Communication in Educational -- Priestley\'s Paradox Introduction

COMMUNICATION IN EDUCATIONAL -- PRIESTLEY'S PARADOX

Introduction to Priestley's Paradox

According to Priestley's Paradox, there may be an inverse relationship between the quality of communications and the complexity and variety of modern methods of communication (Hodge 1993, 4; Eunson 2008, 17). More specifically, Priestley suggested that the richest and most effective means of communications is the process of face-to-face verbal communication between two individuals. Every additional variable, such as adding more individuals to the communications chain or introducing artificial technological mechanism necessarily reduces the quality and accuracy of the communications process. In principle, therefore, direct face-to-face communications between two people is more effective than direct, face-to-face communications among larger groups of individuals. Likewise, face-to-face communications are preferable to telephonic communications, written communications, and other forms of remote communications (Hodge 1993, 6; Eunson 2008, 18).

Applying Priestley's Paradox to the Educational Environment

Priestley's Paradox is more relevant to the contemporary educational environment than it may ever have been previously. In previous eras of modern education, students and instructors communicated almost exclusively in person (Allen 2004, 70). Today, email has become the predominant means through which students communicate with instructors; moreover, other forms of written communications that rely on computer technology dominate communications among and between students as well. On one hand, there are definite advantages to modern communications technology in the higher education environment; on the other hand, there are also trade-offs in terms of the quality of some of those communications (Allen 2004, 72-3).

For example, the typical college student maintains regular communications channels with a much wider variety of individuals than his or her counterpart a generation or two ago. Previously, college students maintained direct communications with other students at the same institution and indirect contact (such as by telephone or traditional letter mail) with family and close friends at home. Today, the typical student maintains a much larger network of primary social contacts via computer and Internet technology, relying on applications such as instant messaging, MySpace, FaceBook, and Twitter to connect with individuals who are not attending the same institution and who may be hundreds or thousands of miles away. With respect to remote friends and acquaintances, those types of communications capabilities likely increase the quality and quantity of communications that would be possible without them (Allen 2004, 80).

However, in terms of the communication dynamic within the immediate college environment, Priestley's Paradox may apply (Hodge 1993, 121; Eunson 2008, 43). Specifically, in many cases, indirect communications media have come to replace face-to-face communications rather than supplementing it. The two principal negative consequences are that artificial communications omit crucial elements of communications that human beings evolved to facilitate the most accurate transmission of ideas possible. Without access to facial gestures and other physical components of human communications, exchanges are much more susceptible to error and miscommunication (Eunson 2008, 51).