Words matter

Communication is a social interaction and a process. We communicate with many different individuals and groups in the course of a day and the language we use to convey messages varies from situation to situation. For example, the words used to communicate with children may not be the same words used to communicate with a work supervisor, even though the message might be the same in both cases. The urgency of the message often dictates the words we use. Talking about the temperature outdoors on a hot day would probably not be the same as that used to prevent a child from burning themselves on a hot stove. Some social interactions require what we know as ‘small talk’, while other situations require in-depth discussion and explanation.

The words used to convey messages are important. Language, vocabulary, syntax, length and complexity are among the variables people consider when creating a message. Specific words can be chosen to promote a specific outcome. Positive words tend to evoke a positive reaction. On the flipside, negative words often provoke a negative response. Words can evoke a wide variety of emotions from fear to pity to amusement. Words can be targeted to a specific demographic or to an individual, depending on the purpose of the message. A message whose purpose is to tell a breaking news story is different from a message whose purpose is to convince the reader/hearer/viewer to purchase a product.

In the early days of printing, typesetting was a tedious, time-consuming process. The process tended to limit the length of the message, especially for time-sensitive information. Printing equipment was bulky and expensive, therefore limiting the number of people producing printed information. Literacy was not universal, limiting the audience for printed materials. These limitations tended to produce slow news or communications containing only the most essential details.

As technology advanced, the printing process was standardized and eventually automated, allowing the printing process to be accomplished quickly. This allowed more information and more types of information to be produced at a lower cost and with more speed. In turn, this meant that more materials could be printed and sold/distributed. The availability of more printed materials provided an incentive to increase literacy in the general population. As a larger literate population purchased more printed materials, it made commercial applications of printing profitable.