Psychological issues have always occupied a significant place in the life of every person, although at times it is completely imperceptible. Each of our actions is argued by a certain psychological behavior. Does this apply to communication? How are interpersonal and mass communication distinguished? This will be discussed in this article.
Classification
Mass communication, in principle, is not a separate form. Psychology implies a number of such species, each of which has its own name and characteristic. Communication is a rather complicated process. That is why it is divided into the following types:
- Firstly, this is the necessary communication. These are the same interpersonal contacts, those people without whom joint activity is practically reduced to zero.
- Desired contacts. Such contacts allow you to solve the problem, and in an extremely favorable light for you. The solution of any educational, industrial and other relations is impossible without the desired communication.
- Neutral Not to say that these contacts are positive, but there is no negative either. It is just communication between people that does not lead to any results - whether they are decisive or simple, everyday. Such communication does not interfere, but does not lead to the necessary impact.
- Unwanted communication. The positive outcome of the tasks is extremely difficult, and the interaction adversely affects the solution of problems. Such communication can lead to even greater additional troubles.
By the way, it is communication that leads to productivity. Almost all people would like to increase the productivity of the day, week, month, and even year, and achieve this in various ways, not knowing that simple communication can really affect the increase of working capacity. Sometimes our productivity increases after communicating with a person who inspires us and makes us move on. And sometimes just having attended one lecture and listening to the opinions of other people, you make certain conclusions, which also lead to an increase in your own working capacity as a whole.
Specific species
The moment could not slip from the reader’s eye that among the above types of communication there are absolutely no references to interpersonal and mass communication. However, these two types have become the most important in this category of psychology, which is why they should be distinguished.
With interpersonal communication, everything is quite simple. It is quite easily manifested in moments of conversation (interaction) with your direct contacts. They are also easily regulated through any general rules of communication, while taking into account the interests of each party.
In interpersonal communication, various methods are used - from linguistic and non-linguistic methods of conversation to whole mechanisms of influence and psychological impact on a person. This effect is quite common in communication as well, but we will talk about this in another point.
The most important thing that is worth emphasizing in interpersonal communication is that people who communicate through a personalized kind of this kind always have their clear internal goals, know their needs and take their values seriously.
And although, after communication, partners can get used to each other and even manage to change their clear positions, it is worthwhile to understand that when the time comes to make an important decision, they may not agree on one opinion.
Let's move on to mass communication - the topic of our article.
Mass communication is a form in which contact occurs at a specific spatio-temporal distance. A simple example: a person can perceive any information from the past century, past era, absolutely any. However, he cannot send any information at that time.
Another example of mass communication can be literature. This is the transfer of information from past times through works - poems, novels, poems and so on. Many pieces of music also carry some information. Such communication is also called indirect.
Psychology claims that with the help of such communication a person can learn to feel one with the society that surrounds him, to understand the situation, to feel all the events that happen in the world. It is also useful in order to become part of human culture and an integral part of society as a whole. That is why this communication is called mass communication - it is aimed at uniting an entire mass of people.
Other types of mass communication
In addition to the fact that a person constantly receives any information from his, so to say, ancestors, there are several more factors that can be called mass communication.
For example, take any seminar, training, lecture, webinar and many other ways of communicating with a wide audience. The process itself occurs through the appeal of the leader to a certain number of people. At the same time, they can ask questions, express their opinion, if this is a discussion or debate.
This format is clearly different from personal communication - when you are in contact with someone alone. We know the interlocutor in this case, we can communicate with him for a long time, we learn about his positive and negative qualities, and so on. What we clearly cannot do with the whole audience.
Another difference that does not allow us to call personal and mass communication the same is that, talking with a person, we can choose his gender, age, race, external factors, nationality, his preferences, attitudes, habits and qualities. Believe me, if you ever have to conduct a training, it will be extremely difficult for you to choose your audience equally in all respects. People will simply come to you, and you will not be able to weed them out. All these people with different life views, preferences and with completely different experiences.
Difficulties
The psychology of mass communication is interesting to those who have certain difficulties. This is often noticed by those who are engaged in this field of psychology and actively practice this type of communication.
As already mentioned, lectures and trainings involve the interaction between the lecturer and the audience. And the audience consists of people, each of whom has his own personal vision of the situation, his own conclusions and worldview.
So, the difficulty is not to bring all these people together. The age of technology allows you to do this quickly and efficiently. The problem is to please each of them, to satisfy everyone who comes with their attitude and their information. This is the main difficulty of mass communication. This is what they have been learning for many years, while studying not only the necessary information, but also many psychological aspects of behavior and communication with people, the art of attracting attention and turning one's eyes to oneself. It is necessary to make people listen, and therefore, work on diction and, importantly, charisma.
Types and Types
Distinguish between interpersonal and mass communication, however, these two types can also be divided into a certain kind of types.
We all know that any communication consists not only of information flows, but also of feelings. These feelings can be positive and negative as well. And this factor applies not only to mass, but also to personal contact.
Three examples of mass communication are:
- Conflict. When a person is in a personal or mass conflict relationship. This implies that he will not achieve a solution to problems or other issues due to the current situation or negative emotions.
- Trusted. The attitude is on a completely positive level, you can easily find a compromise in case of an unpleasant situation.
- Business. Such an attitude can be confidential and conflict only on a personal level. In the case of mass communication on business topics, a conflict situation (or, conversely, encouragement in one's particular direction) is extremely rare and inappropriate.
Using three examples of mass communication, you can easily determine at what level of contact with people you or your people are in a variety of situations.
Technics
Mass communication is such a way of reaching out to people in which it is almost impossible or very difficult not to use modern technology.
Imagine the situation: you came to a lecture, which 100 people wanted to attend. There are places, everyone settled down and ready to listen. But no one, with the exception of the front rows, will hear the lecturer's voice due to the general noise and lack of a microphone. At such events, not only general organizational issues should be planned, but also questions with technical equipment. A microphone (and even better if it is a camera that can enlarge the speaker) will greatly facilitate listening to information. Actually, all this can be called means of mass communication.
Telephone calls
Some may have a very understandable question: if mass communication involves communication at a distance, and sometimes at a certain time distance, are telephone conversations, for example, such a type of communication?
Yes this is true. And telephone conversations, and any kind of correspondence are mass communication. Why massive and not personal? If this is your personal correspondence, then, of course, this is personal communication. Otherwise, say, a group telephone conversation or general chat will be characterized as mass communication.
Manipulations
Probably everyone has ever heard of such a psychological impact as manipulation. Most often, they are, of course, carried out through personal contact. However, there are many cases where the entire audience was “exposed” to the influence of one experienced manipulator.
That is why simple manipulations with people's consciousness can become a form of mass communication. Usually this happens under the influence of the same reproduction or text that the speaker reads. It is believed that manipulating a group of people is easier than one person. This can happen for the simple reason that a banal chain reaction occurs. Just as the whole audience begins to applaud after one person, so the effect on the consciousness of one will affect the consciousness of all. Is this really so, only manipulators and experienced psychologists know.
Fatal communication
Another type of mass communication is fatal. Although it is not a direct part of mass contact, it is also common.
Fatal mass communication is a stupid, almost completely meaningless conversation and discussion, the arguments of which are short phrases, sometimes indiscriminately thrown.
This species is usually found in certain places where people from boredom simply have nothing to do. It is also important to note that phatic communication should be regulated by certain norms of morality and ethics, so that nothing goes beyond.
Moreover, the information and intellectual level of such a conversation is not too high.
Mass media
Mediated mass communication is called for a reason. The name implies that such contacting occurs "through" the use of any areas - public, technological and so on.
In fact, few people know that mass communication is also the media. Everything is pretty logical. Just as a lecturer communicates with an audience with a microphone, so a journalist communicates with a very wide range of people using not only a microphone, but also a professional camera, as well as the services of cameramen and directors.
By the way, a journalist who writes an article in a newspaper uses the factor of mass communication on an equal basis with everyone. He also “appeals” to a wide audience, in an attempt to convey any information.
In this case, one can easily say that both mass communication and any other communication can have consequences and bear responsibility. This is a separate topic for discussion, but it is important to know that any contact should not result in serious consequences in order to avoid this responsibility.
The media have been repeatedly accused of incorrect attitude to the information, they could distort, twist, disclose personal information or upload photos and videos without the permission of the copyright holder. And how many complaints were there after users found an insult to their side in articles and broadcasts!
Simply put, absolutely any examples of mass communication can have different consequences.
Communication psychology
In the world there are many different psychological aspects that are built on each other, depend on each other and even contradict each other.
But, of course, communication has always been fundamental in psychology. Just because without him there will be no psychology. And yet, communication is just a small fad on a huge list of all kinds of contacts in society.
But to say that without it would be better or easier, is also impossible. Everything in psychology depends on each other, and even mass communication connects entire groups of people, makes them interact with each other, perform some common deeds and actions, and then even cover them in the media. All this helps to do directly types of communication.
Mediated mass communication not only gathers everyone in one place and is a factor in the discussion of a certain topic. It serves as an excellent source of information, no matter how strange it may sound. Nevertheless, any media broadcasts, any trainings, webinars, lectures, meetings and rallies - all this was created so that humanity would own and transmit information.
Any psychological factors are an integral part of everyone's life, although at first glance this may seem to be the opposite.
Meetings generate communication, and communication generates interactions, actions, relationships between people and much more.
So, we have sorted out the main types of communication - mass, interpersonal and any other. A brief description of these human activities was given. Also in the article were given examples of mass communication. The features and capabilities of one kind or another have been described above.