What Are the Benefits of Communication Technology?

Communication technology has helped to make the communication process more convenient and easier. Electronic communication--like faxes, text messages, email, and social networking websites--are all examples of communication technology. Organizations utilize electronic communication in day-to-day operations while people personally use communication technology to strengthen social lives.

Accessibility

By making communication more convenient, communication technology has helped to make communication more accessible, especially long-distance communication. Through various computer-mediated communication methods--communication done through the use of a computer, such as email, instant messages, and social networking websites--you can easily and instantly communicate with people in other cities, states and countries. This is vastly different from early forms of long-distance communication. Early forms of long-distance communication included the use of homing pigeons and/or runners to carry a message to its destination. How long a message would take before reaching its destination depended on the distance between the person sending the message and the person receiving the message.

Mass Communication

Organizations, like schools and businesses, use electronic communication to share information with a large number of people. Businesses can send mass emails to employees in order to inform workers about things like rule changes and important meetings. Many academic institutions use mass communication in order to maintain a well informed campus.

In case of an emergency, such as a spreading fire or presence of an armed assailant, mass communication can quickly inform people of the situation, giving enough notice to allow people to take the necessary actions to stay safe.

Social Relief

Computer-mediated communication can be socially beneficial. For people who are socially awkward, computer-mediated communication such as online forums and chat rooms can help create a more fulfilling social life. For example, someone who fails at personal relationships because he speaks before thinking about the consequences has more control with Internet communication. He can read back his statements before posting, which will likely reduce the number of awkward moments the person creates.

Communication technology offers other benefits, as well. Dating websites, for instance, can relieve some of the frustration involved with dating by allowing you to view the profiles of potential dates so you can determine who is the best match for you. This can save you both time and heartbreak.