How Does the Internet Aid Communication?

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

The Internet has become an integral part of the life of many people. The invention and spread of the Internet changed all aspects of modernity. Thus, the Interned made the life quicker and communication easier. The communication via the Internet is becoming more and more popular nowadays. People prefer sharing their ideas and best moments while being online. Although the Internet has become of extreme significance nowadays, there are both advantages and disadvantages of using it.

Communication and Its Forms

Before examining the Internet and its role, it is necessary to be aware of the notion of communication and its various types. There are numerous definitions of communication. The central idea of all of them is that communication is a process of sharing thoughts. Thill and Bovee (2013, p. 3) define communication as ‘the process of transferring information and meaning between senders and receivers, using one of more written, oral, visual, or electronic media’.

The nature of communication is complicated as far as it can be presented in various forms and dimensions. According to the most general division, the communication can be of two types: verbal and nonverbal. Verbal communication presupposes the usage of words. Thus, when people communicate with the help of words (either orally or in writing), they are engaged in the verbal communication.

The distinctive feature of spoken communication is that people use different gestures, postures, movements, and facial expressions. All these signs are referred to as nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication is not formally accepted though it exists. However, one should always bear in mind that meanings of nonverbal signs may differ among cultures and countries (Sarvaiya 2013).

The sub-types of verbal communication are oral and written. The oral communication is spontaneous, personal, and flexible. Written communication is usually influenced by particular rules of writing and is rather formal.

Depending on the number of participants, the communication may be intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, and massive. An intrapersonal communication occurs when one thinks. All people practice internal communication. It assists in the better understanding of the world. An interpersonal communication is realized in the form of dialogues between two people. Group communication occurs between members of the particular unity.

The group is a company of individuals who are united by the common goal. There are small (from three to seven participants) and large (seven and more) groups (Sarvaiya 2013). The mass communication is the last form. This type is conducted via television, radio, or any other mass media channels.

Internet Communication and Its Forms

Internet communication is more often called online communication. The aim of the Internet communication is the same — to transmit information between senders and receivers but with the help of computers or any other devices that have access to the Internet. The classification of the forms of online communication can be rather a challenging task due to its constant development and improvement. The Internet communication is divided into several types.

The first type is “one-to-one” messaging. It is the most popular method of communication. It presupposes sending “e-mails” or messages via other platforms or social media. The primary thing about one-to-one messaging is that it is the way of online intercourse between individuals. The second type is “one-to-many messaging”. This type means the automatic sending of messages to many recipients at the same time.

For instance, a person may visit some website, like it, and subscribe to it. All people who subscribe to the particular content will receive automatic e-mails about the news. “Distributed message databases” comprise the third type of communication via the Internet. In this case, people participate in group discussions. Thus, one person leaves a message, and others can write responses. All messages are visible to everybody.

Many forums may serve as examples of distributed message databases. The next type of online communication is known as “real-time communication”. It should not be confused with the first type where users read messages later. In a real-time communication, one can answer immediately. This form is possible in all social media as well as in many chat rooms or specially designed services (Methods to Communicate Over Internet n.d.).

Barret suggests another classification of the Internet communication tools. He differentiates traditional services, World Wide Web, video and phone calls, streaming video, and video games. Barret combines e-mailing, chat rooms, and forums into the group of traditional services. World Wide Web provides opportunities for every user to find required information. It is a service that works on the basis of the Hyper Transfer Protocol or HTTP. The user has to request particular information and the web server answers to that request.

Modern online communication is not limited by messaging. Video and phone calls are possible nowadays. One has to have the gadget that supports such function and the access to the Internet. Skype is one of the most popular platforms for video and phone calls. Barett suggests that streaming video is one more option for communication when one can download film or music. Finally, video games are the last type. Many gamers can play games and communicate with other players simultaneously (Barett n.d.).

Communication before the Invention of the Internet

Human communication was realized in a variety of forms before the invention of the Internet. People used different media to transmit information. Drums were one of the first methods for sharing information. They were the primary way of communication in Africa in pre-historic times. The sound produced by drums could be heard from the distance of one hundred miles. In 2000 BC, Egyptian pharaohs established the other method of sharing information.

They developed the courier service to deliver written messages. The first prototype of the modern postal system was first used in Ancient Persia in the 5th century BC. It happened when the Athenian messenger run to ask for help from Sparta when Persians invaded Marathon (O’Neil 2013). Smoke signals represent an easy and efficient way of the visual communication. They were first used on the Great Wall of China.

Pigeon post is regarded as the first most efficient system of communication. This type of message delivering was developed in the 12th century by Sultan Nur-ed-din. He built dovecotes in Damascus and Cairo, and pigeons carried messages over long distances.

Besides, pigeon post played a crucial role in World War I and World War II. Telegraph was the first technologically aided method to transmit information. It was invented by Samuel Morse in 1844 and gave rise to the further development of the modern ways of communication such as telephones or faxes (From Smoke Signals to Smartphones 2014).

The Development of the Internet

The invention of the Internet is usually associated with the name Leonard Kleinrock. He was the first to write about ARPANET, the network that is considered to be the beginning of the Internet, in 1961. ARPANET is the abbreviation for the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network that was initially used by the U.S. Defense Department.

Leonard Kleinrock sent the message via ARPANET in 1969. Since that time, many communication protocols appeared, and they were used for transmission of messages. The term “Internet” was introduced in 1973. Telenet was the first Internet Service Provider that used ARPANET for commercial purposes. The standard protocol for the Internet (IP) was introduced in 1982. A year later, the Domain Name System developed the modern version of website names such as.org,.com,.gov, and others.

In the 90th, the era of rapid development continued and became close to the modern version of the Internet. Thus, Tim Berners-Lee, a scientist at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, worked on the HTML (HyperText Markup Language). A few years later, Microsoft and Apple Corporations started to work on the browsers for the access to the Internet (Zimmerman 2012).

A crucial point in the development of the Internet happened in 1998. The Google introduced the search engine system that changed the human communication. In 2004, Facebook was launched. This event is another milestone in the Internet communication as far as it gave rise to the social networking. In six years, the number of Facebook users increased to four hundred million. Since 2010, social media became essential for the human communication.

The Role of the Internet

The Internet has changed not only the nature of communication. It modified a variety of other aspects of everyday life including:

Education is much more accessible nowadays than whenever before. People have opportunities to receive degrees online regardless of their location. Although the online education is still developing, it brings a substantial hope to the sphere of education;
Research. Millions of people use Google or other online sources to find answers to everyday questions. The World Wide Web has become a massive storage of helpful pieces of advice for every day;
Business. The Internet gave rise to the development of the electronic commerce. Nowadays, e-commerce is an essential part of the successful business. Also, the job search became much easier. An employee can send resumes via e-mails from one place without wasting too much energy;
Travelling and shopping. There is no need to go the travel agency anymore as far as one can reserve tickets to any place online. The same is with shopping. Online stores made it possible to buy everything without living home;
Entertainment. The Internet provides numerous opportunities for having fun in the virtual reality. Thus, one can play games, watch movies, or listen to music using the same computer or gadget;
Healthcare. Currently, an individual can use a variety of online applications that can calculate ideal weight, suggest necessary treatment or well-balanced diet (Mehta 2014).

Online Communication and Politics

The topic concerning the way the Internet communication influences democratization and public engagement is one of the most discussed nowadays. Some scholars argue that the Internet has made communication more democratic and allowed people to be more open in their judgments.

One of the reasons to speak about online democratization refers to the increasing number of online protests or arranging of real protest with the help of online communication. The Internet gave people the possibility to collaborate and coordinate whenever there is a necessity.

Online communities, blogs, forums, websites — all of them can be used to demonstrate the particular attitude towards some issues. Tsatsou (2014, p. 88) writes that ‘the Internet can contribute to enhance the autonomy of citizens to organize and mobilize around issues that are not properly processed in the institutional systems’. The term “digital democracy” is used to define the notion of online democratic communication.

However, the increasing engagement in online affairs makes people distracted from the real-life citizenship and social life. In this respect, the Internet is believed to impede communication in real-life settings and, in its turn, decrease the role of democracy.

The other fact that undermines the notion of digital democracy refers to the ethical issue of privacy. Service providers can define who is hiding beyond the anonymous blog. Even more, personal data of users are now actively used for the variety of purposes. Consequently, people claim that their rights to privacy are violated.

The Influence of the Internet on Personal Communication: Advantages and Disadvantages

Probably, the most significant impact of the Internet refers to the personal communication. Virtual communication is a subject of numerous discussions nowadays. There are both advantages and disadvantages when speaking about the role of the Internet in human intercourse.

Matusitz (2007, p. 23) writes that ‘a virtual community can be considered as a “real” gathering of people where they communicate, like in a physical environment, create webs of personal relationships, and strengthen weak ties over time, even if everything occurs in cyberspace’. Thus, the Internet makes communication accessible for all people regardless of their location. The second advantage of the online communication is that people can improve psychological well-being.

Virtual reality allows everyone to find individuals who share the same point of view on politics or like the same music. The Internet erases barriers and loneliness. One can communicate with everyone who has the same values or preferences. Finally, people feel free when they express their opinions via the Internet. It is possible to write a response anonymously. It gives the possibility to express such thoughts that could be regarded as unacceptable in the society. Thus, the Internet provides individuals with the feeling of digital freedom.

Nevertheless, there are adverse sides of online communication as well. Some scientists believe that the online communication is nothing but the illusion (Matusitz 2007). Virtual communities can never replace real as far as they lack such features of the human intercourse as touches, facial expressions, gestures, smells, and other non-verbal signs. One more disadvantage of the online communication refers to the fact that there is no moral obligation.

Thus, it is easy to deceive people about one’s beliefs, interests, or even gender. People who have bad social skills or are lonely often start to communicate via the Internet. However, Kim, LaRose, and Peng have demonstrated that such an escape from reality impedes the situation and deepens the feeling of loneliness and psychological dissatisfaction (Kim, LaRose, & Peng 2009).

Remarks and Recommendations

The Internet aids communication in a variety of ways. First, it is a useful tool that allows people to stay connected regardless of their location. The Internet facilitates the process of globalization. Representatives from various communities, religious and political groups become closer to each other.

The Internet erases the barriers during intercourses that exist in real life. The most significant thing is that the Internet allows individuals to express their opinions anonymously. This practice is of great significance for those who do not like to be judged and attract attention.

At the same time, the Internet can worsen the effectiveness of communication. Not all people follow the rules of morality while communicating via the Internet. Besides, the communication may lead to the increasing feeling of loneliness. These are the most significant remarks concerning the Internet communication.

Further studies should evaluate the impact of the Internet on the communication in various settings. Besides, it can be used to examine the level of self-satisfaction among people who prefer virtual communication. One more concern relates to the notion of literacy of the Internet usage. There are assumptions that people are not attentive to mistakes in online communication, and that leads to the improper level of literacy in other types of writing.

Conclusion

Human communication has numerous forms. Verbal types of communication can be realized with the help of the Internet. There are different forms of the Internet communication including one-to-one messaging, online calls, and video games. The methods for human communication changed drastically.

Thus, the drums and smoke were the first ways of transmitting information. The rapid growth of the Internet commenced in the previous century. In a few decades, it became one of the most popular forms of communication. Although there are several concerns about the online communication, the Internet makes communication democratic, open, and unites people.

Reference List

Barett, J., Types of Internet Communication. Web.

From Smoke Signals to Smartphones, 2014. Web.

Kim, J., LaRose, R. & Peng, W. 2009, ‘Loneliness as the Cause and the Effect of Problematic Internet Use’, CyberPsychology & Behavior, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 451-456.

Matusitz, J. 2007, ‘The Implications of the Internet for Human Communication’, Journal of Information Technology Impact, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 21-34.

Mehta, P. 2014, 8 Ways the “Internet of Things” Will Impact Your Everyday Life. Web.

Methods to Communicate Over Internet. Web.

O’Neil, M. 2013, From Pigeons to Twitter: The Evolution of Communication. Web.

Sarvaiya, M. 2013, Human Communication, Amazon Publishing, Seattle.

Thill, J. & Bovee, C. 2013, Excellence in Business Communication, Pearson, Upper Saddle River.

Tsatsou, P. 2014, Internet Studies: Part, Present, and Future Directions, Ashgate Publishing, Farnham.

Zimmerman, K. 2012, Internet History Timeline. Web.

Click Here To Order Now!