Defining Communication Within Sociological Contexts

“Man is a social animal”-Aristotle. No individual can live in vacuum. Communication is the basic need of the society. The dire needs of an individual living in a society are met through communication. To communicate, to put across the feelings and emotions is the necessity. Man lives in the society by observing and by interacting with everything around him. In the process he makes affiliations and connections. He also makes an identity for himself, this identity makes him feel satisfied and secure. Living in society, he understands himself and the others, it results in social groupings and social formations based on various needs and requirements. The chapter puts light on the communication and processes of communication within the sociological contexts. How social interactions, social lineages and social standings lead to weave the social fabric in the society. In the diversified society interactions cut across the vertical and horizontal lines based on caste, creed, religion, language and geography. Social interactions on these lines are much more traversed today due to the presence of digital media and especially social media, where any interactions in one remote corner of the world easily get affiliated and aligned to people living in faraway unacquainted settings. The chapter puts emphasis on the theories on Sociological Communication Studies along with the importance of interdisciplinary approaches which prepare the base for ramifications and understanding the phenomenon as a whole. Social action and interaction lead to making of media narratives and perception of reality. It is reflected in propaganda, advocacy, advertising, and public relations to push the narratives and perceptions that tilt in one way or the other. The chapter decodes the aspects of Identity, Language, Symbols, and Cultural penetrations in society. Communication is the basis for the Social Learning and Adaptation and creating knowledge based society. These learnings and adaptions are passed onto from one generation to another in the form and social knowledge. It is the social knowledge that keeps the society alive for ages. The chapter is a comprehensive study to understand the sociological underpinnings in relation to communication.