Response to Chapter 1 Reading

        Mass Communication is needed whenever a leader in charge of a large group must convey his/her ideas or goals to other group members. But to do so, the leader must be aware of both the constantly evolving technologies of today, as well as cultural diversities of his subordinates. Chapter 1 of this book describes the evolution of mass media technologies throughout the history of mankind as well as the cultural caste system developed in United States.
         The Modern media technologies have developed alarmingly fast ever since the beginning of the 20th century. From electronic telegraph of early 1900s  to ipad of today the media technology advanced too quickly for some people to catch up with the pace of technological evolution. Over a period of just 2 decades, internet and small electronics such as smartphones, ipod, ipad ,etc. revolutionized the ways people communicate with one another. Letters that would otherwise take days, weeks or even months to be delivered would now take only minutes to be sent to its recipients. It is important for the leader to be aware of such technological advances and modify his/her means of communication accordingly to ensure that the leader stays in touch with his/her group members. For example, if you are unable to use the online communication services such as facebook or Twitter, you will always lag behind the others and the lack of communication between you and other team members would be detrimental to the teamwork.
         Another important thing we need to learn from this chapter is "cultural tastes". So called "cultured elites of the society" have different cultural tastes from the middle class or the working class people. For example, some wealthy, educated people prefer to listen to classical music, read classic literature such as Shakespearean plays, and appreciate antique artworks made by Renaissance artists.  The leader must be aware of such cultural tastes to communicate with his/her group members effectively without offending them or making them disinterested.
        It is interesting to note just  how much consideration must be made for to effectively communicate with other group members. The leader must be willing to take advantage of both technologies and cultural backgrounds of his/her team members to consolidate the teamwork necessary to achieve the group's goals.