Communication is life

..in fact it is pivotal to life. Perhaps communication could even form part of a definition of life, because things that do not communicate do not live either.. In our ‘developed’ society, the methods, tools and techniques of communication have developed too. We now have an astonishing array of specialised communication, which supports our way of life.

Sadly the biggest users of communication are also often the biggest abusers of communication.

Governments and big business have sponsored the development of communications thinking through the employment of advertising, PR and other communications agencies. These agencies have developed techniques for helping their paymasters conceal or invert the unacceptable to persuade us, the buying and voting public to accept and even support things that poison us and disempower us. All too often the voice of truth and the voice of caring has been drowned out by the deafening blare of self-interested corporations and governments. The tools of sophisticated communication have, until recently, been expensive.

Mass media was inaccessible to all but the very rich and distribution of magazines and news papers for example is controlled by a very few who exploit their position. The Internet has propagated an amazing democratisation of media. Everyone now has, at least theoretically, access to a global audience of millions. This has already lead to a tremendous shift of power and the signs are that it will contribute to a genuine change. The anti-war protest marches of the 15 February 2003 could not possibly have been organised on such a global scale with out the Internet. However, theoretical access to the audience does not mean that your message will be heard or taken seriously. Far too many important and positive messages and initiatives are blighted by the lack of skill with which they are projected because although the access is there, the techniques of communication are not always available.

The Internet makes a mass audience available to us all. Web site authoring software and desk top design and publishing tools makes the creation of fairly basic web sites, brochures or newsletters easy. You can blog by simply sending an email

Unfortunately the accessibility of the audience and the availability of the tools does not turn all of us into great designers, copywriters or coders. Most designers, copywriters and coders still work in agencies for the corporate world designing clever communications. For many of us the tragedy is that these brilliant adverts, copy lines and web sites are themselves just pollution, pushing products which are just more pollution.

Wouldn’t it be great to turn that model around and apply the creative brilliance of the communications industry to promoting the positive projects, products and services that are out there?

We need to change our society to a more sustainable and less damaging model.

And if this is to happen we all have to give up the idea of individual success and wealth for a much broader sense of community and societal success and wealth for all without being at the expense of other cohabitants of our planet.

Use your communication skills wisely and for the good of all.