專四晨讀美文：Forms of Communication

Forms of Communication
Clearly if we are to participate in the society
in which we live we must communicate with other people.
A great deal of communicating is performed
on a person-to-person basis by the simple means of speech.
If we travel in buses, buy things in shops, or eat in restaurants,
we are likely to have conversations
where we give information or opinions,
receive news or comment,
and very likely have our views challenged
by other members of society.
Face-to-face contact is by no means
the only form of communication
and during the last two hundred years
the art of mass communication has become
one of the dominating factors of contemporary society.
Two things, above others, have caused the enormous growth
of the communication industry.
Firstly, inventiveness has led to advances in printing,
telecommunications, photography, radio and television.
Secondly, speed has revolutionised
the transmission and reception of communications
so that local news often takes a back seat to national news,
which itself is often almost eclipsed by international news.
No longer is the possession of information
confined to a privileged minority.
In the last century the wealthy man with his own library
was indeed fortunate,
but today there are public libraries.
Forty years ago people used to flock to the cinema,
but now far more people sit at home
and turn on the TV to watch a programme
that is being channelled into millions of homes.
Communication is no longer merely concerned
with the transmission of information.
The modern communication industry influences
the way people live in society
and broadens their horizons
by allowing access to information, education and entertainment.
The printing, broadcasting and advertising industries
are all involved with informing, educating and entertaining.
Although a great deal of the material
communicated by the mass media
is very valuable to the individual
and to the society of which he is a part,
the vast modern network of communications is open to abuse.
However, the mass media are with us for better,
for worse, and there is no turning back.