Organizations, politicians and individuals communicate in ways that they each understand which works to perfection when it comes to maintaining self-understanding and identity. But problems arise when their need is to create a community which is what communication is all about (commune = being together); Common participation (in danish there is that fantastic word “sam-tale”).
In the daily danish newspaper Information reporter Toke Lykkeberg Nielsen writes about sociologist Jean-Louis Missika, who among other things describe how french politicians communicate through the channels and media that they themselves understand and know. But in doing so they do not reach the students and younger generations whom they are really in need of reaching. The youth don’t read the same newspapers and they don’t see the same conventional tv-programs but participate in their own (virtual) conversations which the politicians in return don’t know of.
Excerpt from article in Information:
“…Vi har en regering, der annoncerer på fjernsynet, at man vil reformere arbejdskontrakten til gunst for de unge. Men de unge hører det ikke. De ser ikke tv. De læser ikke de store aviser. De forbruger internet. De hører musik i radioen og informerer sig gennem gratisaviserne,” forklarer Missika.
De voksne og politikerne befinder sig i en verden. De unge og de studerende i en anden. Det, der forbinder de to universer er studenterforeninger og unge politikerne, der er fjendtligt stemte over for regeringen. Budskabet når ikke blot de unge for sent. Det når også frem i en anden form, hvor reformen tager sig ud som et overgreb på ungdommen:
“Der er ingen koordinering mellem de to verdener. De voksne fortsætter med at kommunikere gennem deres medie. Premierministeren går på tv for at forsvare reformen. De unge åbner 10.000 blogge om CPE’en,” siger Missika og henviser til en artikel, han netop er faldet over. …”
The question is, do you want to learn how you can communicate across borders of age, culture and understanding or will you call the newspaper you read yourself and book another full page?
