pervasive communication environment

Near the beginning of Chapter 12 Cheney et al. observe that new communication technologies "are designed to enhance the speed of communication, to facilitate the immediate access to information, and to enable complex information exchanges across different geographical locations" (p. 350). In other words, you can communicate anytime from anywhere with anyone. Coopman (Ted) coined the term pervasive communication environment to identify the degree to which communicators are immersed in a sea of interactive possibilities.

This pervasive communication environment gives us multiple access points to an integrated communication structure with text, audio, video, and voice capabilities. What does that mean? Much more than chatting with your friend in Hong Kong while you are stuck in Chicago traffic. A pervasive communication environment provides you with the ability to access, create, and share information in multimedia from almost anywhere, at anytime, for any reason. The impact on organizational communication has been far-reaching as many of you have blogged about this week. More than just checking for text messages on your cell, mobile devices connected to the internet have played important roles in organizing political protests that toppled governments. Websites such as Meetup.org enable thousands, if not millions, of people to unite over common interests and concerns. And consider the ways the internet has been used to mobilize individuals and raise money in this year's presidental campaign.

Because they so permeate our everyday lives, new communication technologies have formed an increasingly invisible network connecting individuals, groups, and organizations. It's the everydayness of these technologies that I find so interesting to study. My blog alias stems from the idea that the physicality of the internet has become a natural part of everyday life. (I discuss this in more detail in my COMM 144 blog.)

More information on the pervasive communication environment is here:
Coopman, T. M. (2006, September). Dumping dichotomies: Embracing the pervasive communication environment. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

It's also prominently featured in my new public speaking book published by Wadsworth, Public Speaking: The Evolving Art, and the small group book Ted and I are working on for McGraw-Hill, Small Group Communication: A Practical Guide for the 21st Century.