Communication challenges

In 2020, environmental thought leader and celebrity Sir David Attenborough made his Instagram debut. Known for his work as an author, presenter, and filmmaker, Attenborough was 94 years old when he signed up to the social media platform for the first time. Within an hour of his first post he had more than 200,000 followers, with the numbers swelling to 1.2 million later that day, according to the BBC.

Attenborough used his first social media post to make a powerful statement about what communication means in times of crisis. He was referring specifically to climate change, but his words have broader resonance. “Saving our planet”, he said, “is now a communications challenge”.

Of course, science data has shown for decades that the “world is in trouble”, as Attenborough phrased it in his post. A global failure to act on climate change is often attributed to communication breakdown – an inability to explain the problem, to make it relevant, to move audiences sufficiently, to make people care; an inability to deal with increasing volumes of misinformation and competing viewpoints about an unequivocal scientific fact.

But climate change is not the only “communication challenge” we face in the early decades of the 21st century. In the fields of health, science, politics, and social justice – and beyond – experts, leaders, and other stakeholders struggle to communicate with diverse audiences about complex, multifaceted problems.

The COVID-19 pandemic was also a communication challenge. In a similar vein to Attenborough, António Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, stated during the pandemic that “good communication saves lives”. At the time, scientists, health professionals, political leaders, and organisations like the WHO were desperately trying to provide citizens with clear, accurate information about the virus and the protection measures needed to minimise loss of life, but they were hampered by competing claims, falsities, ambiguities, uncertainties, and cultural barriers.

Communication is also of vital concern in times of international conflict and war. During the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, ongoing as of the time of writing, it has never been clearer that access to accurate information is a human right. In Gaza, digital channels are being used to share warnings and evacuation orders, but they are also being used to spread misinformation and to incite discrimination and fear. In October and November 2023, the citizens of Gaza experienced communication blackouts due to lack of fuel and damage to telecommunications infrastructure. According to the CDAC Network (2023), the impacts of these blackouts were catastrophic and multifaceted: individuals couldn’t access critical information or contact loved ones; aid agencies could not coordinate assistance; media coverage could not be relied upon.

Regardless of whether we are talking about climate, COVID, war, or the countless other global issues that mark our current moment in time, these “communication challenges” are compounded by misinformation, polarisation, and the speed at which information circulates today. In the digital age there has been a proliferation of the platforms, channels, devices, and tools that enable all of us, as citizens, to share our thoughts and connect with others – and yet it is becoming harder and harder to be heard. Today’s media landscape is often described as cluttered, crowded, or saturated. Audiences, in turn, are said to be distracted, time-poor, and plagued by information overload. The people who know how to reach these elusive audiences are those who can craft their messages effectively and who understand the intricacies of an increasingly complex media landscape – and such people are valued across a variety of fields, industries, and professions.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

This is a book about communication and it has been written at a time when “communication challenges” abound. It considers communication to be both an object of academic scholarship and a practical endeavour undertaken by diverse actors with a plethora of motivations, often in urgent and vital contexts. In the chapters ahead, we’ll explore the various ways in which communication matters, with four fundamental ideas in mind:

1. Communication is a process, not a thing.
2. Communication is the process by which meaning is shared, negotiated, and contested.
3. Communication also shapes meaning, and in so doing, it shapes action.
4. Communication is deeply entangled with social issues, power, and everyday life.

When Attenborough made his record-breaking post on Instagram, he was cognisant of these four fundamental ideas. This is not surprising: he is a successful, globally recognised communicator with over seven decades of experience. But what does this example really show us? It shows us that communication is not, and has never been, separate from other spheres of study, professional practice, or personal experience. Indeed, communication is a skill that is required in almost all professional, personal, and scholarly settings today.

And communication flows like an undercurrent beneath all social issues, enabling or impeding social change. Meanwhile, the vast majority of professional communicators are spending more time navigating societal issues than ever before (USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations 2022). Communication can change the world, but the shifting textures of the world are themselves reshaping communication.

So let’s dive in, and explore what communication means – and how it means – and why it matters.