‘To understand communication is to understand the human being and their society’

The title of this article comes from the book “Understanding Communication” by Prof. Dr. İrfan Erdoğan, one of the leading scholars in communication science. Communication stands among the sciences that strive to understand society and the individuals who compose it, and indeed, it exists at their intersection.

In existing individual and social relationships, communication is not just a necessity, but an inevitability!

And, of course, communication tools are changing along with “technology” and “new technology.” The “new technology” we are referring to mostly encompasses the tools we use today. The term “new” is, of course, specific to the era in which one lives. Today’s “new” is different from yesterday’s “new.” The new technology of the first half of the 1900s, when radio was dominant, was the radio. This period was also known as the ‘Radio Age.’ In the 1950s and 60s, the representative of new technology was ‘television.’

Let us reiterate once again that understanding and making sense of communication tools means understanding the human being and the society in which they exist.

The development of communication tools is also linked to economic, social, and cultural change and transformation. At the same time, this situation has created a need for the control of political, cultural, and economic markets.

Again, as seen in the development of all communication tools, the capitalist system’s mode of production and relations, as well as the goal of developing war technologies, play an important role in the formation, shaping, and progress of the internet over time.

On the other hand, ‘new technological tools’ are also being debated for their benefits and harms. It is argued that due to rapid change and transformation, rapid consumption, and rapid disposal, new technologies are causing ever-increasing mountains of technological waste and a polluting nature.

Beneficial effects can be multiplied by adding many examples, such as the facilitation of human life, practical solutions, and the fact that communication has become easy and fast. However, there are also views that these are mostly presented in an exaggerated manner. A significant portion of this exaggeration is invalid, and some of it stems from reflecting what ‘could be’ as what ‘is happening.’ (Campbell, 2010; Chang, 2010; Splichal, 2009; Wallis, 2011).

Regardless of which view we defend, it is useful to state one fact: “Information technologies have reached such great dimensions today that the processing power of personal computers used in homes is higher than that of the computers that first took humans to the moon.” (Buick & Jevtic, 1997: 80)

In terms of evaluating technology, understanding society, and grasping the new social system, evaluating technology is also necessary to comprehend society’s capacity, living conditions, and the determination of the social forms of the new media order.

And in the midst of this progress, let us think aloud about a question that occupies our minds; are all these mass communication tools, channels, and developments only for people, so that people can chat, send emails, surf the internet, and have a pleasant time?

Do those who hold, substitute, and renew these tools also aim for economic, social, and cultural command and control?

Bibliography: - Buick, J.; Jevtic, Z. (1997). Cyberspace, Istanbul, Milliyet Publications. - Campbell, S.t W.; N. Kwak (2010). Mobile Communication and Civic Life: Linking Patterns of Use to Civic and Political Engagement. Journal of Communication, 60: 536-555. - Erdoğan, İrfan (1995). International Communication, Istanbul, Kaynak Publications. - Erdoğan, İrfan (2010). Understanding Communication, Ankara, Erk Publications.