American Dreams: Ambiguity of Enhanced Communication

The role that symbols play in communication, specifically in media, is undeniably integral.
In order to communicate effectively we must construct a message that can be readily interpreted by the recipient. The continual advent of new technology allows these messages to assume a myriad of forms beyond traditional correspondence and conversation to include anything from tweets to videos. New technology has facilitates our ability to share information and ideas in greater detail as we have progressed from communicating critical information via dots and dashes to expressing opinions in the form of YouTube videos and Facebook posts. While having a significantly greater number of mediums at our disposal has allowed us to share more complex thoughts and ideas, the increased variables involved in communication have ensured divergent translation of the same communication.

As the moving image has become an indispensible component of modern communication and media it has contributed to the increased complexity of communication. Enhancing the recipient’s sensory experience though film, television, and the Internet has introduced non-verbal communication as an essential component to the translation of a message. Movement, body language, clothing, color, and lighting are among a range of non-elements that can directly manipulate the interpretation of a presented message. Suits have become symbolic of power and affluence, while the American flag and the red, white, and blue conjure feelings of patriotism, and national unity. The complimentary effect of verbal communication and visual symbolism can provide clarity and facilitate the unpacking and translation of a message. However, while the addition of visual enhancements can certainly clarify communication, it can also alter its meaning or distort an argument opening it up to numerous translations of the same message.

The consequence of visual aspects of communication is most apparent in the news media and film. While most us would detect impending doom in a film as the lighting dims and the soundtrack intensifies, a recipient’s translation of such symbols and ability to correlate the various components involved may not always be the sender’s intended message.
An individual’s interpretation of symbols is deeply rooted in infinite factors including, but not limited to personal experience, culture, nationality, and identity. The recipient’s process of unpacking and reconstructing the various components of a message is directly impacted by these personal variables.

For instance, I would like you to watch this music video with the sounded MUTED. What do you think the theme of the song is? What do you think the lyrics could be? Where did this artist originate? How does the video make you feel?

After watching the muted video, play it back and compare what your interpretation of the video’s message with what you believe the message to be based upon the lyrics. Even after combining the visual and auditory elements of the video are any of our interpretations the same as the artist’s intended message? Answering that question requires research into the sender’s background and personal history, but even then we still can’t be certain of the intended message unless the sender deconstructs the message further into less complex forms of communication. So while the incorporation of additional elements of messages has made communication much richer it has also made it more ambiguous and thus more difficult to translate correctly.

While artistic expression is an abstract form of communication that incorporates tone and thematic elements that may be absent in hard news media, nonetheless it illustrates how we each interpret minute or significant details to construct our own definitions, our own interpretations, and our reality.