Imagine a world in which no communication existed, verbal and non-verbal, how could an individual develop learned behaviors, traditions, values, morals…culture? In fact, how could an individual even exist? Communication dominates and is what drives our lives. Culture, by definition, “is a learned behavior by members of a social group” (Baran, 9). These behaviors are taught by parents to their children, teachers to their students, media to their viewers, etc. Culture is all around us at every point in our lives, as stated by one anthropologist, “culture is the medium evolved by humans to survive, and nothing is free from cultural influences” (Baran, 9). For a moment, think about average daily routines and how culture dominates every aspect. From items chosen to be eaten for breakfast to the music one listens to, all is culture. Culture is found in verbal communication, how one addresses their elders, in non-verbal communication, how one makes eye contact, and in mediated communication, advertisements and television shows. Culture is everywhere and is transmitted through every type of communication.
“Communication is the transmission of a message from a source to a receiver” (Baran, 4). In order for there to be culture, communication has to exist. Communication has many forms, the impact of which the message is transmitted depends on the culture that the message is being transmitted through. For example as the internet is growing and social media and smart phones are more readily available the medium of print is becoming less effective and thus eventually becoming obsolete. “Eighty-six percent of all American adults own a cell phone, but half of all Americans own a device with an advanced operating system, that is, a smartphone, a proportion that rises to 62% for people ages 25 to 34”(Baran,16). The fact that such information like music, print, photos, and news are