Communication model example

A good example of the communication model in my own experiences is when I use online search engines. In this example, I am the sender and the search engine is the receiver. I input a search (the message) and the search engine receives and interprets the message through the medium of the Internet. The search engine then formulates a response based on my message and now becomes the sender. It sends out the search results (feedback). I am now the receiver. I look at the feedback and choose a result that fits my search. The process then repeats every time I select a new search result.

I feel the most significant element of this example is the fact that one half of the model is a piece of technology. This is a different situation since normally technology is used as the medium. Now it is what I am speaking to instead of what i'm speaking through. The search engine has a seemingly infinite amount of knowledge to use when interpreting my message. It uses the Internet as its medium, so it can access any pieces of data that might be useful to me. As a result, the "feedback" given to me by the search engine is much more diverse than any human could give me.

This can also be a disadvantage to the effectiveness of the model. The search engine is not a human being. Therefore, it cannot interpret the hidden meanings in the message that are a result of the complexities of the English language. Words or phrases may have multiple meanings and the search engine may not realize which meaning to follow. This results in feedback that has nothing to do with what I was searching for in the first place. I feel this is important in the development of communication in our current society. Today, our society is becoming more reliant on using technology to communicate. We feel it is easier and less complicated to use these pieces of technology than to communicate face to face. Although the technology may be easier, it has the same issues as the search engine example. There is no way for technology to duplicate face to face conversation. It is impossible for this technology, no matter how much information it can access, to accurately represent all the meanings in our messages like we could in person. We must realize that technology cannot be our only form of communication. There will be times when using a search engine to answer a question, or using a piece of technology to talk to someone is the best way. However, there will always be a need for face to face communication in our society.