationships, which in turn will harm our culture( Chandler).
Mass communication is merely a branch of communication. Hardt claims mass communication to be a credible way to communicate, as it is geared towards the population. Once mass printing was developed, mass communication took over. These days, most learn their information through newspapers, online news articles or news broadcasts on TV. Our ability to form our own opinions may become impaired due to this modern mass communication, as we often believe majority of what we see or hear. The motto of "innocent until proven guilty" no longer truly applies once the story hits the headlines; the consumers or citizens see the news-story and form an everlasting biased opinion (Hardt).
I believe the internet changes the simple Shannon-Weaver model by making it more complex. Rather than one bit of information being sent through one host, it may now be sent through millions. The internet allows for one to pay their bills, send messages to loved ones, and shop online. If it were really as simple as the Shannon-Weaver model, our information would be much safer. Instead, one may pay their bills and the next thing they know, a hacker stole their information by interrupting the communication before it reached the billing company. The internet has broadened our capabilities. Without it, this class would be unable to have students from across the country and even the world participating during our winter break. Social networking sites allow us to interact with not only people we know, but also people who share common interests.
Hardt, Hanno. Myths for the Masses: an Essay on Mass Communication. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2004. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment