January Blog Post

Humans want to be in control.  It is as simple as that.  However, what happens when each individual tries to take control?  Will it make our way of living run more smoothly?  No, probably not.  This is because, although we as mammals are aware that we are not the only living thing on Earth, we believe we should be at the top.  This goes for each individual human.  We each hold ourselves as most important in society.  This occurs because we are selfish.  It is just how we are.  With that, one sentence or fragment that really stood out to me was from Chapter 1, which states, “to explain what’s important about power, we have to address how communication and culture create power.  Power, we argue, is a productive tension resulting from our different locations within culture.”

Through changing both areas of study this last semester, major and minor, I have begun to notice there are many ties between communications and sociology.  This was not necessarily surprising to me, because both discuss ways of human interaction.  I began to notice myself making connections within those classes.  One connection was the descriptions of different cultures.  Without diving into it historically, I was still able to learn about these interactions, either within cultures or between.  An example that has been brought up in both classes is the evolution of technology.  First of all, it is obvious that even here in the United States, technology has basically become our lives.  Whether it is a form of education, or a description of an occupation, technology always seems to be included.  This can also relate to communications, because obviously, the rise of technology sparked numerous ways to communicate through such ways.  Technology may be one major example of ties between communications and sociology, but I believe one of the most important examples is power.

It can be concluded on reason why nations or societies are so diverse is because of the form of government in that region.  With the way the world is today, it can be concluded the government does run a nation or country, and it provides the rules and fundamentals of that nation.  With this, tension can also rise between nations.  One major example of this is the United States and North Korea.  More specifically, an explanation to this situation describes, “They are not a status quo power. They are not happy with the way the world is situated at this point” (Bell 2018).  Basically, this is a description of how unique most nations or countries are.  Finally, one concept that relates this piece to the topics discussed in class is the description of power.  It also helps show how competitive our species, and the selfishness behind it.

There is always a negative and positive to communication.  Of course, as humans, communication helps us get our point across in one way or another.  Having the ability to share a language with others around you makes communication much more important than it already is.  However, there are clearly some negative outcomes.  These could be language barriers, malfunctioning physical qualities, or society differences.  There are numerous examples that have happened in the news lately that can help describe these issues, such as the Olympics conflicts, citizen-to-government conflicts, and worldwide conflicts, such as the one mentioned above.  Overall, it can be determined communication can always help, even if it is just a little bit.  It is always easier in life if you are able to get your point across, and to make your voice be heard.

Bell, M. (2018, January 9). What do the North Koreans want? Retrieved February 01, 2018, from https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-01-09/what-do-north-koreans-want