What is Communication?

What is communication?

According to Julia T. Wood, author of Communication in Our Lives, it "is a systemic process in which people interact with and through symbols to create and interpret meanings."  What does this definition mean?  By breaking it down into four key words Wood helps you better understand just exactly what she means.  The first key word is PROCESS.  Communication is a process, meaning that it is a series of events, not a thing.  An event is ever-changing and never stagnant.   The second word she uses is SYSTEMIC, meaning that the parts that are ever-changing work together and effect each other.  SYMBOLS, the third key word in the definition, are things that represent other things.  Some examples she gives are language, both verbal and nonverbal, art, and music.  MEANING, which is the last, but not least, key element of communication, is the literal and related form of expression.  In communication, the literal words being used can be interpreted differently by way of the underlying relationships between the people executing the communication.  So, what is communication, you ask?   By looking at the four elements of communication, we can gather that communication is a series of ever-changing events that affect one another.  It is executed by way of exchanging symbols that can be interpreted both literally and figuratively by the receivers of the information.  People use communication everyday.  Think for a moment about how very often you interact with anyone.  Every instance uses communication.  This is the way we relate to one another! If we were without communication, the world would be without any type of sync.  All beings would be in their own little universe, never exchanging a thought, a word, a look.... How very lonely we would be.  Humans constantly communicate.  Lack of communication has even been proven to cripple the psychology of human development.  It is as necessary as water, food, and shelter.  Could you live in solitary?