Communication Technology: Threat or Opportunity?

I would not want to answer the question by saying that is BOTH a threat AND an opportunity; rather, I would like to give a single, honest answer. It IS an opportunity. People create these technologies (e.g. computers, mobile phones, telephone, fax machines, etc.) to improve their manner of communicating with people, to create fast and convenient communication. In that moment when we thought of inventing a new technology that will improve our ways of life, we are already looking at a possible opportunity from afar. By the moment that this new technology comes to life, we look at it in a positive light. It is always an opportunity more than it is a threat. The ‘threat’ part comes only next. The truth is, the ‘threat’ part is rather negligible. This is because communication technology has always been useful to us all. Even in history, people have been relying on these kinds of technology to communicate with people across the world.

I have been a student of communication all my life—not just in college. Everyone recognizes the important role that communication plays in our everyday life. Communication is vital to life. So if there are ways to improve communication, is it not an opportunity for such an activity that people are doing everyday?

Let us take for example the telephone. When it was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in the 1870s, it sought not only to generate fame on the part of Mr. Bell. It sought to create an opportunity for people to talk to each other even if they were miles apart. It sought to improve on the telegraph which had been the medium of communication for the past 30 years until the telephone came about. Since the telegraph only allowed messages to be sent and received one at a time through the Morse code, there were still apparent areas of improvement which people like Mr. Bell took notice of. When the telephone was finally invented, it presented an opportunity in faster communication—an opportunity that we still enjoy today. Since that fateful say when it was invented, there have been subsequent attempts to improve it and consequently improve communication. As loyal consumers of the phone, which now comes in a variety of forms and a variety of functions, we cannot deny the opportunities that we get from them. Let me just cite those opportunities that I, as user of communication technology, recognize:

• Communication technology allows fast and real-time communication. Inside organizations where operations are very important, communication among people is very essential. Since companies now have branches all over the country and even around the world, communication is one important factor that would ensure that groups remain intact even though they are separated. This is why companies invest in technologies such as the fax machines, video conferencing, Starfish technology, and the like, to meet the demands of an increasingly connected world.

• It allows communication between people who are miles apart. It even allows collaboration among people without them having to meet up (e.g. wikis). People who have families abroad can still communicate via chat, e-mail, etc.

• Through communication technology, people would experience less stress in communicating with people of different cultures. Face-to-face communication should always be given priority when possible because it provides personal focus, multiple cues and rapid feedback. In times when circumstances do not allow for a face-to-face communication, communication technology offers useful alternatives. Even in communication with people of different culture, these communication technologies can accomplish communication with possibly less stress between individuals than if it were done face-to-face. People may even be more likely to open up to each other and accomplish needed tasks.

• Communication technology provides a venue for people to share their thoughts and improve on their skills. Blogging, for one, allows people to express their thoughts in the internet. Since blogging is a form of writing, it also encourages thinking and improves one’s writing skills. Before blogging, a number of people would not have any interest in writing at all but since blogging came about, everyone is becoming writers in their own right.

Let me reiterate that face-to-face communication remains to be the richest channel of communication out there; however, we are not always allowed to communicate face-to-face with people due to restraints in resources like time and money. Communication technology offers ways through which we can still communicate effectively with people when face-to-face communication is not an option.

It is all a matter of perspective; mine tells me that communication technology truly IS an opportunity. Maybe I am speaking in light of the philosophy of utilitarianism—what is good for many. It is undeniable that everyday, we use some kind of communication technology. Take these technologies away and we see the great impact it will have on everyone. Threats can be anticipated and eliminated because in the first place, it is man who creates these technologies. Hence, if we are to make the world a better place by improving communication, we should first be able to appreciate the opportunities that communication technology has been and will be offering us.