Media and Information Languages

Explain the quote  “Language is a source of misunderstanding”.

Despite our usual notion that language is a form of communication that would help individuals understand each other easily, there are instances that language can be confusing and its users would have different interpretations, hence being the source of misunderstanding. For instance, a certain word can have different connotations that can be inferred by an individual or another.

Does the user’s own background/experience affect the interpretation of the message?

Yes. The user's background or experience can affect the interpretation of a message. This is what we call as "schema theory" which relates the user's background or past knowledge of a specific topic to the piece of information received by him or her. The user will connect his previous knowledge to the idea and can affect the interpretation of the message itself. For instance, a doctor's opinion about death would be different from a politician's perspective.

Is it possible that a different individual derives a different meaning from the message? Explain.

Yes. As aforementioned, we have what we call as "schema theory" which relates the individual's previous knowledge or idea of a specific topic to the piece of information he or she claims. This does not only apply to a user sharing information, but also to an individual receiving one. For instance, when discussing the war on drugs by the Duterte administration, this would give a positive connotation to the middle class called the bourgeoisie since they would benefit from it, but from a perspective of the proletariat, or the working class, this would bring bad news.

POLITICIAN SCENARIO

If you will be a reporter, are you going to use the conventional way of how the each media will broadcast the given scenario?

As a person with an active imagination, I would not tolerate such orthodox or conventional manners of broadcasting media. Having new or unorthodox ways of broadcasting would help the viewers grasp the concepts or ideas that I would like to share. Since we have a variety of information, it would take different manners in order for the average viewer to understand an idea. If we condone to using conventional ways, not only would it make broadcasting dull, but it would also affect how the viewers attain information.

What will you do to not make your report boring? Elaborate your answer.

As a creative person, adding short sketches and interactive means could lift the spirits of the audience. Depending on the type of information, and on the medium used, I would use references like quotes, inspirations, and more, from different ideas formed in popular culture. An example would be the reporter in the United Kingdom who used movie references like Star Wars to deliver the weather report. If possible, the utilization of memes would even further lighten up the mood since we all know that memes are the currency of popular and new media.

Would you exaggerate some elements in your report to make it interesting? Why?

I think it would depend on the type of information that I would report. For instance, if a certain piece of information would require statistics, exaggerating elements would not be a good idea and could elicit a different interpretation from the audience. However, in some cases like popular culture, exaggerating some elements could help in delivering the news in a more interactive manner, which would be easier to understand in the perspective of the average viewer.

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