The explosion of technology has changed the mode and manner in which we communicate, said Stanford Ph.D. John Durham Peters, author of the book 'Speaking Into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication.'
Peters lectured on 'The Great Communication Switch' to BYU students and faculty Thursday, Jan. 10.
'We often embrace new media without thinking about them critically or their implications,' said Daniel Stout, associate professor of communications. 'Peters encourages a healthy skepticism about what's happening in the communication environment,' Stout said.
Peters explained in Thursday's lecture what he called 'the great communication switch.' Peters spoke to an audience of over three hundred faculty and students. He said mass communication is becoming more conversational, and interpersonal communication is becoming more mediated.
Peters said that forms of mass communication such as radio have switched to dialogue, in other words becoming more personal. In the same vein, he said that dialogue, or interpersonal communication has taken on the form of mass communication.
Peters received his doctoral degree from Stanford in 1986. He is currently an F. Wendell Miller Distinguished Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa.
Peters' 1999 book 'Speaking into the Air' was called by Publisher's Weekly ' a brave, colorful exploration of the hydra-headed problems presented by a rapid-fire popular culture.'
Kirkus Reviews also examined Peters' book and found it to be 'Original, erudite, and beautifully written,' and said that 'this book is a gem.'