PHYSICAL CONTEXT OF COMMUNICATION: CHARACTERISTICS AND EXAMPLES - GEOGRAFÍA - 2025

The physical context of communication refers to each of the tangible and perceptible elements through the senses that surround the speakers at the time of engaging in a communicative event. These elements directly affect both the sender and the receiver, facilitating or complicating the flow of the message.

The word context has its origin in Latin, it comes from the word contextus, which means “union of several elements”. Then, it can be said that the physical context of communication is the union of the different elements that are present when two interlocutors communicate.

The physical context of communication is one of the four contexts that make up the communicative event. Along with this we can get to the semantic context, referring to the meanings of words and their correlations; the situational, subject to the circumstances; and the cultural, subject to customs.

For the senders and receivers - in the continuous exchange that the transmission of a message implies - every factor present in this communicative space counts. The common ways that interlocutors use in this area to convey the message are oral and non-oral.

It should be borne in mind that it is not only the interlocutors who emit ideas within the physical context of communication. In the context there are communicative components that, although they are static, do not cease to emit their messages.

These components are incidental elements, typical of the place, such as: traffic signs, posters and billboards in open areas; and billboards, charts, posters, and signs indoors.

characteristics

Dynamism

When we speak of the “dynamism” of the context, we refer to the series of data that the interlocutors are constantly perceiving from the space that surrounds them when communicating.

Although it seems that the physical context is immovable, the elements that make it up transmit information that is perceived by the interlocutors.

In turn, this series of data is assimilated according to the personal context of the individuals, which concerns their upbringing, educational and social condition and other aspects.

Then, when we see a communicative act between two or more people, there is not only an exchange between them, but also between them and this contextual entity that for those moments contains them. There is a movement, a constant flow of information.

May contain noise

It is called "noise" in the communicational field to everything that generates inconveniences at the moment in which two people exchange messages. It not only refers to the well-known concept associated with "annoying sound", but to everything that truncates, complicates or dirties the message, preventing it from fulfilling its function.

Contextual noise in its physical section involves many subjective aspects. Let's imagine a neutral environment: white walls, two chairs and a table, all arranged for communication to flow. However, one of the interlocutors is distracted by light colors because the walls of his house have the same tone and effect on him.

Something as superficial as that can change the context and bring with it the dreaded “noise”. If there is something clear that this section leaves, it is that, no matter how much you want, there will never be a communication one hundred percent devoid of stimuli of this type.

It can be modified

The physical context can be easily changeable. It is possible to intervene to ensure that its components act as catalysts in the communicative event and avoid as much noise as possible.

It can be visually modified by means of painting, pictures, banners, curtains; Their textures and shapes can also be changed (to generate comfortable friction sensations) with rugs, cushions, hand rests, glasses.

The context can also be modified soundly, by including sounds of nature or classical music. Everything mentioned above alludes to achieving passivity and calm in the senses, which theoretically would give rise to perfect communicative conditions.

This conditioning technique is used by large companies in their warehouses and premises to indirectly convince customers to buy.

The colors, music, and placement of the products on the shelves contain a clear message within the physical context to persuade customers to invest in your products.

The same is true in schools and universities. The colors of the walls respond to studies on learning, prevent the student from dispersing and promote a better study environment.

It is subject to major elements

There are two basic types of physical contexts: the open, outdoors; and the closed, within buildings.

Regardless of where the communicative act takes place, be it in an open or a closed place, both are subject to elements that escape the hands of the interlocutors and the context itself. We can call them “super-incidents”.

When these super-incidents occur they can generate a noise that diminishes the message or that, on the contrary, cancels it completely.

For example, you can go to a speech in a park, with the sky clear and the birds singing, all attentive to the event and, out of nowhere, a storm appears. Everyone automatically runs away.

Another example could be being in a closed room, with a projector, air conditioning, microphone and everything ready when, suddenly, the power goes out.

Examples

Example 1

“The trade unionist was on the platform, in the workers' square, issuing a statement to the workers who were present there. The day was clear. People passed and watched. There was a car crash in the upper corner of the square, causing cars to honk their horns and many citizens to run in terror. However, nothing prevented the statement from being given. The workers, determined, got closer to the trustee to hear him better ”.

Remember that "context" means "grouping of elements." In this case, the clear elements were the good weather, the people passing by, the platform and all the notices, fountains, benches and statues that could be in a square.

The noise was caused by the collision of the cars, there was a "sonorous" noise - redundancy is worth - and another referring to the commotion that was generated among the people, commotion generated movement and that could lose, for moments, the attention of you listen to them ”.

Example 2

“Luis was giving his workshop in the classroom. The light was dim to appreciate the images from the overhead projector. The young man spoke through a microphone that allowed him to be heard clearly.

Everyone paid attention to him except José, who was entertaining playing with his cell phone. Although this bothered Luis a bit, the speaker decided to continue without taking it into account. The exhibition was a total success ”.

The context is made up of: the classroom, the chairs and tables, the microphone, the dim light, the overhead projector and the other elements of the classroom.

The noise was caused by José who, while playing his game, broke the communication link.

References

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2. The communication process. (S. f.). (n / a): UV Psychology. Recovered from: teoriacomunicacion.zonalibre.org
3. Linguistic context. (2017). (n / a): wikipedia.org. Recovered from: wikipedia.org
4. 4. Gallego Uribe, S. (2006). Family communication: a world of symbolic and relational constructions. Colombia: Editorial Universidad de Caldas. Recovered from: books.google.co.ve
5. López Cáceres, H. (2018). The physical setting in communication. (n / a): Criteria. Recovered from: blog.criteria.es