Transmission - Ritual and New Media

Running head: TRANSMISSION - RITUAL AND NEW MEDIA
Transmission – Ritual and New Media
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1Transmission – Ritual and New Media
Media and communication are a very important area of study since the origin of the
concept of Media. Therefore, in the following essay the concept of New Media and its
influences upon the traditional models of communication have been discussed.
Media is, as illustrated in the dictionary is a form of mass communication that
especially involves newspapers, television, radio and other forms of communication. It is
viewed to be making our everyday mundane world more significant. Sociologists have
viewed media as information and perception forming one’s thoughts and experiences and
shaping one’s worldview. Couldry, (2013) have viewed media as a tool that illustrates and
highlights the smallest details of everyday human action and relate with the large society of
which we are a part. The singular form of media is referred to as the medium through which
information and details are exchanged and these medium include radio, newspapers,
television, computers, mobile phones, blogs, books, magazine and the like. Media provides a
link between the public and the society and it includes a ‘convergence of three senses’
(Campbell, Martin & Fabos, 2018). First, it is regarded as the intermediate agency, secondly,
it involves sound processes of technology and thirdly, it has a deep rooted capitalist approach
within this. However, the forms of media have changed over time and a digital revolution has
taken place marking the advancement in the technology (Parikka, 2013). However, since
media is viewed as a form of communication, therefore it has a profound influence on the
communication pattern of the society.
Communication is referred to the interpersonal interaction pattern and association. It
is also viewed as the transmission of information and data through verbal, non-verbal or print
mode (Jensen, 2013). There are two traditional forms or models of communication, the
transmission model and the ritual model. The transmission model of communication refers to
the linear system referring to the intentional mode of sending message. It includes a
communication encounter with the receiver being the target point and does not necessarily

2Transmission – Ritual and New Media
talk about whether or not the receiver has successfully decoded the information. It only
focuses upon the information delivering process (McQuail, 2013). The basic form of example
of this type of communication model is the radio media. The announcer is more focused upon
sharing or announcing or spreading a piece of information or knowledge that is to be decoded
but does not really get to know or bother to know whether or not the listeners on the receiving
end, have successfully decoded the message (McQuail & Sven, 2015). The model emphasizes
upon effectiveness of the information and clarity of the process and considers the hindrances
that may come in the way of delivering the message, and Noise is one of the most important
and troubling barrier in case of this particular model. However, this is especially true again,
for the radio medium, since it is the responsibility of the announcer to reach the message
successfully. In case of the radio medium, the semantic Noise is considered to be the most
impending one. Semantic Noise refers to the noise, created while encoding and transmitting
the information. That is, it refers to then technological hindrances that occur during the
transmitting process (Galleoti, Ghiglino & Squintani, 2013). This has often seen to be
problematic in case of transmitting information to the listeners.
Another form of communication is the ritual model of communication that is
considered to be the most primary and basic form of communication prevalent mostly in the
traditional societies. Another name of the ritual view is Ceremony and the participants in this
model of communication are only participants and are not senders or receivers. In this mode
of communication, the focus is more on the knowledge and information being shared or
delivered and forms of association, participation and having a similar kind of belief system,
are encouraged and practised (Watson & Hill, 2015). A simple example of ritual mode of
communication is, going to the church. People often go to the church and are poured with
knowledge. The participants do not play the role of sender or receiver, they are just
participants in a process of praying, reading, clapping and sharing together. However, this