Psychological issues have always occupied a significant place in the life of every person, although sometimes it is completely imperceptible. Each of our actions is argued by a certain psychological behavior. Does this also apply to communication? What is the difference between interpersonal and mass communication? This will be discussed in this article.
Classification
Mass communication, in principle, is not a separate species. Psychology implies a number of such types, 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:
- First of all, it is necessary communication. These are the same interpersonal contacts, those people, without which joint activity is practically reduced to zero.
- Desirable contacts. Such contacts allow you to solve the problem, and in a very favorable light for you. The solution of any educational, industrial and other relations is impossible without the desiredcommunication.
- Neutral. Not to say that these contacts are positive, but there is no negative in them either. This is just communication between people, which 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. It is extremely difficult to achieve a positive outcome of the assigned tasks, the interaction has a rather unfavorable effect on solving problems. Such communication can lead to even more additional trouble.
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 in performance. Sometimes our productivity increases after talking with a person who inspires us and makes us move on. And sometimes, just by attending one lecture and listening to the opinions of other people, you draw certain conclusions, which also lead to an increase in your own performance in general.
Specific Species
The reader's eye could not escape the moment that among the above types of communication there is absolutely no mention of interpersonal and mass communication. However, these two types have become the most important in this category of psychology, which is why they are worth highlighting.
Interpersonal communication is pretty simple. It quite easily manifests itself in the moments of conversations (interaction) withyour 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 entire mechanisms of influence and psychological impact on a person. Such an impact is quite common in communication as well, but we will talk about this in another paragraph.
The most important thing to emphasize in interpersonal communication is that people who contact through this kind of personal contact always have their own clear internal goals, are aware of their needs and take only their values seriously.
And although partners may get used to each other after communication and even have time to change their clear positions, it is worth understanding 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 type in which contact occurs at a certain spatio-temporal distance. A simple example: a person can perceive any information from the last century, the last era, absolutely any. However, he cannot send any information at that time.
Literature can be another example of mass communication. This is the transmission 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 mediated.
Psychology claims that with the help of such communication a person can learn to feel one with the society that surrounds him, understand the situation, feel all the events that are happening 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 a whole mass of people.
Other types of mass communication
In addition to the fact that a person constantly receives some kind of information from his, let's say, ancestors, there are several other factors that can be called mass communication.
For example, take any seminar, training, lecture, webinar and many other ways to communicate 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 contact with one person. We know the interlocutor in this case, we can communicate with him for a long time, we learn his positive and negative qualities, and so on. Which we obviously can't do with an entire audience.
Another difference that does not allow us to call personal and mass communication the same is that when talking with a person, we can choose his gender, age, race, external factors, nationality, his preferences, views, habits and qualities. Trust me, if you ever have to drivetraining, it will be extremely difficult for you to choose an 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 completely different experiences.
Difficulties
Psychology of mass communication is interesting because it has 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 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.
Now, the difficulty is not at all in getting 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 came with their attitude and their information. This is the most basic difficulty of mass communication. This is something that has been studied 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 looking at oneself. We need to make people listen, which means work on diction and, most importantly, charisma.
Types and species
Distinguish between interpersonal and mass communication, however, these two types can also be divided into certain types.
We all know that any communication consists not only of information flows, but also of feelings. These feelingscan be both positive and negative. 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. Attitudes are quite positive, you can easily find a compromise in case of an unpleasant situation.
- Business. Such an attitude can be trusting and conflict only on a personal level. In the case of mass communication on business topics, a conflict situation (or, conversely, encouragement in someone's specific direction) occurs extremely rarely and is inappropriate.
With the help of three examples of mass communication, you can easily determine at what level of contact with people you or those around you are in a variety of situations.
Technique
Mass communication is a way of addressing people, in which it is almost impossible or very difficult not to use modern technology.
Imagine the situation: you came to a lecture that 100 people wanted to attend. There are seats, everyone is seated and ready to listen. That's just no one, with the exception of the first rows, will not hear the voice of the lecturer due to the general noise and the lack of a microphone. At such events, not only general organizational issues should be planned, but also issues with technical equipment. Microphone (and even better if it isa camera that can magnify the image of the speaker) will greatly facilitate listening to information. Actually, all this can be called a means of mass communication.
Telephone conversations
Some people may have a very understandable question: if mass communication implies communication at a distance, and sometimes at a certain time distance, then are telephone conversations, for example, such a type of communication?
Yes, it really is. Both telephone conversations and any kind of correspondence are mass communication. Why mass and not personal? If this is your personal correspondence, then, of course, this is personal communication. Otherwise, say, a group phone conversation or a general chat will be characterized as a mass communication.
Manipulation
Everyone must have heard of such a psychological impact as manipulation. Most often, of course, they are carried out through personal contact. However, there are many cases where the entire audience was "susceptible" to the influence of one experienced manipulator.
That is why simple manipulations with people's minds can become a form of mass communication. Usually this happens under the influence of the same reproduction or text that the announcer reads. It is believed that it is easier to manipulate a group of people than one person. This can happen for the simple reason that a banal chain reaction occurs. Just as the whole audience begins to applaud for one person, so the impact on the consciousness of one will affecteveryone's consciousness. Is this really so, only manipulators and experienced psychologists know.
Phatic communication
Another type of mass communication is phatic. Although it is not a direct part of mass contact, it is also common.
Phatic mass communication is a stupid, almost completely meaningless conversation and discussion, the arguments of which are short phrases, sometimes thrown indiscriminately.
This species is usually found in certain places where people simply have nothing else to do out of boredom. It is also important to note that phatic communication should be regulated by certain norms of morality and ethics, so that nothing goes beyond.
At the same time, the informational and intellectual level of such a conversation is not too high.
Media
Mediated mass communication is called for a reason. The name implies that such contact occurs "through" the use of any spheres - social, technological, and so on.
In fact, few people know that mass communication is also the mass media. Everything is pretty logical. Just as a lecturer communicates with the audience using a microphone, 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 else. He also "appeals" to a wide audience, in an attempt to convey any information.
In this case, it can be easily said that both mass and any other communication can have consequences and be responsible. This is a separate topic for discussion, but it is important to know that any contact should not end in serious consequences in order to avoid this responsibility.
The media have been accused more than once for misrepresenting information, distorting it, altering it, disclosing personal information or uploading photos and videos without the permission of the copyright holder. And how many complaints were there about them after users found insults in their own direction in articles and broadcasts!
To put it simply, absolutely any examples of mass communication can incur different consequences.
Psychology of communication
There are many different psychological aspects in the world that build on each other, depend on each other and even contradict each other.
But, of course, the main thing in psychology has always been communication. Simply because without it there will be no psychology. And yet, communication is just a small item in a huge list of all kinds of contact in society.
But to say that it will be better or easier without him 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 owns and transmits information.
Any psychological factors are an integral part of everyone's life, although at first glance it may seem the opposite.
Meetings breed communication, and communication breeds interactions, actions, relationships between people and more.
So, we have analyzed the main types of communication - mass, interpersonal and any other. A brief description of these types of human activity was given. The article also provided examples of mass communication. The features and capabilities of a particular type were described above.
