Are We There Yet?

Communication has been with us since the beginning of, well, us. Even though in those early days we may not have had the ability to write or possess any kind of formal language, communicating among early man existed. Nevertheless, by the time the twentieth century rolled around, of course, our ability to communicate had become more sophisticated and global thanks, in no small way, to our intellectual prowess. From person to person, we were better connecting with each other, and in a more public, national and even international way we exchanging thoughts and information in a much more widespread way.

Despite this progress, by the year 1900 no greater thinkers or scholars of the day had put forth any formal theories as to how or why communication worked. But as that century unfolded, so, too, did serious public thought on communication. On the heels of the first textbook on public relations, Crystallizing Public Opinion by Edward Bernays in 1923, a floodgate of theories began that continues to this day. The Magic Bullet Theory, the Two-Step Theory, the N-Step Theory, Diffusion Theory, the Agenda-Setting Hypothesis, the Elaboration Likelihood Model, the Expectancy Value Theory and the Mutual Adjustment Theory are among the many that scholars and practitioners have articulated in an ongoing quest to get a better handle on communication.       

With all that, do we finally understanding this thing called communication? Have we finally reached the point where we can all agree that we finally get it, so now we can move on to determining how best to be good at it? For me, at least, I like to think we have but then I look around at myself and how far too many public figures in the news seem to be misfiring with each other and I think maybe - just maybe - we have not quite gotten the hang of the workings of communication after all. So, are we there yet? Sadly, I think not. But we are making progress, so that, at least, is a good thing.