KCOM112 Study Unit #1

KCOM112 Study unit 1 Brief introduction to human communication Learning outcomes Upon completion of this study unit you should be able to: • Discuss the origins and uniqueness of human communication. • List the five stages in the history of communication in chronological order. • Name the medium or technological development that characterised each stage in the history of communication. • Describe the most important outcome of each new age. • Think about the relevance of modern means of communication in your own life. • Answer the questions at the end of the chapter of the prescribed text book. Uniqueness of human communication • Tomasello – developmental psychologist. • Experiment: monkeys and human infants – what makes human communication unique? • Humans – altruistic • Altruism: unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others. • Tomasello – three interconencted characteristics that set humans apart from other animals: 1. Sharing: Goal = cooperation, survival, caring. 2. Giving: Reciprocation. We give = expect to be given. Not given = rejection. 3. Informing: Inform others with/without the hope of receiving something in return. • Animals = imitation while humans = altruism. • Altruism enables humans to communicate (unlike animals) using signs and symbols. Uniqueness of human communication • Constantly learning from diff people – develop continuously. (“It takes a village to educate/raise a child”) • Tomasello – culture ratchet – you learn from the people who came before you = moving the human species forward. • Humans change, forms of communication change. • Communication researchers asked questions: • How did people communicate before? How did they absorb information? How did they share information? How has mass media, technology changed society and the life of the individual? Stages of human communication • Development of speaking, writing, printing and mass media. Watch: Mark Pagel How language transformed humanity • Communication development doesn’t replace the one that preceded it; builds on what was already there over a span of 500 000 years. 1. The age of speech and language • Scientists estimate – speech orginated roughly 70 000 years ago. • Two views: a) Divine intervention – divine gift from above. b) Speech and language gradually developed from basic sounds made by prehistoric people as organs developed. Example: how multiple languages in SA, Namibia and Botswana developed from the Khoisan language. https://youtu.be/Nz44WiTVJww?si=hoGfBqvL6h8cyB5h. • Outcome of speech: ability to communicate ideas & information  good socialization, better defense and hunting strategies, food preservation, surviving winter & growth of agriculture and communities • Problem: needed to keep record of purchases and land ownership – trade/buying and selling leads to invention of writing 3500 BC. 2. Age of writing • Cave paintings – keep records, practices, events and ceremonies for next gen. • NB: shared meaning of signs and language. Watch: ”Who created the first alphabet?” • Example: Hmm = nice. Hmm = yes. Hmm = no. Hmm = what? • First form – cuneiform (wedge-shaped clay tablets) • Second form – hieroglyphics (stone) Could record & store knowledge BUT difficult to transport • Third form: papyrus (paper-like material – Egyptians) Easier to transport • Fourth form: parchment paper (made from pulped wood – Chinese) • Outcome: social and cultural changes, shared meanings, no longer need to rely on memory to retain information and transfer culture to next generation. • Literacy did not spread until the 15th century (the age of printing) Law, business, education, religion, storytelling and politics. Cuneiform Hieroglyphics Papyrus Parchment Paper Skryf jou eie naam in spykerskrif Write your own name in cuneiform (wedge-shaped) 3. Age of print media: Johannes Gutenburg • Revolution of civilisation = more copies of written formats into books. • Outcome: Beginning of the modern world = changing the way information is transmitted  literacy and information available to masses of people = leading to the liberation of thought. • Liberation of thought = people free themselves from government regulations and restrictions of the church – leading to revolutions and movements. • The distribution of newspapers leads to political leaders considering opinion of the public. NB: Print is a supplement to but not a replacement for oral communication! Watch: Gutenberg Printing Press 4. The age of electronic mass media • Significant age = information and entertainment could be audio, pictures, written and videos. • Invention of electricity and the telegraph – foundation of electronic mass media. • Before telegraph – documents and books were physically carried e.g., newspapers and books today. With telegraph and telephone – "wired world" – information transmitted rather than transported. • Outcome: Global village – whereby distance has been reduced/bridged, and now people are closely connected and can communicate, share stories and get access to the same knowledge due to technology. • For example, radio broadcasting – people from different places feel part of the same community. Watch: The innovation of the Telegraph 5. The age of digital media and the Internet • Computers – basis of the Internet – makes it easier to share a lot of information and knwoledge on a larger scale. • Computer: an electronic machine that processess, stores and retrieves data. • Because of computers we have the information highway: global network that transmits information and entertainment. • International network of computers (the Internet) – revolutionised communication in the world (about 1.34 billion websites in 2026) • Internet: A system that links millions of computers from across the globe into a single large computer that you can access from your home computer or smartphone. Another name for the internet – Internet of things (IoT). • Outcome: Receive large amounts of information – quickly and instantly – anywhere in the world. Implications of the Internet Isolation or enhancement? Isolation Difficulty maintaining long-term employment • opportunities due to flexibility of social online Enhancement Can adapt more easily to change and growth • due to flexible social networks. networks (more part-time jobs). Internet's lack of intimacy of face-to-face • • communication affects our well-being and connection with others. • Can engage with others and build relationships. • Improves social and family connections. Increases depression and loneliness. • Biggest isolation – digital divide: the technological gap between those who can afford, use and understand technology, and those who are unable to do so. Refleksie / Reflection • Hoe gereeld gebruik jy tegnologie om te • How often do you use technology to kommunikeer gedurende die week en die communicate during the week and the naweek? weekend? • Watter geleenthede bied tegnologie om • What opportunities does technology offer to inligting en vermaak te bekom en watter obtain information and entertainment and invloed het dit op jou lewe? what influence does it have on your life? • Hoe lank sal jy sonder tegnologie kan klaarkom? • How long can you go without technology? Studying communication • Study of communication: when we create new ideas to help us better understand how people relate to and interact with each other and the world. • Theory helps us make sense of the world • We act according to how we think; and how we think is informed by how we act. • You are constantly theorizing • Research – to understand communication – what makes communication work and what doesn't – starts with a theory Theory • Body of knowledge regarding a subject = theory • Theories – road maps of reality • Theories = tentative solutions to problems • Theory must be tested using research Eg: Theory: People communicate to share information Concepts • Concepts – building blocks of a theory. • We formulate our thinking in concepts • Form an image of the object/event or person (concept) • Eg: Information exchange happens with a sender (CNN) and a receiver (person on Facebook) Model • Scientific concepts are used in model • Represented in diagrams • 3 characteristics: • Explain the process of communication (relationship between concepts). • Used to suggest something (“If… then will…”) • Control function (e.g. intercultural communication) • Disadvantage – incomplete and oversimplified representation Communication research • Theories must be tested • 5 methods: 1. Historical (what was left behind) (e.g. records) 2. Surveys (e.g. questionnaires) 3. Content Analysis (e.g. Tweets) 4. Experimental (e.g. exposure in controlled environment) 5. Field research (in natural environment) (e.g. focus groups) Reflection/Questions? Upon completion of this study unit you should be able to: • Discuss the origins and uniqueness of human communication. • List the five stages in the history of communication in chronological order. • Name the medium or technological development that characterised each stage in the history of communication. • Describe the most important outcome of each new age. • Think about the relevance of modern means of communication in your own life. • Answer the questions at the end of the chapter of the prescribed text book. Preparation for next lecture Study unit 2 • Read chapter 2 in your textbook • Watch the video Theory in Action: Constructivism (watch eFundi for additional content) Watch: Theory in Action: Constructivism