Definition of Communication Discussion

communication is defined as “the process of generating meaning by sending and receiving verbal and nonverbal symbols and signs that are influenced by multiple contexts.” Obviously, this definition is strong. Still, every definition could be improved – we could make it stronger, more simple, more complex, more comprehensive, more precise, more creative, more ethical, more focused, and so on.

Here are a few other good definitions to ponder:

• James Carey defines it this way: “communication is a symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired, and transformed” (1989).
• John Fiske defines communication as “”social interaction through messages” (1990).
• Deanna Fassett, John T. Warren, and Keith Nainby suggest, “communication is the collaborative construction and negotiation of meaning between the self and others as it occurs within cultural contexts” (2018).
• Em Griffen says, “communication is the relational process of creating and interpreting messages that elicit a response” (2019).

Perhaps you are interested in a more particular approach. Robert Craig (1999) identifies how different traditions within the field theorize communication

• Rhetorical tradition – communication is the practical and persuasive art of discourse.
• Semiotic tradition – communication is the mediation by signs and symbols.
• Phenomenological tradition – communication is the experiencing of otherness through dialogue (an interplay of identity and difference) that sustains authentic human relationships.
• Cybernetic tradition – communication is information processing and explains how complex systems function and malfunction.
• Sociopsychological tradition – communication is a process of expression, interaction, and influence, or the process by which individuals interact and influence each other.
• Sociocultural tradition – communication is the process of producing and reproducing the social order (shared meanings and reality).
• Critical tradition – communication is discursive reflection, which is oriented to the achievement of mutual understanding through articulating, questioning, challenging, and transcending of assumptions that are untrue, dishonest, unjust, and subjugating.

Considering the definitions above, come up with your own definition of communication. In your initial post, provide your definition and explain why. How does your definition differ from the book’s definition? Why did you choose to define communication the way you did? What do we gain from your definition that the textbook definition may have lost?