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Notes for Lesson 2: Communication Aids and Strategies Using Tools of Technology

Learning Outcomes

  • Adopt awareness of your audience and context when you communicate with others.
  • Familiarize yourself with the different technological/online tools which can facilitate effective communication.
  • List down common cross-cultural barriers and communication strategies that can overcome these barriers.

Context: The Digital Age and Responsibility

  • We live in a world where communication with diverse people across distances is possible with a click of a button.
  • Internet access has enabled connections to individuals or groups who are miles away, expanding reach and speed of communication.
  • With this power comes great responsibility.
    • You are responsible for understanding and learning about cultural differences among cultures to communicate effectively with anyone, regardless of culture or social background.
  • Your generation has been labeled as “the digital natives” – individuals born and raised in a world of gadgets, computers, and the internet.

The Digital Native

  • Definition: A generation characterized by growing up with digital technologies and the internet; often assumed to have inherent familiarity with digital tools.
  • Implications: Expectation of seamless online communication, rapid information access, and comfort with multiple platforms.

Technological Tools for Communication

  • Overview: A range of tools that have transformed how we share information, collaborate, learn, and interact. Each tool offers unique capabilities, histories, and implications for communication.

1. Social Media Platforms

  • Purpose: Allow people to create personal pages, publish profile images, post updates, and maintain a friend list visibility model.
  • Features: Profile pages, updates, and a network of connections who can see updates.
  • Historical timeline (examples):
    • 6 Degrees – 1997
    • MySpace – 2003
    • Facebook – 2004
    • Twitter – 2006
    • Instagram – 2010
  • Significance: Facilitates rapid sharing, networking, and community building; important for personal branding and outreach.
  • Practical implications: Consider privacy settings, audience segmentation, and potential cultural considerations when sharing content.

2. Blogs

  • Definition: Personal websites where people publish information for readers worldwide; typically long-form posts about lives or hobbies. Some blogs are professional or commercial and monetized through advertising or affiliate marketing.
  • Key facts:
    • The first blog was written in 1994 on the website links.net by Justin Hall.
    • The term “weblog” was invented in 1997 by Jorn Barger; shortened to the word “blog.”
  • Significance: Enables ongoing, reflective writing and specialization through professional blogging.
  • Practical implications: Tone, audience targeting, and potential monetization strategies affect content strategy and ethics.

3. Vlogs

  • Definition: Video logs; an extension of blogging enabled by increased bandwidth for posting video online.
  • History: The first vlog was published in 2000 when Adam Kontras posted a video on his blog for family and friends.
  • Significance: Visual storytelling and personal presence can enhance engagement and authenticity.
  • Practical implications: Consider video quality, accessibility (captions), and platform suitability.

4. Live Video Stream

  • Definition: An extension of vlogging catering to immediacy and authenticity in online content.
  • History: Integrated into YouTube in April 2011; Facebook introduced Facebook Live in August 2015.
  • Significance: Real-time sharing changes audience expectations and feedback loops.
  • Practical implications: manage real-time interaction, moderation, and privacy concerns.

5. Conferencing and Live Lecture Technology

  • Purpose: Enables workplace and educational communication across long distances.
  • Features: Live video collaboration paired with complex speaker systems.
  • Significance: Reduces travel needs and supports remote collaboration.
  • Practical implications: Ensure reliable connectivity, accessibility, and appropriate conferencing tools.

6. Group Wikis

  • Definition: Collaborative crowdsourcing of information; collective knowledge stored on a wiki is easily accessible to all users.
  • Conceptual impact: Creates a “hive mind” where group contributions aggregate knowledge.
  • Significance: Accelerates information gathering and consensus-building.
  • Practical implications: Needs governance, citation practices, and quality control.

7. Group Forums

  • Definition: Platforms for posting questions and answers; topics often sorted (e.g., Reddit) to connect people with shared interests.
  • Educational use: Online schools may require weekly responses to a stimulus question.
  • Additional benefits: Enables long-form conversations; threads and replies create a traceable paper trail of group thinking.
  • Significance: Facilitates asynchronous, collaborative learning and community support.
  • Practical implications: Moderation, signal-to-noise management, and respectful discourse.

8. Table Computers (Tablets)

  • Emergence: Tablet computers gained prominence around 2008–2010 with major players like Android and Apple.
  • Drivers: Technological advances made compact and affordable devices for mass market use.
  • Significance: Mobility and touch-based interfaces broaden access to information and learning tools.
  • Practical implications: App ecosystems, screen size considerations, and battery life.

9. Podcasts

  • Definition: Packets of audio information uploaded and stored on cloud technology for download and listening at-will.
  • Delivery: Can be downloaded via RSS feeds to mobile devices for offline listening.
  • History: Emerged from radio technology; differs from radio by internet-based distribution and on-demand availability.
  • Significance: Flexible, on-demand audio content supports learning and entertainment beyond scheduled broadcasts.
  • Practical implications: Content rights, subscription models, and discoverability.

10. Wearable Technology

  • Overview: Technology carried on the body to facilitate communication and monitoring, contributing to transhumanist tendencies.
  • Key examples:
    • Smart watches: Voice command control; internet connectivity for quick answers.
    • Exercise bracelets and health trackers: Measure vital signs and sleep rhythms; can transmit data to trainers or medical professionals.
    • Smart glasses: Integrate augmented reality (AR); project data onto retina; support calls via voice commands; control through eye movements, blinks, or hand movements.
  • Significance: Enhances hands-free communication, health monitoring, and situational awareness.
  • Practical implications: Privacy concerns, data security, and user accessibility.

11. Smart Speakers

  • Definition: Computerized personal assistants placed in homes/offices to complete tasks hands-free.
  • Activation: Typically activated by a hot word such as “Hey computer” or “OK Google.”
  • Capabilities: Listen from a distance, perform tasks, answer search queries, and assist with scheduling or calls.
  • Significance: Hands-free, ambient computing supports multitasking and productivity.
  • Practical implications: Voice data handling, room acoustics, and integration with other devices.

12. Web Chat

  • Early example: MSN Messenger gained popularity in the early 2000s for chatting with friends.
  • Decline and shift: With the rise of Facebook and Facebook Messenger, MSN Messenger declined and was disbanded in 2012.
  • Current trend: Smartphone apps have made web chat an increasingly popular form of instant communication between friends.
  • Significance: Instant, casual communication channels are ubiquitous across devices.
  • Practical implications: Privacy, data retention, and platform interoperability.

Cross-Cultural Barriers and Communication Strategies

  • Barriers implied by the material: Cultural differences can impede effective communication despite global connectivity.
    • Cultural norms and expectations may differ in communication style, tone, and formality.
    • Language differences can affect clarity and nuance.
    • Variations in technology access and digital literacy can influence who can participate.
  • Core strategy: Develop awareness of audience and context; adapt communication to diverse cultural backgrounds; strive for inclusive and accessible messaging.
  • Suggested strategies (practical, drawn from the emphasis on audience/context):
    • Use clear, plain language and consider translations or multilingual support when needed.
    • Incorporate visuals and examples that are culturally neutral or broadly relevant.
    • Check for understanding; invite questions and feedback.
    • Be mindful of privacy, consent, and digital footprints when sharing content across cultures.
    • Choose appropriate tools based on audience access, reliability, and relevance to the message.

Ethical, Philosophical, and Practical Implications

  • Ethical: Privacy concerns with wearables, smart assistants, and data sharing; consent and data ownership; surveillance implications.
  • Philosophical: The tension between immediacy/authenticity in live streams and thoughtful reflection; the potential for information overload.
  • Practical: Tool selection aligned with audience, context, and goals; evaluating bandwidth, device compatibility, and accessibility; effectively moderating and documenting online discussions (e.g., forum paper trails).

Connections to Foundational Principles and Real-World Relevance

  • Core principle: Audience awareness and context guide all communication choices (reinforced by the learning outcomes).
  • Real-world relevance: Proliferation of digital tools shapes how organizations teach, collaborate, and serve communities; cross-cultural competence remains essential in a globally connected landscape.
  • Foundational concept: The collective use of tools (e.g., Wikis and forums) can democratize knowledge but requires governance and critical evaluation to maintain quality and credibility.

Summary of Key Takeaways

  • The digital age enables rapid, global communication but demands responsibility and cultural awareness.
  • A wide range of tools exist, each with unique histories and functionalities that impact how information is created, shared, and consumed.
  • Understanding audience, context, and cultural differences is essential to effective communication across diverse groups.
  • Ethical and practical considerations accompany each tool, including privacy, accessibility, and the potential for information overload.