A review of Communication: Perspectives in Information Dissemination (Festschrift for Professor Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole), edited by Drs Ayo Elebute and Jaiyeola Oyewole.
THIS book has the objectives to provide a thorough coverage of the principles, application and design of disseminating information in human society. The book provides comprehensive coverage of the communication background which is vital for the development of successful information systems.
The 20-chapter book, published by RECACD Publishers, is particularly relevant for students on diploma and degree courses in communication studies and journalism where the study of information dissemination is part of the curriculum, and for media practitioners and others in adjunct industry and public corporations who wish to gain a working knowledge of information dissemination systems.
It is a practical overview of both old curriculum and the novel conceptual frameworks that can be used to study, teach and research into myriads of aspects in communication studies and journalism.
The contributions in this book could be better appreciated when considered against the backdrop of how information is passed to a large, heterogeneous, anonymous audience simultaneously through the usage of mass media, and within the context in which the mass media and communication scholars and media experts have been coerced at various levels to perform their professional duties respectively.
This is a book of essays including contributions from several scholars who are teaching mass media courses and their adjuncts at the tertiary level in Nigeria. The contributors to the book content have been enthused about the variety of topics in the media studies and provoked by the expansive, in-depth, dramatic and far-reaching developments in the communication industry.
The book is intended to serve as a platform to honour our amiable coach of all time, Professor Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole: an astute and erudite scholar par excellence.
Professor Ogunwole is distinguished, respected and revered for his remarkable achievements in the academic pursuits. Throughout his academic career, his researches tend towards soil science with a broad background in sustainable agriculture, soil ecology, soil and water conservation, nutrient cycling and soil carbon sequestration.
This indefatigable academic figure, who is currently serving as the fourth substantive Vice Chancellor of Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State, Nigeria, is being celebrated in this book for his contributions to the growth of this citadel of learning.
He has a trinity of degrees — BSc, MSc and PhD — from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.
This book is structured into 20 conceptual, theoretical and analytical chapters that cover many issues and perspectives in communication studies and information dissemination processes with finicky recipe presented in simple and readable English.
It is designed at meeting every need of teachers and students in the communication programmes, who are using current, and myriads of curricula for researching, teaching and learning, and the professionals on the field of action who want to improve their knowledge and skills in communication studies.
Chapter One of the book, Perception of Book Publishers for Local and Foreign Origins on ICT Usage and Development in Nigeria divides the book publishing companies in Nigeria into three major groups that serve as a yardstick for their classification: (1) those of foreign origin whose foreign interest is divested (2) those of foreign origin whose foreign interest is subsisting and (3) those of purely local origin.
This chapter notes that prior to the advent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Nigeria, the basic tools available to the Nigerian book editors were predominantly the pen and paper and presumably, a load of hard copies of books.
Unfortunately, even during the proliferation of ICTs at the turn of the new millennium, the Nigerian book editors have remained largely fixated in the use of the manual method with serious negative impact on quality of content and forms as well as cover price and completion rates. This trend is seen to have widened the disparity between available book market and actual book sales.
Following this trend, the chapter looks at the differences in the perception of publishers of local and foreign origins on ICT usage and the development of the book publishing industry.
Chapter Two: Domestication of Technology as an Adaptive Strategy for Managing Changes in the Communication Sphere focuses on the advent of new communication technologies, which the authors of the chapter admits, have inevitably changed the way media people do their work, as well as how citizens access information and communicate with each other thus, prompting the change debate in the communication technology scholarship.
Chapter Three: Public Relations and Corporate Image Building examines the modern practice of public relations with focus on Nigeria.
Chapter Four: Media Dependence, Uses and Gratification and Agenda-Setting Theories for Managing COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria discusses Coronavirus as a phenomenon of enormous magnitude and relevance. According to the chapter, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic has affected various social domains, including the media and society.
Chapter Five: Introduction to Communication Campaign Planning specifies that communication is the hinges upon which the door of development revolves, hence the need for efficient and effective communication.
Chapter Six: Mass Media and National Security Development in Nigeria points out that the mass media through their role of keeping surveillance of the environment (watchdog) have the ability to contribute positively to national security development in any given society.
Chapter Seven: Photojournalists have Eye for News, focuses on photography as a method of visual communication and expression.
Chapter Eight: Introduction to Online Communities states that the introduction of digital technologies in the media and communication landscape changed the entire communication dynamics and enabled the emergence of new methods of communication and community practices.
Chapter Nine: Introduction to Strategic Options and Tactics in Advertising reviews that the method of disseminating messages to a large heterogeneous, anonymous audience at the same time in mass media involves a series of activities and processes that take time and efforts and money to achieve the desired results.
The remaining chapters in the book focus on various aspects of communication and information dissemination, and it is suitable both for teaching and learning.
Most of the chapters cover the process of using words, sounds, signs and behaviours to express ideas, thoughts, feelings etc. or to exchange information.
The book might not have covered the entire area of communication studies; no work can ever do this, but it has set a precedence that subsequent works can build on.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
We will be using Tinubu’s O lu’le, emi lo kan, eleyi for politics — Obasanjo
NIGERIA’S former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, said that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has introduced new vocabulary into the nation’s political discourse….
Oyo Council Of Obas Backs Makinde’s Second-Term Bid
THE second term bid of Governor ‘Seyi Makinde of Oyo State received a massive boost on Friday, as the Council of Obas in the state declared its support for the governor, stating that the good works being done by the administration across the state should continue beyond 2023.…..
5 Software Applications You Should Master To Be Effective In The Corporate World
There are new software applications that individuals in the corporate world are expected to have mastery of as the world is evolving on a daily basis, and the required skills for individuals interested in or working in the corporate world have also evolved. These software applications have been developed to help make work in the corporate world easier, more effective and more efficient…
How To Minimise Disagreements When Planning A Wedding
A lot of effort goes into planning a wedding. From the choice of event centres to the choice of the bride and groom’s wears, to the picking a colour for invited guests to the decision on the meals to be served for the day, and so on.…
