COMMUNICATION IN

THE DIGITAL AGE

LEARNING OUTCOMES
AT THE END OF THE COURSE, STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
NING OUTCOMES: AT THE END OF THE COURSE, STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Understand the different modes of communication and that
combining these modes can enhance meaning of any message;
and
2. Critically analyze and evaluate multimodal texts to determine
factuality of a certain piece of information.
DIGITAL AGE DEFINED…
The digital age, also called the information age, is defined as the time period starting
in the 1970s with the introduction of the personal computer with subsequent
technology introduced providing the ability to transfer information freely and
quickly.
The time period in which we live now where Internet and email are available is an
example of the digital age.
Source: yourdictioanary.com
COMMUNICATION DEFINED…
The word ‘communication’ is derived from Latin word
‘communis’, which means common. It is a process of
exchange of facts, ideas, opinions and a means that
individuals or organizations share the meaning and
understanding with one another.
Communication is a process of sharing experience till it becomes a common
possession. It modifies the disposition of both parties who partakes it- John Dewey.
Communication is sharing of ideas and feelings in a mood of mutuality- Edgar Dale.
Communication is a means of persuasion to influence other so that desired effect is
achieved- Aristotle.
COMMUNICATION
PROCESS
Communication is a process of exchanging verbal and non verbal messages. It is a
continuous process.
PROCESS OF
COMMUNICATION
IMAGE FROM COURSES.LUMEN.COM
MAIN COMPONENTS OF
COMMUNICATION PROCESS
 Context - Communication is affected by the context in which it takes place. This
context may be physical, social, chronological or cultural. Every communication
proceeds with context.
Sender / Encoder - is a person who sends the message. A sender makes use of
symbols (words or graphic or visual aids) to convey the message and produce the
required response.
Message - Message is a key idea that the sender wants to
communicate. It must be ensured that the main objective of the
message is clear.
Encoding(Communication symbol) – The process of conversion of
subject matter into symbols is called encoding. The message or
subject matter of any communication is always abstract and
intangible. Transmission of message requires use of certain
symbols.
 Medium - Medium is a means used to exchange / transmit the
message For instance - Written medium is chosen when a message
has to be conveyed to a small group of people, while an oral
medium is chosen when spontaneous feedback is required from the
recipient as misunderstandings are cleared then and there.
Recipient / Decoder - is a person for whom the message is
intended / aimed / targeted. The degree to which the decoder
understands the message is dependent upon various factors such as
knowledge of recipient, their responsiveness to the message, and the
reliance of encoder on decoder.
 Decoding– It is the process of translation of an encoded message into
ordinary understandable language. Receiver converts the symbols, words or
signs received from the sender to get the meaning of the message.
Feedback - is the main component of communication process as it permits the
sender to analyze the efficacy of the message. It helps the sender in
confirming the correct interpretation of message by the decoder.
Feedback may be verbal (through words) or non-verbal (in form of smiles,
sighs, etc.). It may take written form also in form of memos, reports, etc.
 TYPES OF
COMMUNICATION
 VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Is an exchange of information using words including both the spoken and the
written word.
The most important aspects of verbal communication are the following:
 Language
Pacing
Intonation
Clarity and Brevity
 Timing and relevance
NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION
Information is exchanged through non- Gesture
verbal communication in various ways. Facial expression
It is sometimes referred as body
Posture
language.
Gait
Body space and proximity
Duribleby and Brutan (1992) suggest Touch
that body language has several elements:
Personal appearance
Eye contact
Sounds
Silence
SYMBOLIC COMMUNICATION
It involves the verbal and nonverbal symbolism to convey
meaning. Art and music are forms of symbolic communication
used by nurses to facilitate understanding and healing for patients.
METACOMMUNICATION
It is ‘communication about communication’ so that the deeper
‘message within a message’ can be uncovered and understood.
When a patient tells the nurse that he is cool to undergo surgery
with his body rigid and sharp voice, a nurse can interpret that he is
anxious as evidenced by the body language.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
Another important form of communication is written
communication. It is the best method when the communicator and
the recipient are beyond oral communication media.
 FORMS OF
COMMUNICATION
INTRAPERSONAL
is language use or thought internal to the communicator. Intrapersonal
communication is the active internal involvement of the individual in
symbolic processing of messages.
Intrapersonal communication is the thought process or communication
with one person or one's self. The individual becomes his or her own
sender and receiver, providing feedback to him or herself in an ongoing
internal process.
INTERPERSONAL
is communication among a relatively small number of people. Much of
our communication takes place at this level.
Types of interpersonal
a. Dyadic- This communication between two people. It may be face to
face, or such as ordinary conversation, dialogs, or interviews.
Telephone conversation is also dyadic.
b. Tryadic-This communication is participated by three people.
c. Small Group- More than three people communicate. This is the
enlarge type of communication usually done to solve problems. The
committee, panel, symposium,
PUBLIC MASS COMMUNICATION
This involves communication is communicating with a large
between one and several number of people using the
other people. This is the mass media like television,
large group type of radio and newspaper
communication. A public
speaking is example.
SEVEN C’S OF
EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATIO
N
Image from businessjargons.com
 BARRIERS OF
COMMUNICATION
ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS
These barriers arise when duties and line of authority are not clearly defined.
Various types of organizational barriers are:
Policy
Rules and regulations
Facilities
 Complex organization
Status and position
PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS- THINGS THAT
OCCUR IN THE MINDS OR INNER SELF OF A PERSON. IT COMES
FROM WITHIN THE LISTENERS.

Poor pronunciation
Confused thinking.
Communication overload
Attitude
Fear and anxiety
Suspicious, jealousy, anger
Resentment, antagonism and prejudices.
Lack of interest and lack of listening.
PHYSICAL BARRIERS- THINGS THAT CAN ACTUALLY BE
HEARD, SMELLED USING ONE OR MORE OF THE SENSES WHICH KEEP
MESSAGES FROM BEING HEARD.

Blaring siren from the ambulance

Ringing of cellphone
Crying of baby
Also include Physical health, Poor hearing
MECHANICAL BARRIERS
Non availability of proper machines
Presence of defective machines
Interruption
Power failure
Weak/poor signal/internet connection
PERCEPTIONAL BARRIERS
 Lack of common experience.
Linguistic- different languages and vocabulary.
Lack of knowledge of any language.
From receiver’s side: interrupting the speaker; asking too many questions for the
sake of probing
From sender’s side: unclear messages; incomplete sentences, no clarification.
MULTIMODA
L TEXTS
Are characterized by the
combination of the five
different modes of
communication: linguistic,
visual, gestural, audio,
spatial
 MODES OF Source:

COMMUNICATION https://courses.lumenlearning.com/
VISUAL
The visual mode refers to the images
and characters that people see.
 For instance, the “No Guns” symbol
has no alphabetic text and no sound.
Like many signs, it relies for its meaning
on visual information.
AURAL
The aural mode is focused on sound An example of an aural mode — one
including, but not limited to, music, that depends almost exclusively on
sound effects, ambient noises, silence, sound — might be the recording of a
tone of voice in spoken language, public speech that was delivered orally
volume of sound, emphasis, and accent.  to a live audience, such as William
Howard Taft’s 1908 speech  “The
Farmer and the Republican Party.”  
GESTURAL
The gestural mode “refers to the way The gestural mode works with linguistic,
movement is interpreted. Facial visual, aural, and sometimes even
expressions, hand gestures, body spatial modes in order to create more
language, and interaction between detail and convey it better to the
people are all gestural modes. This has consumer”
always been important in face-to-face
conversations and in theater, but it has
become more apparent on the web lately
with the wide use of YouTube and other
video players.
LINGUISTIC (OR ALPHABETIC)
The linguistic mode refers to written or
spoken words. The mode includes word
choice, the delivery of written or spoken
text, the organization of words into
sentences and paragraphs, and the
development and coherence of words
and ideas.
Linguistic is probably the most widely
used mode because it can be both read
and heard on both paper or audio. The
linguistic mode is the best way to
express details and list.
SPATIAL
The spatial mode, as the name implies,
refers to the arrangement of elements in
space. It involves the organization of
items and the physical closeness
between people and objects.
A good example of the spatial mode
might be the different ways in which
chairs and desks are arranged in a
classroom.
ACTIVITY 1-ANALYZING A
MULTIMODAL TEXT
Watch a TV Commercial. As you watch
the video, answer the following
questions:
1. What is the message?
2. What is the purpose of the message?
3. How is the message conveyed by the text and/or
video?
4. What did you feel while and after watching the
commercial? Cite the scene/s that elicited the
feelings that you mentioned.
5. Who is the target audience of the message?
6. What modes were used in presenting the
message?
7. Do you think it effectively integrate the different
modes in conveying its message? Explain your
answer.