Priestleys Paradox Communication

Priestleys Paradox Communication Communication is an essential part of everyday life. There are many things which have effect on communication, technology having a very large effect. Through the increase of communication technology, there has been a decrease in the quality of effective communication. While considering the theory of Priestleys Paradox, the lack of interpersonal communication in new forms of technology have significantly affected the quality of communication. Modern technologies decrease the quality of communications through the lack of verbal and non-verbal feedback, the distortion of messages and also the unequal access to forms of these technologies. Verbal and non-verbal elements of interpersonal communication have effectively declined due to technology. The most impacted area of communication in society today is interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication is referenced as communication between two or more people which try to create and understand meaning (Turner West 2009: 8). Throughout interpersonal communication there can be noise. Noise is anything which can distort or prevent communication (Eunson 2008: 18). Interpersonal communication has many elements which contribute to quality communication. Interpersonal communication requires verbal and non-verbal feedback, which is not given effectively through modern technologies. The quality of effective communication is rapidly decreased with the increase of technology. This type of communication (interpersonal communication) has two main elements, verbal and non-verbal skills. Verbal communication is the use of languages, words, sounds and letters and uses great emphasis on tone and pitch. Modern technology therefore decreases the quality of communication because verbal communication is not always possible. Non-verbal communication is communication through only visual forms. Non-verbal consists of gestures, facial expressions, eye contact and numerous other signals of the human body (Eunson 2008: 260). This non-verbal element of communication however cannot be seen through most technologies so distorts the message to the receiver. Both verbal and non-verbal communication skills assist, distort and block communication between indiv iduals (Eunson 2008: 286). The theory of Priestleys Paradox is most relevant when considering the quality of communication through technologies is declining. Email is an example of modern technology which has an impact of the quality of communication. Through email, the receiver cannot communicate using verbal and non-verbal communication. This distortion is happening with all types of technology and is having affect on the interactions of individuals and creating problems. Without face-to-face verbal and non-verbal interactions the sender is unable to make assumptions on the receivers perceptions of the messages. Some particular new technologies have the ability for messages to be distorted excessively due to the language used. Technology has decreased quality of communication because it can cause misunderstanding through abbreviations that distort messages. This particularly effects our societys younger generation. Generation Y in particularly are media interactionists, not knowing a world without media and technology (Kundanis 2003: 43). An example of technology which is most commonly the source of abbreviation is SMS (short messaging service). Evidently, abbreviations are a weak substitute for body language, oral and tonal expression. These are replaced by using uppercase lettering and quirky symbols (emoticons) which leads to misinterpretation while decoding the message as there is no shared meaning of the context (Danet 2001: 17). The English language is often comprised to become shortened abbreviations and phrases. This language has since blended into the everyday modern society causing the younger generations to be less likely using proper English language. While communicating through technology, the sender and receiver need to have a clear understanding of one anothers abbreviations and context or else the message will be distorted. This may then lead to a breakdown in communication if the receiver is unable to decode the message given (Eunson 2008: 14). This is also evident as there is a digital divide between people with the unequal access to technology. The decrease in quality of communication is due to technology not being equally accessible for our whole society. Priestleys Paradox theory expresses the point that people coming from low -economical societies have a greater quality of communication rather than people coming from a higher-economical society because it is filled with modern communication technologies(Eunson 2008: 5). There is a digital divide between people due to new forms of technology. This causes distortion in communication because of the misunderstanding of messages that are received through modern technology. It is now expected of a person to have knowledge of modern technologies which may not be universally accepted due to the unequal access of technology (Turner West 2009: 105). Modern technology-driven communication is constantly revolving, developing and expanding (Eunson 2008: 4). They are expensive and therefore low income earners would not be able update technologies frequently. The digital divide is not only based on this however, there are many other issues. The accessibility of modern technology is affected by geographical location, income status, culture, education and also age (Mossberger, Tolbert Stansbury 2003: 15-23). This causes the decrease in effective communication and interpersonal communication as everyone does not have the same available technology. New technologies have significantly decreased the quality of effective communication. Ultimately interpersonal communication elements such as verbal and non-verbal skills are not able to be effectively used through modern technologies. This can distort messages in communication just like abbreviations can. Both people participating in the communication need to have similar understanding of the context and language or else the quality of communication will be diminished. The digital divide because of the unequal access of modern technology also has an impact of the quality of communication. Priestleys Paradox theory suggests that the quality of communication is minimised because of new technologies. This theory is most evident in modern communication therefore modern technology has decreased the quality of communication. Words: 1021

Pest Control and Waste Management Essay

Pests cause a lot of destruction to the crops. Even though there are lots of chemical pest controls available to help reduce or remove the presence of these destructive pests, the non-chemical pest control is the most reliable and safest form of pest control. One of the most destructive pests that are encountered by many farmers is the beetle. Non-chemical pest control can be done in many different ways like applying balanced fertilizer to keep the crops and soil healthy and free from beetles, removing weeds from that may surround the crops, and using milky spore powder when dealing with Japanese beetles. In addition with these, according to HGTV, â€Å"planting pest-resistant species that contains insecticide in nature can also help in getting rid of these pests(â€Å"Non-Chemical Pest Control†, 2006). † The production of a healthy and productive crop system all depends on the supervision of the farmer itself. Nevertheless, non-chemical pest control is all about prevention. I will not be in opposition to the idea of having hazardous waste landfill, waste treatment plant, deep-injection well, or incinerator in our community. The waste of a community grows enormously as time passes by. These wastes can affect the health and livelihood of a community. The presence of hazardous waste landfill, waste treatment plant, deep-injection well, or incinerator in a certain community reduce the waste that may cause pollution and other negative effects on the residents of a certain community. The hazardous waste landfill keeps the hazardous waste from going into the soil and eventually to our body. Incineration is only an alternative to land filling. Incineration is not a very good way of waste reduction because it produces toxic air pollutants that can even cause a great problem to the health of the community. These systems are of great help in the reduction of waste although it is inevitable that wrong management of these waste management system may always lead to an unlikely consequences like the pollution that can be brought about by incineration.

Analysis Of Dostoevsky And Kierkegaard s The Grand...

What does it mean to have faith? This is not a question of, do you believe in the teachings of your religion, but what is a true believer. Dostoevsky and Kierkegaard are two philosophers that extensively delved with great contemplation and introspection of what it means to be a Christian. Both of these philosophers took a critical microscope to the typical Christian teachings of how to be a â€Å"good Christian.† What both of these philosophers eventually deduced is that the traditional teachings of Christianity remove the person from from ever truly finding the meaning behind their faith; thus separating the devoted from the divine. For both Dostoevsky and Kierkegaard, to be a Christian is more than going through the motions of what the church leaders tell you, but to find out for oneself why they ultimately believe. To convey his notions, Ivan, the main character of Dostoevsky’s story, creates the character the Grand Inquisitor. The Grand Inquisitor is symbolic of the catholic church and the control they hold over the followers of Catholicism. In this story, the Grand Inquisitor is faced with Jesus Christ, whom has come back to earth for the second coming. In on particular instance, The Inquisitor challenges Christ by saying, â€Å"Didst Thou forget that man prefers peace, and even death, to freedom of choice in the knowledge of good and evil? Nothing is more seductive for man than his freedom of conscience, but nothing is a greater cause of suffering† (Dostoevsky, pg 12). To the

The Concept of Collective Consciousness, Defined

Collective consciousness (sometimes collective conscience or conscious) is a fundamental sociological concept that refers to the set of shared beliefs, ideas, attitudes, and knowledge that are common to a social group or society. The collective consciousness informs our sense of belonging and identity, and our behavior. Founding sociologist Émile Durkheim developed this concept to explain how unique individuals are bound together into collective units like social groups and societies. How Collective Consciousness Holds Society Together What is it that holds society together? This was the central question that preoccupied Durkheim as he wrote about the new industrial societies of the 19th century. By considering the documented habits, customs, and beliefs of traditional and primitive societies, and comparing those to what he saw around him in his own life, Durkheim crafted some of the most important theories in sociology. He concluded that society exists because unique individuals feel a sense of solidarity with each other. This is why we can form collectives and work together to achieve community and functional societies. The collective consciousness, or  conscience collective  as he wrote it in French, is the source of this solidarity. Durkheim first introduced his theory of the collective consciousness in his 1893 book The Division of Labor in Society. (Later, he would also rely on the concept in other books, including Rules of the Sociological Method, Suicide, and The Elementary Forms of Religious Life.)  In this text, he explains that the phenomenon is the totality of beliefs and sentiments common to the average members of a society. Durkheim observed that in traditional or primitive societies,  religious symbols, discourse, beliefs, and rituals fostered the collective consciousness. In such cases, where social groups were quite homogenous (not distinct by race or class, for example), the collective consciousness resulted in what Durkheim termed a mechanical solidarity — in effect an automatic binding together of people into a collective through their shared values, beliefs, and practices. Durkheim observed that in the modern, industrialized societies that characterized Western Europe and the young United States when he wrote, which functioned via a division of labor, an organic solidarity emerged based on the mutual reliance individuals and groups had on others in order to allow for a society to function. In cases such as these, religion still played an important role in producing collective consciousness among groups of people affiliated with various religions, but other social institutions and structures would also work to produce the collective consciousness necessary for this more complex form of solidarity, and rituals outside of religion would play important roles in reaffirming it. Social Institutions Produce Collective Consciousness These other institutions include the state (which fosters patriotism and nationalism), news and popular media (which spreads all kinds of ideas and practices, from how to dress, to who to vote for, to how to date and be married), education (which molds us into compliant citizens and workers), and the police and judiciary (which shape our notions of right and wrong, and direct our behavior through threat of or actual physical force), among others. Rituals that serve to reaffirm the collective conscious range from parades and holiday celebrations to sporting events, weddings, grooming ourselves according to gender norms, and even shopping (think Black Friday). In either case — primitive or modern societies — collective consciousness is something common to the whole of society, as Durkheim put it. It is not an individual condition or phenomenon, but a social one. As a social phenomenon, it is diffused across society as a whole, and has a life of its own. It is through collective consciousness that values, beliefs, and traditions can be passed down through generations. Though individual people live and die, this collection of intangible things, including the social norms connected to them, are cemented in our social institutions and thus exist independent of individual people. Most important to understand is that collective consciousness is the result of social forces that are external to the individual, that course through society, and that work together to create the social phenomenon of the shared set of beliefs, values, and ideas that compose it. We, as individuals, internalize these and  make the collective consciousness a reality by doing so, and we reaffirm and reproduce it by living in ways that reflect it.