Beginning my Journey in Comm

Uzo Nwadugbo

9/26/12

COMM 101

Introduction to Communication Studies

Fall 2012

Section 2

What’s up!?...Hey, my names Uzo Nwadugbo and I’m a third year at San Jose State University majoring in Communications. For starters you’re probably wondering why the image of a basketball is posted on this post. Well basketball for me is more than a sport, it has been a life saver (literally) and a life changer. When I began playing the sport at a young age, it kept me off the streets of my East Oakland neighborhood and the game has taught me a lot about myself and also others in many ways. But now to relate it to my main point, which is how does it relate to communications; I feel that from all the traveling I’ve done to play and tournaments and all the teams I’ve been on, basketball has made me a better communicator being surrounded by so many different types of people doing those things. Also I believe the little dots or bumps you see on the ball can be a metaphor for communication. There are approximately 35,000 bumps on the ball; I feel that those bumps symbolize people in the world. Now the purpose of the bumps is to have a steady grip on the ball, to me the “grip” symbolizes communication and how it keeps us connected to each other in some kind of way in the world [the ball] through the way we communicate.

            My attraction to communication studies has its roots in the relationships I feel I have with people on a daily basis and how I try to effective their lives in a positive way. I have found over the years that I am a very social person and I love being there for my friends and family, as they are there for me, and even if they’re not. I feel many of them can come to me in confidence and tell me about anything they may be going through or come to me for advice on things in their life. Also many of them have told me I am a good person to talk to. So I felt that since the way I’m communicating must be positive and somewhat successful, I could possibly help others or talk to others in the same way. This is probably most influential reason I became attracted to communication studies. Also because I love to talk and want to be a great speaker, because I feel that if I become a great speaker and can communicate my ideas to people in different effective ways I can somehow make a change in the lives of those around me and even to others.  
           When I look at communications I see it as something that is forever changing, and a tool to help keep society functioning in a effective way. 

            As a scholar some of the things I seek to answer through communications are:

·         What communication methods are best used at what times?

·         Which theory of communication is most effective in certain scenarios and why?

·         What factors both internally and externally affect the way we communicate?

I feel when it comes to Comm. studies I feel I am more of an interpretivist at times, but my views can be scientific here and there. When I say I am more of an interpretivist I am only saying that because when it comes to communication interpretivist feel the world is made up of intentions, social constructions and interpretations. But the main thing I took from interpretivist mindset is that they take communication as something that is forever changing and can’t be defined or looked at through concrete facts, unlike a scientist. But where I side with being a scientist is sometimes I do feel, that in order to discover something or look at some ideas, you do need concrete facts a should be able to test your what you see or are studying in communications and come out with a definite answer every time with whatever you are looking at.                 

In conclusion, communication is something I find very interesting and very essential for everyday life in everything your doing. The world to me is full of communication and it takes place in all aspects of life. Just as the “grip” on the surface of a basketball gives us a secure hold of the ball, communication grips us to the world we live in and keeps us all connected in all sorts of ways.