1. Introduction to Development Communication

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Issues of words and language

As the media of mass communication spread

in the early 20thcentury, scholars questioned

mass medias influence and potential toeffect change. This led to different:

a) communication models

b) the components of the process

c) the process itself

d) the context in which communication takes

place


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2NDhalf of the 20thcentury brought a tradition of

communication research and practice geared

toward Third World development needs, an area

that has come to be known as development

communication.

1stDevelopment Decade in the 1960s.

Since 1970s these approaches have been

challenged.

Many large and expensive projects promoting

social change have failed.

Focused largely on economic needs and ignored

other non material aspects of human need.


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Earliest models of communication assume a

relatively linear process.

Someone sends a message to someone else

via a channel and gets a response, calledfeedback.

Interference in the process is often called

noise.

This exchange process may occur on more orless equal basis.


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But its different in mass communication.

How?

The media create and send messages, with

few opportunities for feedback fromaudience members and seldom via the same

channels.

Early theories assumed that mass media had

considerable power to inform and influence.This was roughly around 1950s and 1960s.


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Much has happened since then which has

shown flaws in these early models:

1) Research has shown flaws in these ideas

2) Enormous advances have been made incommunication technologies resulting in

rapid increases in information flows

globally. This is a result of 3 technological

inventions:a) computers

b) satellites

c) digitization


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New communication theories are more

sophisticated and address problems with the

early theories and also account for the

increased complexity of the communicationenvironment.


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Studies based on these new theories support therole and power of mass media in:

1) Setting an agenda for public discourse

2) Influencing public opinion

3) Persuading or educating in the context ofplanned campaigns

4) Providing role models for children and other toimitate

5) Providing varied gratifications that may meetaudience needs

6) Cultivating audiences perception of society in amanner more consistent with media contentthan statistical reality.


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Scholars have also challenged the relatively

linear nature of the models and their

isolation from economic and political

processes in society. These scholars assumed links between

culture and communication in the ideas of

communication as shared meaning versus

information transmission or persuasion.


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Communication is the maintenance,

modification and creation of culture.

These scholars also argue thatcommunication reinforces the views of the

dominant group.

Powerful groups in society decide what isshown on television and how its shown and

this has an influence on the entire society.


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The language and the selection of labels by

the mainstream media shapes society and in

fact creates reality.

For e.g. Islamic Extremism / Terrorism. Similarly, the way words such as

development/underdeveloped have been

used by the media conjures up a certain

imagery in our minds. Balochistan is underdeveloped

Balochistan is overexploited


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So there is a concern that large political and

corporate institutions, which are controlled

by the West, are influencing global cultural

change supportive of Western economic,political and ideological values.


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So the new studies in communication point

out the following:

1) Considerable role and power of mass media

in delivering information and persuading2) Process is not linear there is a relationship

between communication and culture

3) The power of the dominant discourse

4) Role of large institution in controllingglobal communication


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Old thinking about communication:Communication is a relatively linear porcessof information transmission, causing orcontributing to change in knowledge,

attitudes and behaviors.

New thinking about communication:

Communication is a much more complex

process, inseparable from culture, which issustained and challenged by global and localeconomic, political and ideological structuresand processes.


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Like communication, development meansdifferent things to different scholars.

Development means improving the livingconditions of society

But what constitutes improved livingconditions and how they should be achieved?

Three perspectives or ways of thinking aboutand practicing development:

1) Modernization

2) Critical

3) Liberation


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Modernization assumes that the Western

model of economic growth is applicable

elsewhere.

The introduction of modern technologies isimportant in development.

Supports capitalist economic growth.

Evidence of modernization can be observed

in development projects by aid agencies thataim to persuade people to adopt

technologies and sacrifice education and

human services for economic growth.


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Liberation perspectives based on liberationtheology.

Which assumes that all people want tobecome fully human, which means free and

self reliant and that they have the internalcapacity to develop themselves on their ownterms.

However internal and external forms of

oppression restrict their ability to do so. Therefore the purpose of development is

liberation from oppression with a focus onboth individuals and communities.


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Large western governments and corporationsconstitute one major source of oppressionbecause they are motivated by a desire tomake a profit which usually means that

workers, consumers and others are exploitedin the process.

The basic goal is spiritual not economic but itdoes not ignore material realities.

It recognizes links between material and nonmaterial needs and the impact of unmetmaterial needs and economic exploitation onspiritual growth.


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Those who view communication as a process

of message delivery view development as a

process of modernization via the delivery and

insertion of technologies and/or inculcating

certain values, attitudes and behaviors in the

population.

Communication and information are

persuasive tools that can assist in themodernization process.

It sells development ideas and associated

technologies to target audiences.


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In this sense, development communication

under the modernization framework is often

viewed as a process of persuasive marketing.


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Critical framework reject marketing models

that aim to spread and support Western

technologies and economic and political

values.

CP also view persuasive campaigns as

manipulative and potentially harmful with

inadequate attention the large cultural

context in which people live.


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For those with CP, development

communication is a process of consensus

building and resistance.

It is not a linear process but must behistorically grounded culturally sensitive and

multi faceted with attention to all the

political economic and ideological structures

and processes that comprise society.


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Liberation perspectives:

As the purpose of development is assumed to befreedom from oppression, and personal andcommunal empowerment the development

communication process must support thesegoals.

Therefore development communication is notmessage exchange but rather emancipatorycommunication that will free people to

determine their own futures. Many projects grounded in liberation

perspectives include spiritual practice consistentwith the religion of the group involved.

1. Introduction to Development Communication

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