I find it so fascinating to read in detail about the different processes of communication. In my own life, it feels like such an ingrained ability and people communicate without seeming to have a second thought about it. I do not usually comprehend the scale with which communication has grown and changed over the centuries. Thinking back on the history of communication, shifting from the "talking era" to the "manuscript era" and comparing it to where we are now, with social media and global mass communication is a staggering thought.

Intrapersonal communication (the way you talk to yourself in your mind) is a form of communication that I have always thought to be incredibly important. Ever sense I was a child, I have always had a "think before I do" mentality and it has carried through to adulthood. It has helped me in many situation to reason through problems in my head and avoid conflict and confusion with others. it also plays a huge role in how we see ourselves and the world around us. Learning to communicate with yourself kindly and productively, plays a key role in how we communicate to others.

Mass communication, especially on the scale that we are witnessing it today, is such a double edged sword. The ability to project information into society rapidly and in easily accessible ways can be a great benefit, as is the case with amber alerts, which help to increase public vigilance on a large scale. A major drawback with mass communication as I see it, comes with people that have little regard for its ethical use. The ability to spread highly palatable and sometimes subtle information that can sway the way in which we think, act, and feel, perhaps without even being aware, means that society as a whole must be hyper aware of the media they are consuming.