Introduction
Development is the act of maximizing a country’s output by utilizing the existing resources. Mass media plays a significant role in the development communication. It transmits information, provides an environment for dialogues, educates and builds harmony, ensuring the steadiness of a country. Development is a practice that attempts to change the economic environment by tackling economic modules (BBC news 2012).
This essay will discuss the role of ICT in communication and the mass media’s impact on it.
Development of communication
The correct utilization of communication can cultivate the swiftness and course of development as explained by various communications, economists, psychologists, and sociologists. Communication, according to many researchers, means the interaction between two or more people in a society. For a communication to take place, certain aspects or requirements have to be met. These aspects are the source of information, data or figures, the means of communication, and the recipients of the information.
However, in development communication, the objective of communication is to manipulate the actions of people interacting in order to achieve positive and preferred goals, essential for the gain of the whole community. The audiences are expected to act in a manner preferred by the information or message foundation (Baishakhi 2011).
Development communication has been used to create public and economic progress of the people in the underdeveloped countries. It signifies the ability of the mass media ultimately to develop and advance the living standards of the people both in the cities and in rural areas. Development communication describes a loom to interactions that create information to society. The individuals in the community as the recipients use the information to improve their living conditions.
Development communications focus in creating civic programmers and making regulations genuine, and significant (BBC media action 2012). Mass information has to be adopted in a certain manner as an element of society improvement that seeks to tackle sequential requirements. This is meant to improve the living standards of the individuals in society (Choudhury 2011).
Development communications require a certain form of changes in order to improve the performance of societal groups. Altering information and acquaintances do not automatically transform into changes in performance. It is indispensable to comprehend the reasons for individuals’ behavior and recognize the challenges to adaptation of revolution and innovative performances.
It is essential to comprehend individual’s challenges in adopting change rather than just raising the responsiveness of the remuneration of development communication (Dhanshri 2011).
Significant communication entails gathering information from the respondents, paying attention to their reactions and responding accordingly. It is necessary for people to engage in discussing innovations or wider financial fields ranging from the rural improvement to concealed region development, fiscal reorganization or legal transformation.
This helps in creating consent by improving communal indulgent and generating a conformed agreement between the group members. A well-structured communication curriculum, which is specifically linked to the reorganizational forces, or improvement agendas, formulate the comparison between the failure and success of the plan (Jinadasa 2011).
Roles of ICT in Communication
Development communication plays two major roles; the socializing role and the transforming role. Transforming role is essential for social changes thus the improvement of the living standards of the people. On the other hand, socializing role seeks to maintain the values of the people. Development communication plays these roles in order to provide an innovative culture and build a revolutionized environment (Choudhury 2011).
Modern technologies in the media play a key role in the improvement of communication between people. It also secures the advancements in the way individuals obtain information globally and attribute the level of indoctrination. Modern mass media technologies provide advanced communication processes. It has played a key role in generating a vast and efficient media structure.
The community can build a profound insurgency in the management and production of media by becoming conscious to management and presentation of the mass media by some organizations, by adopting different foundations of media, and by intriguing measures to issue information and innovative ideas that contain a digital construction apparatus, software and autonomous propellers (Baishakhi 2011).
The gradual advancements in the internal carrying capacity or the RAM and microprocessor of computers promise a stable boost in computer accessibility and acquisition.
Improvement in storage capacity of computers has helped to boost the likelihood and attractiveness to acquire and accumulate data, amusement and various categories of essential data and substance in a digital form. This process has made it easier to reprocess, recycle, operate, and gather the components of the consumer through an array of electronic resources.
On the other hand, a consistent and stable improvement in telecommunication bandwidth has been encouraged by the vast employment of the wireless technologies. The implementation of satellites and fiber optic cables has helped enhance interaction between individuals all over the world through the Internet. The distribution of news through Internet is cost-effective. In the late 1980’s, the propagated technologies meant a vibrant era of modernization outlay and augmentation (Baishakhi 2011).
The incorporation of media communication and digital insurgency has been attributed by the emergence of convergence. The uprising aim to build a dynamic modification in the association between individuals and segments of the community. The change in digitization has ensured equity and equality among everyone. Sovereignty belongs to everyone and not only those who afford as previously assumed (Choudhury 2011).
Various promising articulations have been propagated about the possibility of the modern technologies and worldwide social networks to build financial prospects in both developed and underdeveloped nations. This is done by raising awareness to the natives and making their institutions reactive, fair and instilling innovation on the available resources. This will help improve the lives of the people. Development in Communication has been a significant measure in combating the levels of deficiency (Baishakhi 2011).
Development in communications has been embraced by use of forces to control a vast series of technologies such as televisions, radio, mobile phones and computers to fight deficiency and diseases, and improving the living standards of humans in the underdeveloped nations by raising awareness in institutions such as marketing, and financial sector.
Accessibility of worldwide understanding and information offer extraordinary measures to combat tribulations that led to the emergence of deficiencies such as food crisis and diseases. Many hospitals in the underdeveloped countries do not have access to proper health and technical research.
The emergence of modern technologies has helped various institutions such as the agricultural and scientific sectors. The agricultural researchers would be equipped with paramount knowledge about crop diseases, weeds and pests, seedlings and fertilizer. Managers in various departments would be able to control ordinary possessions and react to ecological hazards because they can supervise the problems (Baishakhi 2011).
The emergence of refined information and communication technologies has led to the establishments of modern innovation techniques and improved diffusion of the mass media.
The development of communication has improved the mass media sector through the implementation of the Internet, mobile phones and creation of ideas to increase the penetration of information at the ground and uppermost levels of management. In upcountry setting, technologies such as telecasters have been implemented to shore up rural-urban improvements both in the financial and communal scope (Choudhury 2011).
The cultural, technological, and economic factors ought to be considered before adopting the information communication technologies. In the underdeveloped countries, an implementation of these information communication technologies is costly. Many people cannot afford the implementation requirements of both the software and hardware apparatus.
For example to install the Internet, various expensive components are required. The cost of connecting and accessing the Internet charged by the service providers remains an issue to many people especially in the developing nations (Dhanshri 2011).
Mass Media and Its Influence on ICT
The end of the twentieth century marked the beginning of involvement of various institutional organs to improve information and communication technologies. Changes in the elements of communication technology, regulations and institutional advancements have been witnessed.
Modern information technologies such as fiber optic cables, social networks, satellites and mobile phones have led to significant revolutions in the global community. Hardware elements, governmental structures and communal ethics by which components of an environment gather and interact, make up the communication technology. Information flows from one to two or more people.
A response is instantaneous and often abundant. The information is frequently full of social and expressive ethics. Media allow the transmission of information from an individual or a group of people to many audiences. Unlike in the Internet, various kinds of hardware elements are drawn in the interaction. Responses are partial and deferred, and low communal expressive information is witnessed (Ghoshi 2011).
ICT and Rural Development
ICT is the implementation and use of creative techniques and measures to aid information and communication technologies in the rural areas. The propagation in ICT is adopted by many people in order to present applicable facts and services to the agricultural stakeholders. Through ICT, farmers in the rural areas are taught new techniques of farming. ICT has also played a key role in aiding provision of services for medication, improving literacy, and improving crop output through marketing of farm produce (Jinadasa 2011).
BBC Media Action has helped improve the quality of life in some rural areas of India. It has created a “360-degree” scheme, which is one-on-one. The Mass media seeks to create society change through ICT and innovative schemes. BBC Media Action has created new cell phone services, training modules and an online customer care that provides relevant materials to society. Radio programmes and television adverts educate about family planning (BBC Media Action 2012).
After India gaining independence, need to improve the living standard of people in the rural areas were projected. Radio was the best way to cause social changes. In early 1957, the All India Radio (AIR) sensitized the people about the importance of radio in the rural. This project did not last. Between 1976 and 1977, Satellite Instructional Television (SITE) was advanced. The objective of the project was to educate the people living in the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa (Ghosh 2011).
The Indian government later implemented community radio broadcasting. This was meant to educate people on academic, agricultural, pollution, and medical issues. In late 2006, the Indian government allowed non-governmental organizations to manage radio stations.
Both the government and NGOs have eliminated innovation challenges by adopting revolution plans in the rural areas. Kiosks’ projects such as “Bhoomi” helped in land matters, “E-Seva” enhanced rates payments and computer aided administration of registration department (CARD) is used for electronic bill settlements. ICT is used by the craftswomen to market their products (Ghosh 2011).
Conclusion
The urban areas have witnessed various means of mass media, which has significantly, improved the living standards of the people. In rural areas, different ICT advancements have led to the enhancement of institutions. ICT has led to the enhancement of modern innovations that have improved the economical and social revolutions benefiting both the overdeveloped and underdeveloped nations.
Mass media plays a significant role in development communication because it transmits information, provides an environment for dialogues, educates, and builds a harmony for the steadiness of a country.
References
Baishakhi, N 2011, ‘Mass media and ICT in development communication: comparison & convergence’, Global Media Journal, Vol. 2 no. 2, pp. 1-29.
BBC media action, 2012, Tackling maternal and child health in Bihar. Web.
BBC news, 2012, Indian broadcasting is flourishing and TV and radio outlets are proliferating. Web.
Choudhury, P 2011, ‘Media in development communication’, Global Media Journal, Vol. 2 no. 2, pp.1-13.
Dhanshri, M 2011, ‘Recent trends of print media in development communication’, Global Media Journal, Vol. 2 no. 2, pp.1-20.
Ghosh, A 2011, ‘Initiatives in ICT for rural development: an Indian perspective’, Global Media Journal, Vol. 2 no. 2, pp.1-8.
Jinadasa, W 2011, ‘Community development programmes and folk-media: a communication model for Sri Lankan rural society’, Global Media Journal, Vol. 2 no. 2, pp.1-16.