Question 1
There are many ways in which technology has influenced the way we communicate as individuals. As stated in the readings, there is a unique way in which people behave when in a crowd and when they are individuals. The three poles of sociability have been affected with the use of technology. The poles of communication include crowds and people we influence or who influence us(Walsh and Gentile 34). Another pole of sociability is the non-verbal communication aspect that has been introduced into the web. The last pole is that of the way technology has played the mediation medium in the process of interaction. Before one has an influence to a crowd, there should be connections between the person(s) and the crowd. This process of getting this connection has been made easier and simpler with the use of technology(Lasn 34). The use of technology has changed the ways in which influence is gained. The process has been made shorter as with social networks, it is easier and simpler to address a crowd. The use of social networks like Facebook has enabled the influential in the society to pass their information at a faster rate. This has changed the way viral marketing is done. It is no longer family members and close friends who are targeted in reaching to new markets, but to a family of network friends. With the rise of social network sites like Facebook and Twitter, a family of friends is now possible. The process of gaining influence and gaining power to a crowd is changing with the use of technology. Viral marketing is traveling very fast. Viral marketing is no longer dependent on geographical distance between two individuals. It depends on the accessibility of technology. This is one positive advantage that comes with communications with the use of technology. The power of influence is enhanced(“Language and Persuasion” 23).
With technology, communication is more of task-oriented. This is because there are no cues that are represented with the use of communication in communicating. The emotional aspects of communication have diminished. The human brain is coined and wired to be able to recognize emotions while communicating. This is changing in the way communication is changing.
Another way in which technology has changed the way we communicate is that technology has been used as a platform that aids in communication. With this, there is much ease of persuasion. This is because groups are now easily formed. This is because the person communicating has time to respond and do research regarding the audience(Lasn 58).
The use of technology has affected the way social culture and learning is undertaken. One way in which this affected is the pace at which we learn has changed. With technology, we observe the way others communicate and learn from this. The pace is enhanced as technology enables wider audience.
Another positive culture that comes with this is that even for people with disabilities can now communicate. They now have a media with which they can air their views to many individuals.
Question 2
The response that we have over the society and the serious concerns is greatly influenced by television. One of the effects is that they change our emotions regarding some aspect of the society. After our emotions have been changed, it is easy to be persuaded to the way we act on some issues. This is a serious issue because this is how moral decadence has been enhanced with the use of television and advertising. The youth have been influenced to follow paths which are not good because of the influence of the media. The influence that we get after changing the emotions of someone is great. The adverts and television media change our emotions so that we are easily convinced to do things that we would not have done if we had our emotions intact(Cialdini 62).
Television and advertising have a great influence in which we relate to the society we live in because advertising create a taste of the products or personalities they are advertising. The advertisers design adverts in such a way that they change the emotional part of the brains. This way, they change the way we respond to the adverts. One our views about something have been changed, the societal view is also affected. Television and advertising has a lot of effects on the society because the material that has been included in the advertising and television media are designed so that people’s emotions are influenced. Given the fact that emotions are the most powerful and important aspects of advertising and influence, the results are enormous. Influence using emotions have enormous impact as most of the results are obtained when emotional manipulations are concerned. The influence that is achieved with the limbic part of the brain is greater than that obtained from other parts of the brain. This is an important aspect that has been captured by the advertisers and television marketers. This is the reason television and advertising have enormous power in the way we think(Lasn 112).
Works Cited
Cialdini, Robert. “The Science of Pursuasion.” Principles of Pursuasion. 2009. 70–75. Print.
“Language and Persuasion.” Principles of Pursuasion. Print.
Lasn, Kalle. “Mass Meetings.” Principles of Pursuasion. 2009. 51–69. Print.
---. “The Limbic System.” Principles of Pursuasion. 2009. Print.
---. “The Personal Zone.” Principles of Pursuasion. 2009. 111–137. Print.
Walsh, David, and Douglas Gentile. “Slipping Under the Radar: Advertising and the Mind.” World Health Organization 1.1 (2009): 1–5. Print.
