Technology is volatile, hence a progressive thing. It keeps on changing and rapidly moving forward. We have reached a point where instant communication anywhere in the world is a possibility. We are witnessing the pinnacle of globalization, and no one knows what else is to come. Nevertheless, technology has positively impacted the sector of communication in numerous ways. The following points are indicative of the fact of how advancement in technology aids in improving communication.
Technology and advances in communication are changing our world. Let’s see how technology has improved communication.
How Does Technology Improve Communication in Daily Life
1. Better Interaction
Communication is instant now. It is how technology has affected communication in the modern world. We were expected to wait for several days and even months to receive a reply from the other side in earlier times. This modern era has eliminated this requirement. Technology has come up with new ways of communication; online means being the most prevalent one. It is common to meet people of different cultures and communities on online forums and instantly communicate with them. Chat rooms and discussion forums enable people to meet each other without having to be there in person. This has given them much more flexibility when it comes to dealing with social anxiety. Online relationships are now becoming a social norm. Social media platforms Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc., are examples of how communication has changed. It allows people to connect with anyone globally. It also allows people to show their skills and creativity to the whole world. Some people also use the platforms to voice their opinions and raise concerns over a specific issue; sometimes, they can read the news, get informed, and learn different skills online. It has also enabled students to study online and communicate with their teachers without going anywhere. In our previous article, you can read more about how technology has changed education.
2. Speed
Speed is clearly the biggest improvement communication has experienced through technology. Modern communication is instant. You receive the message the other is trying to convey within milliseconds. Wireless signals, satellites, undersea cables, and other advanced technology helps communication by ensuring instant messages and other forms of data to any location on the planet. It also means the user doesn’t have to be physically present at specific places like the post office or mail room. Instead, he can send the message from the comfort of his home or anywhere his phone finds a signal. Initially, users sometimes faced problems sending and receiving messages via mobile phones. But as the technology improved, internet speed/strength also increased with time and still improving every day. Even people in remote areas are connected with the world. People are virtually connected, which is a result of improved communication systems.
3. Reliability
Electronically transmitting these messages is much more reliable than using physical letters. Chatting apps are a norm now, which eliminates the possibility of an error happening in the transmission. As long as data lines are secure, you can rely on your device to convey the message on the other side. However, it can get hindered due to glitches and errors from weather conditions or human faults. There is one risk of hackers trying to steal data and information shared on communication platforms. However, most messaging platforms like WhatsApp come with end-to-end encryption, making it hard for the developers to decrypt them.
4. Easy Self Service
Another example of technology improving communication includes easy self-service. It allows customers to order products using voice commands on IoT quickly. They can also try out the products using augmented reality without interacting with company associates and employees. Most information and queries related to products and services are available easily on the company’s website. The customer can seek an answer by visiting the forum or knowledge base on the website. Some companies also provide video tutorials, articles, walkthrough guides, onboarding emails, etc.
How Technology Has Affected Communication in Business
5. Reach A Larger Audience
Communication mediums these days have also impacted the corporate sector. Businesses are continually availing technology to improve the productivity and creativity of their employees. A large part of online communication is done publicly through social media. Internet access can allow businesses to reach a wide audience sector, enabling them to market their products more effectively. The online platforms have also helped companies save a large amount of money invested in a television commercial. The companies can now invest in smaller ads that show up on different video platforms like YouTube. They have to pay smaller amounts for these short videos. Alternatively, they can create their official creative pages and accounts on various social media platforms and organically reach the audience. Businesses and the media sector can now communicate their urgent or emergency messages with immediate effect. It has minimized the possibility of delays. Technology helps communication and media advertisements to reach a larger audience.
6. Marketing
Technology improves communication and is improving rapidly every day. Smartphone users have been increasing and have now marked 3.8 million users in 2021, as stated by Statista. If a company wants to reach this audience and beat its competitor, it can’t rely on a traditional marketing way. The competition in marketing has increased significantly, given the number of methods available to reach the target audience. Some trending ways include SMS marketing, paid Facebook and YouTube ads, email marketing, app ads, Google ads, banner ads, game ads, full-screen/interstitial ads, and sticky ads. Companies must keep with the trend and regularly update messaging strategies due to constant technology and advertisement changes. Technology has allowed companies to understand how certain tones appeal to different groups of people. Hence, it has changed the way the company communicates with its audience. Popular appeals that people appreciate include humor, personal, sexual, romantic, fear, musical, beauty, adventure, and emotional.
7. Public Relations
Public Relations managers are professionals who maintain a company’s or individual’s public image. The accessibility of the Internet and social media platforms has made the maintenance of public relations more challenging. The reputed companies and celebrities are usually more vulnerable to the public. People can instantly share anything done by them by clicking pictures, shooting videos, taking screenshots, and uploading it on the Internet. The social media platforms make these viral shots accessible to everyone. Additionally, people can quickly post their views and discuss companies and celebrities independently. It makes them more susceptible to negative sentiments. These challenges brought by the Internet and technology makes public relation managers work even harder. They have to learn the ways to communicate with the audience to maintain and earn a client. Some of their tasks include:
Interaction with customers via social media channels and customer service Management of negative complaints and feedback on different platforms Research and creation of media for targeted market Management of press mentions and press itself
You can learn about the advantages and disadvantages of social media marketing.
8. Remote Work
With the quick advancements in technology, we can say now almost everyone carries a smartphone or a computer. It gives an advantage where the employees can use their personal devices to improve their in-office work or work from home. Given this factor, many companies have now implemented policies allowing employees to bring their own device or use it to work remotely. It can increase productivity by giving employees access to work from any location. However, this feature comes with some disadvantages, such as the risk of data breaches and information security. If the company implements this policy, it must prepare the IT department/vendor and the management team to review and manage employees’ devices. Nevertheless, it can prevent security risks and unauthorized access to the company’s secrets. With regular devices audits, the company can successfully use personal technology and benefit itself.
9. Workplace Communication
Technology improving communication tools which are making collaboration between the employees more comfortable. Opportunity for teamwork and cooperation has become seamless given different features offered by various platforms like video chatting, presentation making, and other SaaS programs. Technology helps communication along with increasing employees’ productivity, efficiency, and morale. Read the points below to know how technology has improved communication:
Screen Sharing: This feature allows team members and employees to share screens. They can also teach each other how to do a task accurately and conduct remote online meetings. Video Chat: This feature allows users to connect and communicate with clients and others irrespective of location or time. It also allows the company to stay in touch with people working remotely. Cloud-based systems: These systems allow employees to upload a document or file to one location for others to access it anytime and anywhere. It also removes the burden of sending a printed file to every person, which consumes more time. Tablets: These devices are easy to carry while traveling and visiting, plus allow the user to pull up documents any time and take notes quickly. Social media: Professional platforms like Linkedin allow users to connect with their peers, share work, seek new employees, and build strong useful connections.
10. Automated Communication
Automated communication can help small companies and entrepreneurs level up with any large company. This feature is significant for a company or startup when it lacks resources and time to communicate with its customers. Using automated communication can significantly boost a company’s productivity. The company can use these features in two ways –
Email Automated Communication: Email automation can prove to be a huge time-saver for small companies or startups. Some tools can help the company automate by sending invitation reminders deliveries on special occasions (like birthdays), sending a series of onboarding emails, re-arranging subscribers, and chasing an empty cart. Social Media Automated Communication: Some tools can help companies automate communication on social media platforms as well. These tools can automatically filter conversations by asking a series of questions and directing the query to the right person. Automation can also help quickly resolve customers’ queries, issues, and complaints.
Disadvantages of Communication Technology
Technology improves communication in many ways. Despite all advantages, it has brought some drawbacks as well. It can become a hindrance to effective communication.
Information overload: It happens when information is shared at a much faster rate than it can be processed. Combining small messages in one message can decrease information overload by using the right communication platform. It ensures that the critical message isn’t lost in the mix of other communications. Non-Verbal Communication: When we communicate physically, or face-to-face with others, our body language, tone of voice, and expressions help reinforce the message. But the same is missing while communicating on instant messaging platforms. Laziness: Technology improving communication, but it also encourages laziness. The ability to talk with anyone while present anywhere is making people lazy. Sometimes, users use the electronic communication method to talk with others in the same room or house.
Conclusion
Technology is an ever-evolving concept. History indicates that technology has been continually expanding, which is highly beneficial for better communication. However, claiming that communication is at its highest peak can be a wrong statement. Every other day a new form of the messaging application comes into existence. This article clearly shows that there is a larger room for improvement. Let us know your views on how technology has improved communication.
