Ease of communication in the modern world has become a disruptive influence
From the spoken language to the television everything comes under communication and the media therein is growing faster and faster. Communication includes the modes of transports as well. From the good old bullock cart to the Boeing 747 which is a super flying giant, there is a variety of communication depending on the nature of the country and the raw materials available. The people in a desert area may still use the camel for transport whereas in the icy tundra the Eskimo may depend on the sledge drawn by the reindeer. Communication facilitates easy movement and the spread of knowledge. Let us consider these two aspects separately.
Now looking at communication, meaning mode of transport, man has made a tremendous headway. It has made movement of men and goods from one place to another very, very easy. No two points on earth can be said to be of any great distance. With the coming of the jet plane globe trotting is no more a dream. One can have his breakfast in Singapore, lunch in Tokyo, evening tea in San Francisco, dinner in New York and wake up the next morning in London. So what took nearly months of travel has been reduced to a few hours. So too with the movement of goods. Important medicines are flown across continents in urgent cases. Goods which are not too heavy are air lifted, for example fresh flowers are being flown daily to distant markets and cities, all over the world.
The automobile with its different versions has become ubiquitous and is a good competitor with the train. Wherever there is a road the motor car goes,. But for the omnibus, the life in a city would become awful. For a few pieces of copper or nickel one is able to travel fairly long distances to Ns place of business and back. The movement of goods in lorries has grown very popular. Because of its mobility, the automobile is indeed a blessing to man.
The railway train and the ship continue to serve though they have lost their glamour. It is not steam that gives the motive force. The oil has taken its place and thereby speed and efficiency have been added. The diesel-electric engines have a mighty pulling power and so long distance express trains now use them on their lines. Big ships are still used for hauling oil, food grains, machinery and timber. Where bulk is involved in transit, the railway train or the ship is the answer.
Coming to the communication of news and ideas, the radio and the television stands top ahead of the others. The radio works round the clock and so news is updated every hour. Television is used more for entertainment and to some extent in education.
Though the radio and the television are in the field they cannot oust the newspaper easily. The newspaper is rightly called the fourth estate. The newspaper is not simply a news media but is also the shaper of views. The morning paper is as much welcome as one’s morning cup of coffee. In the list of vehicles of communication, books have a respectable place. From the time man learnt to picture his ideas and give them shape in writing, books have been moulding men’s thoughts and actions. There is no denying the fact that books have been silent companions and moulders of men. Examples are not wanting where a controversial single book has upset a whole nation. The film again is a powerful mass media of communication. It brings about audio and visual impressions.
So far the good aspects of modes of communication have been discussed. While their advantages easily out-weigh their bad influences, the latter are too powerful to be brushed aside. A few points would make it clear. The airplane, for instance, is used for spying. The bad influence of books on young minds is only too well known. The radio is often used for party purposes and to corrupt people. The television is not at all a blessing for the horror films shown very often have such a demoralizing effect on the teenagers. The automobile with its poisonous exhaust is polluting the atmosphere. The newspapers are not always fair and when they indulge in giving a banner headline for some sensational news they become the tools of disruption. The frenzy of a people is often whipped up by newspaper and this is not unusual.
Nevertheless one should not hasten to conclude communication is disruptive. True they have got influence. Some of them are good influences and some are too corrupt. One thing can be said without the fear of being contradicted and that is modem communication has helped to drive away ignorance.
