Lualhati S. Angeles II

1|Page SHIFTS IN THE MEANING OF DEVCOM: AS AN ART AND SCIENCE, SCIENCE, AND A FORM “WITHOUT A STRUCTURE” by: LUALHATI S. ANGELES II Development communication ishad been defined at UP Los Banos as “the interaction of two social processes-development and communication-in any given environment”. The term was first defined as “the art and science of human communication applied to the speedy transformation of a country and the mass of its people from poverty to a dynamic state of economic growth that makes possible greater social equality and the larger fulfillment of the human potential” and is now described as “the science of human communication linked to the transitioning of communities from poverty in all its forms to a dynamic, overall growth that fosters equity and the unfolding of individual potential.” (Quebral, 2012). Formatted: Distributed The changes from the definition may have come from the need to update with the current role of development communication in thePhilippine society. From art and science, it has become a science. Art pertains to the aesthetic factor of communication. It is considered to be the 2|Page attention-getter for the intended audience in the process. However, the change from art and science to just science indicates that development communication does not have to incorporate art as primary method. However, this does not denote in development communication that the practitioner does not have to be creative. It focuses on the method (science) and not on the formalist aspect of art. As a science, development communication underscores changes to the process it has to go through when in practice. It involves the scientific method. It has theories and methods that can be used for development projects. Human communication is retained as to give importance and specify what aspect of communication is included in the definition. In the context of communication, it is very broad and it has many branches. To be specific, it gives direction to what development communication is. It is a communication that involves human beings, though the results do not just involve mankind. Development communication may go as far as affecting change that will benefit all creatures in the environment. However, the process involved in it is primarily human communication. Applied is a term which means “to cause, to have an effect or to be felt.” (www.merriamwebster.com) This implies that development communication is an outside force that needs to be implemented, or put into use onto a society. On the other hand, linked, as used in the revised definition of development communication, denotes that the change is a factor that is already present in the community, it should only be guided by a process that will lead the members of the community to identify what they need to develop, change or foster in order to achieve a goal. 3|Page Speedy transformation of a country and the mass of its people from poverty to a dynamic state of economic growth is changed to transitioning of communities from poverty in all its forms to a dynamic, over-all growth. First of all, transformation cannot be assured to be rapid all the time. Especially in matters of poverty and economic growth, it may take years, and even decades to be felt and experienced. Aiming to achieve change and development for a whole country and its masses could be the goal of development communication, but to incorporate it in the definition overlooks and overshadows the fact that change starts in a small scale. Thus, “communities” is used in the revision in order to describe more appropriately where the root of development is. Moreover, the term “economic growth” may not be appropriate for development communication. Scholars such as Escobar and Schramm stressed that development is not merely a comparison of statistics in the economy. One should not consider development as a goal attained when based on unreliable criteria imposed by the so-called “advanced” and “developed” countries. It has already been established that development involves an improvement of status and even positive change in the community. Thus, there is a progressive transition in a community where development communication takes place. It is not just measured by the numbers connected with GNP, nor the number of employed and unemployed members of society. Development communication aims to foster holistic and dynamic changes in the community itself. This debunks what development was thought of previously, that is has to achieve a certain economic growth. Poverty may not only concern financial factors. Changeable “poverty in all its forms” pertains to what falls short in a community. It may be lack 4|Page of skills, resources that are few, or even manpower that is not maximized. All these may be considered part of poverty, hence, poverty may take many forms. A “dynamic, overall growth” frees development communication from the chains of involving people only. It does not stop with what humans do and what man does. It involves a chain reaction that will take effect on the whole environment where the community belongs to, and if there is continuous ripple effect, it may even go beyond its initial goal. The people involved are not just the ones who grow in a development communication project. It may spread expansively, geographically speaking, or even go beyond to future generations. Its growth is dynamic, involving change. The initial stage of change in development communication may not conform to a specific pattern. Though it follows a process, being scientific, its results may still vary as well as the channel and the effect that takes place. The growth of a community may be attained in a method different from what was originally planned by the development communication practitioner. The “unfolding of human potential” is a phrase far more appropriate than fulfillment of human potential since we should not put a limit to what we can do. Fulfillment denotes something that has a limit. Once achieved, it is already complete. But when we use “unfolding”, it shows that the human potential may be endless. One discovery may lead to another and so on. Social equality vs equity. “Equality” was changed to “equity” on the latest definition of development communication. To make a comparison, equality is defined as “the quality or state of being equal: the quality of having the same rights, social status, etc.” (www.merriam- 5|Page webster.com). On the other hand, “equity” is defined as “fairness or justice in the way people are treated.” “Greater social equality” which pertains to a goal. This is a Eurocentric concept that was introduced to the “Third World” since it will ensure that those who are trying to achieve “development” would always work hard for it, but never really reach it. Even if we acknowledge the “developed-advanced” and “underdevelopedbehind” concepts, following the logical order of the cycle of improvement alone, those who are already “developed-advanced” would continue to progress. Thus, by the time those who are “underdeveloped-behind” catch up, those who are “developed-advanced” would have moved higher up the ranks. It will be a never-ending cycle of trying to catch up and efforts would be futile. “Human potential” focuses only on humankind with regards to results, which is not what development communication is all about. It does not only focus on the skills, the roles of human beings, or contributions of members of the society. On the other hand, individual potential pertains to a specific capability of a person. One person may have the capability that is different from the other members of the community, and yet this capability may be an asset to the needs of the group. Development communication aims to bring out this potential in the members of the community, for them to identify their purpose and part. Just as this paper have mentioned earlier, equality may never be achieved. Communities and even members of the communities will never become equal. One may have more wealth, while another may have a higher educational background. Even those who are of the same level of jobs may have different lifestyles. Thus, equality will be a futile goal for development 6|Page communication. But development communication evolves in attainability, and equality is not attainable in realistic terms. It is important in development communication to differentiate this from the start. One is not trying to make everyone rich, famous, or give everyone a happy life. In development communication, the goal is to be able to “rearrange” the lifestyle of the people so that they will be able to gain a more sustainable environment and community. The difference between the two may be simply explained by the illustration below: Source: http://interactioninstitute.org/illustrating -equality-vs-equity/ Thus, development communication involves a scientific method to allow the members of a community utilize available resources to their maximum potential towards a sustainable development that will improve the current status of the society they are part of to attain a fair and improved life. Development communication may be considered to be “a form without a structure.” Looking into what development communication is, it follows a scientific process. And yet, it 7|Page does not just stick to one structure. It changes as time changes, even as places change, with the people it involves. It is useless to say that one project may be applied to a different set of people, or a different community, or a different era. Development communication aims to teach members of the society on the notion that at the end, there will be improvement. However, since development communication has no structure, it thus must change its form as time goes by. The theories for development communication has changed from linear, going towards one direction in the post-World War II period. By 1964, Everett M. Rogers has introduced the Diffusion of Innovation Theory which had the following elements: the target population of the innovation, the innovation to be transmitted and the sources and communication channels (Gupta, 2015). Instead of just a linear model, this represented the flow of communication coming from a source and spreading towards the people that received the information. By this time, mass media has been established as the key to information dissemination for development communication. However, development communication continued to change its form as today, we are introduced the participatory communication wherein the target audience has become an active part of the development and change. Instead of just receiving the new process, information or point of view, they are already involved from the start of the projects, and their voices are heard, studied, reviewed and considered. Development communication is not merely a process that is utilized for change. On the contrary, it would be too melodramatic to say that development communication is a way of life. There will never come the day when development communication will not be needed for development is continuous-it is a continuous improvement of a present state whereas communication is a way of life. Development communication is the agent of change that 8|Page improves the way of living in all aspects-beyond the numbers of Gross National Product, the statistics of literacy and employment, and the classification of members of the society according to annual income. It aims for a change that will be sustained for generations. References Alexander G. Flor, I. V.-O. (2001). Development Communication Concepts and Approaches. Los Banos: UP Open University. Coombs, P. H. (1974). The Role of Education in Rural Development. Essex, Connecticut: International Council for Educational Development. Escobar, A. (1992). Imagining a Post-Development Era? Critical though, Development and Social Movements. Third World and Post-Colonial Issues(31/32), pp. 20-56. Gernaro V. Ong, J. (2010). A Theory of Development Communication. Retrieved from Communication Foundation for Asia: http://cfamedia.org/main/?p=2417 Gupta, D. M. (2015, August 15). Communication and Development: News, Views and Reviews. Retrieved April 19, 2016, from LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/development-communicationtheoretical-perspective-deepak-m-gupta Quebral, N. C. (2012). Development Communication Primer. Penang, Malaysia: Southbound. Schramm, W. (1964). The Role of Information in National Development. In W. Schramm, Mass Media and National Development. Stanford University Press and Unesco. Tufte, T., & Mefalopulos, P. (2009). Participatory Communication. World Bank Working Paper.