What Is a Mass Medium? Part 2

Barriers to Communication

Communication is not always smooth and clear. There are many reasons for this. They are identified as barriers to communication. Barriers are difficulties or obstacles that come in the way of communication. They may be physical, mechanical, psychological, cultural or linguistic in nature.

Physical barriers

There may be a competing stimulus present in the form of another conversation or a loud noise in the background etc.

Environmental stress in the form heat, humidity, poor ventilation etc. can cause distress and come in the way of effective communication.

Ill health, disturbed condition can cause subjective stress and obstruct communication.

Ignorance of the medium in itself can be a big barrier. If the receiver is not familiar with the medium through which the messages or content is communicated, then the medium itself can become a barrier.

Psychological barriers

Each of us has ' a frame of reference' of our own. It is a kind of window through which we look at the events, people, situations and the world at large. Our frames of references are influenced by our upbringing, experiences, cultural environment in which we grow up. However, as we grow up and mature and acquire experience we develop a range of diverse references.

Self Image

Closely linked to the 'frame of reference' is the concept of self image. We as individuals and as communities have our own mental pictures or self images of who and what we are. We tend to be defensive about them and accept messages that boost up our self image, but tend to reject the ones that challenge or threaten our self image. The result us then we receive communication selectively.

Resistance to change

"The risk of being changed is one of the most frightening prospects many of us can face." [Carl Rogers]. The ideas, thoughts or message that seek to convince us of the need to change are the ones we quite often resist.

Defensiveness and fear

The resistance to change breeds defensiveness of who we are and what we are and shuts off any critical look at ourselves. So, we tend to rationalize the mistakes, the opinions and even prejudices held by us. There is the fear of feeling insecure.

Linguistic and cultural barriers

A language is the expression of the thoughts and experiences of a people in terms of their cultural environment. Each language shapes the reasoning of its speakers. Languages outside their own sphere of birth and growth, take on different dimensions and create different hierarchies and structures. English for example, functions in entirely different contexts in UK and India. Each of us enriched and at the same time limited by our own language.

Mechanical barriers

Deficiencies of signal reception, interference by other signals., poor audio-visual quality, inefficient receiving apparatus mar our experiences while listening to radio, talking on the telephone or while watching TV. This can affect the quality of communication and in severe cases interrupts and disrupts the process completely.