Difference Between Communication and Mass Communication

The significant difference between communication and mass communication shows that communication involves the real exchange of information or news. In contrast, mass communication consists of communicating a message or news via mass media to a massive audience. Communication is the basis of every social interaction and the foundation of a society. The primary characteristic of having good or bad interpersonal associations in society involves communication. Communication is a physical sensation of life, beginning with the scream of a baby, and nobody can bypass it. Those who bypass it will likely cause complications for themselves and others.

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What is Communication?

Communication is described as conveying a message from one individual, location, or group to another. Every example of communication possesses at least a sender, the receiver, and the message. Essentially, the sender encodes the information in a suitable communication medium while the receiver decodes and understands it. However, this transmission can be influenced by several things, including emotions, the channel used to send the information, information present condition, and more. Also, the singular method of communication shows the act of communicating, while the plural form of communication has to do with the media or the standards of communication. A message can be conveyed in two patterns, which include verbal and nonverbal communication. Verbal communication has to do with speech, while nonverbal has to do with writing. There are various patterns of communication, oral, which is spoken; nonverbal, which are gestures and body language; and written and visualization, which has to do with charts and graphics. We should often reduce misinterpretation and obstacles or disruptions at every communication status. Inadequate communication, the communicator comprehends the audience, the individual is fit to choose the best communication medium, and the individual encodes the information to the receiver, ensuring no misinterpretations. Also, if it involves more than one receiver, the opportunity of misinterpreting and needing to understand the information becomes higher. Choosing a communication medium is also essential since there are various communication medium that also has to do with face-to-face interactions, text messages, the internet, phone calls, and more.

What is Mass Communication?

Mass communication involves the procedures of conveying messages to a massive population using a different collection of media technologies. Commonly, in mass communication, the sender of the information is usually an individual from a media organization, and the receiver is a massive audience. The audience may be far, mixed, and variants in size regarding the channel and the information. Another feature of mass communication is that it is profit-driven, and the reactions or feedbacks are very restricted. Also, due to the independent nature of mass communication, participants are not as well available during the transmission of information. Through developed technology, mass communication is closer to individuals at a quick pace. Internet, newspapers, television, photographs, social media, news, and radio are structures of mass communication we view today. When mass communication was needed worldwide, areas such as journalism, public relations, and publishing also advanced with time.