Use of Non-Broadcast Channels to Communicate Information in Social Change Situations: Berkeley Anti-Apartheid and Solidarity Poland.

This paper describes the notion of two-way communication, wherein the receiver can question or challenge the transmitter of the information, and shows how it differs from the one-way forms of communication that are more prevalent in developed countries today. Pointing out that today's broadcast and mass-market print media usually take the form of one-way communication, which is characterized by its speed and ability to reach a large number of people instantly, the paper focuses on the role of gatekeepers (transmitters) in one-way communication as they control and package the information that is disseminated and are not responsive to questions from the receivers (the general populace). The societal and technological changes that have paralleled the move from two-way to one-way communications are also discussed. Using the traditional newspaper as an example, a model is then proposed which incorporates the speed of one-way communication while preserving feedback, i.e., the ability for the receiver to obtain further information and clarification, and to enter into dialogue with the transmitter. Finally, the paper examines two recent social-change situations--the Berkeley Anti-Apartheid Movement and Solidarity Poland--to show the various ways in which the modified two-way communications model has been effective. Diagrams of the models discussed are included. (DJR)