Electronic Communication

The term e-communication has been widely used since the setting free of information technology
at the early phase of the beginning of the new millennium. Now-a-days modern means of
technology are used widely in communicating with other parties. The use of computer devices
has eased and sped up the communication takes place with the help of electronic devices like
computer and other means, it is called e-communication. It is mainly based on computer and
other electronic devices.

ACCORDING TO BOVEE & OTHERS, “ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS THE

TRANSMISSION OF INFORMATION USING ADVANCED TECHNIQUES SUCH AS
COMPUTER MODEMS, FACSIMILE MACHINES, VOICE MAIL, ELECTRONIC MAIL,
TELECONFERENCING, VIDEO-CASSETTES AND PRIVATE TELEVISION NETWORK.”

In general, it can be said that E-communication means the communication system where
information is conveyed by the use of the devices of information technology.

E-communication, or electronic communication, refers to the transfer of writing, signals,

data, sounds, images, signs or intelligence sent via an electronic device. Some examples of e-
communication are email, text messages, social media messaging and image sharing.
E-communication is a common form of interaction for many people. The use of e-
communication allows people to interact in different ways and combine many forms of media in
the process. E-communication makes it easy to interact with groups through chat interfaces or
video conferencing. Companies use electronic communications to enhance their business and
avoid obstacles, such as long-distance communication with their clients or partners.
Electronic communication can be described as the modern pattern of communication through
which information; messages and files are shared and transmitted via mobile phones, telephones,
computers, internet and other electronic gadgets over the electromagnetic networks.
Electronics communication has opened the scope for people to establish a close conversation
with their friends and loved ones while sharing pictures, videos, and audios via the electronics
devices. People can work, buy, sell and have massive access to global news and information via
electronic communication.
 Importance of Electronic Communication
Electronic communication plays an important role in modern business and society. One cannot
think of passing modern life and managing modern businesses without electronic
communication. It allows the amalgamation of several media, such as data, graphics, video, and
sound, into one message. Devices such as cell phones with mobile communication technology
and portable laptops enable people to stay in touch with friends and co-workers at all times.
Some points are mentioned below highlighting the significance of this communication:

 Quick transmission of information:

The greatest advantage of electronic communication is the quick transmission of information.
With the help of electronic media, one can send information to a distant receiver just within a
few seconds. It requires only a few seconds to converse through electronic media because it
supports swift transmission.
 Communicating a large volume of information:
People can send a large volume of information with the help of electronic devices. Through e-
mail, one can attach writings of hundred pages easily.  Due to the advancement of electronic
media, business managers can effortlessly manage operation transversely the world. Video or
teleconferencing e-mail and mobile communication are helping managers in this observe.
 Wide coverage:
Through this communication, one can transmit information to many receivers who are located in
different places. With the help of electronic devices like satellite, people conquered distance and
the whole world has now turned into a global village. The world has become a global village and
communication around the globe requires a second only.
 Lowering communication cost:
Electronic communication not only saves time but also money. This communication such as e-
mail requires less cost than the traditional means of posting a letter. Electronic communication
saves time and money. For example, Text SMS is cheaper than the usual letter.
 Making an instant business decision:
With the help of electronic communication, managers can take instant or quick decisions. With a
click of the computer, they can obtain information at any time from anywhere in the world. This
helps in making a quick decision and ensures better management of the business.
 Easy preservation of information:
Electronic devices can store a huge volume of information that can be used in the time of need.
Electronic communication allows the immediate exchange of feedback. So communication
becomes great using electronic media. As a result, the use of manual files is decreasing day by
day.
 Communication with distant people:
Electronic communication provides the opportunity for interactive communication with distant
people. Video conferencing, for example, allows interactive communication even though the
participants are geographically dispersed. This lets you work and go online in communal
locations, such as trains and in cafes, and has enabled people to keep away from traveling long
distances to work from home. It saves travel cost, time and energy.

Finally, we can conclude that the benefits of this communication know no bounds. With the
contribution of electronic communication, the world has turned into a single global village. This
communication is convenient and generally instantaneous. It dispenses with the requirement to
mail or fax documents that can be securely backed up online or on portable electronic devices to
guard alongside loss or theft. Due to the rapid advancement of electronic communication, global
trade and investment activities have attained a momentum. In a sense, the modern world is the
gift of modem communication technologies.

Media or Types of Electronic Communication

With the revolutionary development of information technology, the world is becoming smaller
and people staying at any corner are well-capable of communicating with others, whatever the
distance is people and organizations use different modern devices of communication technology.
Some widely used electronic communication technologies or media of electronic
communication are discussed below-
 Telephone: The most commonly and most widely used electronic device of
communication is telephone. With its invention in 1876 by Graham Bell, a German scientist, the
human civilization moved to a new era. By telephone, people can transmit information orally
within a minute. Recently-developed satellite telephoning system has added new dimension in
telecommunication system. In most of the cases, it is the easiest and less expensive way of
 communicating distance people. Now-a-days, the development and diffuse of cellular or mobile
phone have been an expected euphoria to all of us. Definitely it is becoming extremely popular.
 Telex: Telex is an important device of modern communication technology. Under this
system, a tele-printer is used by which information can be communicated form one place to
another with the help of a machine. The tele-printer consists of two parts keyboard transmitter
and receiver. When a message is to be sent, the typist presses a button, waits for the dial tone,
dials the number desired and types the massage. The message is typed on a small strip of paper at
the receiver’s end as it is typed in the originating office. This is one of the quickest and most
accurate methods of exchanging written messages.
 Facsimile or Fax: The use of fax a gradually increasing for transmitting visual materials
such as picture, diagrams, illustrations etc. here, the fax machine is connected with a telephonic.
The document to be transmitted is fed through the machine, then it is electronically scanned and
signals are transmitted to the receiving end where an identical copy of the document is
reproduced on a bland sheet of paper by the receiving machine. The fax machine has made it
possible to send copies of important documents including certificates, testimonials, degrees,
agreements; contracts etc. form one place to another at the speed of a telephone call. For this
reason, it is universally used method of communication.
 Electronic Mail or E-Mail: E-mail is one of the most widely used and most popular
methods of modern communication system. E-mail involves sending message via
telecommunicating links. Here two computer terminals are connected together on network to
transfer messages from one to another. The message is typed on a computer screen at one end
and is conveyed to the other end through electric impulses. The receiver can easily get the
message by opening his mailbox in his computer. Because of its various advantages, now-a-days,
e-mail is used by the organizations for internal as well as external communication.
 Voice Mail or V-Mail: Voice mail is a form of e-mail. It is used to send the voice of the
sender instead of sending written massage to the receiver. The mechanism of sending message
here is almost same as in case of e-mail. It is useful to communicate with the original voice tone
of the sender.
 Tele-Text: Tele-Text is an electronic device of broadcasting written massages through
television. Tele-text is widely used to present strict and concise information when it is to be sent
to a large number of audiences at a time. Business reports, stock market or exchange reports,
 weather reports etc are useful to present through tele-text.
 Video-text: Video-text is a device of collecting and storing information. Here
information is collected by using telecommunication network and is broadcasted to the audience
like the tele-text. Important massage or information or report can be preserved by videotext.
 Teleconferencing: Under teleconferencing system people staying at different places can
hold talks or meetings over telephone. Here everyone involved in the meeting is able to hear
each other and can share information with one another as if they were all placed in one room. It
can save both money and time of the executives.
 Videoconferencing: Videoconferencing is the latest version of teleconferencing system.
Under this method people can meet and work together without being gathered in one room. They
can hear and see each other over the television or video screen and can share information with
one another. Now-a-days multinational companies use videoconferencing method as a widely
used means of communication in order to keep touch with the executives staying miles away
from the head office. It also saves money and time of high officials.
 Word Processor: A word processor in an electronic device where a computer is
combined with a typewriter. It can greatly simplify the job of written communication. Typing
skill, basic computer literacy and word processing software are essential for using a word
processor. The operator of a word processor can easily edit the text, give it the desired format
and insert or delete words phrase or sentences wherever he likes. It is a very useful medium of
modern communication technology as it provides some important advantages.
 Internet: Internet is the latest and most amazing development that has changed the way
of live regarding communication. It is the world’s largest computer network linked together by
telephone lines, radio links or satellite links. Internet can be used for multipurpose functions. It
can be used for sending e-mail, for advertisement, for teleconferencing, for telephoning and so
on.
 Multimedia: Multimedia is an excellent invention for upgrading the communication
system. Multimedia is a combination of many media brought together to transfer messages.
These media can include graphics, photo, music, voice, text and animation. When all of these
elements are placed together or computer screen, they become multimedia. It can be effectively
used for advertising and publicity campaigns. It is very powerful means of communication.
From the above discussion it is clear that the modern communication devices have given a new
shape in the entire information communication system. Whatever new device is developed, the
main objective behind it is to expedite communication and to save cost. It can be imagined that
some unimaginable inventions may take place in future to add newer dimension to
communication system.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Electronic Communication

There are so many advantages of electronic communication but it doesn’t negate the fact that it
also has its own inherent disadvantages.

Advantages of Electronics Communication

Electronic communication offers enormous benefits which are very useful to both the young and
the old across the world. Itemized below are five of the top advantages of electronic
communication.
Speedy communication
Electronic communication is very fast. It offers users the opportunity to message and share
information, multimedia messages and other information files within a blink. Instant messaging
is very beneficial as people can now get information on the go. The quickness of important
information can save lives and properties. Electronic Communication is very useful in security.
You can use it as a means to create awareness about danger and people will be on the know
within a matter of seconds.
Health-wise, people with impromptu and unplanned health problems can be saved from death
with the help of quick information transmission.

Mobility in information transfer

Electronics communication involves the use of mobile devices such as phones, laptops and
tablets for communication. You can carry these devices around easily, hence the portability in
information and messaging. It makes it possible for people to stay in touch with their colleagues,
friends and family anywhere and anytime. This channel of communication is a very big booster
in the productivity of people who work online. They can do their jobs anywhere even when they
are on vacation, inside the train, on a bus and anywhere you can think of.
Access to visual, Audio and text communication
The collection of visuals, audio and textual messaging is known as multimedia. With electronic
communication, people can now share pictures, videos and audio to their colleagues, co-workers
and friends. Picture messages carry more details than just texts. Video adverts add a lot to every
advertisement projects and the overall number of Leads in the marketing campaign.
Even blind people and people with auditory disabilities can easily communicate via multimedia
messaging. This is one of the key advantages of electronic communication.

Ease of access and long term storage

Another advantage of electronic communication is that you can save any information you receive
or send easily for retrieval in future. The user can choose to store the messages temporarily or
permanently. He can decide to print or store in files or hard disks.
The stored information can easily be accessed and retrieved when needed. This has been very
helpful and has been reducing the cost of academic research as students and researchers now
have access to Millions of data and information.

It is cheap
Communication over electronic media is very cheap and economical. Messaging via mobile
devices can be done at little or no cost. Very important and urgent information can be
disseminated through text or phone calls. This eliminates the cost of transportation.

Disadvantages of Electronic Communication

As we mentioned earlier, electronic communication has its own cons. Let us see some of the
disadvantages of electronic communication together.

Security threats
This is clearly one of the major disadvantages of electronic communication. It gives room for
a cyber attack and other forms of computer security threat. The statistic shows that over 6,000
viruses are been created monthly. You can lose vital information to computer and internet
hackers… Also, Younger users and ignorant ones can be scammed online by internet thieves
who may impersonate reputable people or relatives of the victim.
 Distraction
Electronics communication involves instant messaging and the users are likely to check their
email messages and chats often. This causes intermittent distractions and interruptions even
when the person is working in the office. Also, research by a renowned psychiatrist Dr Glenn
Wilson shows that people who check their emails regularly during working hours are most likely
to suffer from a drop in intelligent quotient (IQ). According to him, the IQ of such persons drops
by 10 points and it has an equivalent effect as someone who did not sleep at night.

Addiction
One of the cons of electronics communication is addiction. To mobile devices, internet services,
social media chats are usually very compulsive as people spend so much time chatting with
friends. They check their messages regularly and quickly become used to it. Addiction to mobile
devices and social media is clearly one of the key disadvantages of electronic communication.

The high cost of development

The amount of money required to develop and maintain electronic communication media is
huge. There are daily technological advancements; hence there is a regular need for upgrade and
development of these devices to the latest versions. For instance, the cost of purchasing the latest
versions of electronic communication devices is usually very high.

Poor Legal Status

Most of the information and messaging via electronic communication devices lacks legal
authenticity and they look legally distorted. Emails and messaging are usually sieved by the
network protocols that might tamper with the information. Hence, the authenticity of the
information is usually doubtful.