Industrialization and POLITICAL COMMUNICATION

By Prof Dr. Sohail Ansari

Conceived and worded by Prof DR Sohail Ansari (originality of concepts and originality of words).

He believes that there can never be a zero scope for improvement and appreciates criticism if it is not for the sake of criticism.

Pervasiveness of political communication underlines the continuing need to understand reasons that not only brought political communication at the first place but also kept it at the very heart of the process of dynamic change in our political culture.

Industrialization marked a watershed in human’s history. Job beckoned multitude of people; and as people gravitated to where the industries were, cities sprang up. In industrialized societies, people had imperfect information about the problems and people who could solve them. In contrast, a small scale community had no need for media advertising; because the sources of solutions (tribal chiefs) were nearby and word-of-mouth communication was adequate to enlighten and galvanize people: familiar problems were solved by familiar people.

The coming of a market industrial society introduced a radical change. For the first time, the majority of the population was surrounded by problems occurred in settings that were no longer familiar, although initially most problems resembled those at home.

But gradually the consumer society became flooded with problems that could not be solved by the inhabitants’ unaided senses and intellect alone. As unfamiliar problems appeared, political communication stepped in to establish link between problems and their solvers; for people either had no information regarding issues like global warming or no idea how to resolve unemployment and corruption issues. Through political advertising; political marketing; and political debates; candidate marketed themselves and competed to prove better.

In industrial societies, therefore, all components of political communication have become almost the only vehicles of communication between leaders and voters. Regarded superficially, political communication promotes, justifies and condemns parties and leaders. Looked in depth, the ways in which messages are presented in political ads; political rhetoric; political debate; political news and in political language reach deeply into our most serious concerns: interpersonal and family relations, the sense of happiness and content; the fading away or dilution of cultural traditions; the economy of country; personal or provincial autonomy; and many others.