4 CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION how can I send my message? i.e, what is the best communication channel to achieve my goal with my intended audience? Traditional and digital channels Up to some decades ago, people used to interact using traditional methods of communication, such as face-to-face, phone calls, postal mail, and printed documents. However, in recent times, digital channels such as websites, emails, social media, mobile apps, and chat bots have come to the fore. The evolution of communication channels What are digital channels based on? A communication channel is the medium used to transfer a message from a sender to one or more recipients. Depending on its audience and goal, each message works better with a different communication channel, or it can work equally well with different channels provided it is adapted to their special features: the radio cannot use visual images, and it is difficult to target niche groups with outdoor advertising, for example. The best communication channel The way in which we communicate a message is as important as the message itself, so choosing the best communication channel is crucial to communicate the right message and achieve the desired outcome. To make the perfect choice, the following questions need answering: outcome: risultato outdoor: esterno to come to the fore: venire alla ribalta who do I want to speak to? (audience); what do I want to say? (message); why am I addressing my audience? (goal). The answers will then help us answer another one: 18 CommuniCation anD PSyCHoLogy In the early twentieth century, the human community was wired by the telegraph, and then by the phone; in the 1920s radio broadcasts accelerated the transition to mass society. With the advent of television, the primacy of the radio was seriously questioned, though it was only after the Second World War that it began to establish itself as a mass medium. With the access to the Internet and electronic mail, in the last decade of the twentieth century, another big revolution started and modified the way we communicate, and, all in all, communication channels are still evolving.