The process of communication and the media

The process. The communication expert Harold Lasswell summed up communication as: who says what, to whom, how (through which channel), and with what effect. The SMCRE model describes the same process in five parts:

• Source: the sender, who has the idea and is responsible for making the communication effective.
• Message: what is communicated. It should be simple, clear, specific, timely and suited to the audience.
• Channel: the means used: inter-personal (face to face) or mass media. In developing countries, face-to-face contact is still the most widely used channel.
• Receiver: the person or audience. A more homogeneous audience (similar in age, language, interests) is easier to communicate with than a very mixed one.
• Effect (feedback): the response of the receiver.

Feedback completes the cycle. If the response is what was intended, the cycle ends. If not, the source recasts the message, perhaps using a different channel, and tries again. Examples of feedback: a teacher asking questions at the end of a class, letters to the editor of a newspaper, TV ratings (TRPs), likes and comments on a video. Anything that blocks or distorts the message along the way is called noise: traffic sounds outside a classroom, or words too difficult for the listener to follow.

Media are the means of communication.

Traditional media have been used in India for centuries and are still powerful in villages, because they are familiar, entertaining and in the local language:

• inter-personal contact and community gatherings;
• folk theatre: Jatra (Bengal), Ramleela, Nautanki (north India), Tamasha (Maharashtra), Yakshagana (Karnataka), Bhavai (Gujarat);
• folk songs and dances: Baul, Garba, Bhangra, Bihu;
• string and shadow puppetry, and fairs and festivals.

Modern media include radio, satellite TV, print (newspapers, magazines, books), films, audio and video recordings, cable and wireless networks, mobile phones, the internet and video conferencing.

Functions of media:

• Information: news, weather, government schemes.
• Persuasion: advertisements, campaigns for vaccination or saving water.
• Entertainment: films, music, games, stories.
• Interpretation: editorials and discussions that explain what events mean.
• Transmission of values and culture from one generation to the next.
• Education: distance learning and educational TV and radio.
• Coordination of people and activities, especially in emergencies.
• Behavioural change and development: encouraging healthier habits, better farming methods, girls' education.