What is the purpose of communication?

Communication serves five major purposes: to inform, to express feelings, to imagine, to influence, and to meet social expectations. Each of these purposes is reflected in a form of communication. 

When people communicate with each other, they exchange various forms of meaning, such as ideas and information, through a common system of symbols. Typical communications can include writing in a diary, watching television, talking with friends, and speaking on the telephone. It has been estimated that people spend more time communicating than they spend on any other complex activity in life. Human communication takes place on many levels, from the simplest interpersonal and small-group exchanges among friends to mass communication, as experienced in public speeches, magazines, or news broadcasts.

When people communicate with each other, they exchange various forms of meaning, such as ideas and information, through a common system of symbols. Typical communications can include writing in a diary, watching television, talking with friends, and speaking on the telephone. It has been estimated that people spend more time communicating than they spend on any other complex activity in life. Human communication takes place on many levels, from the simplest interpersonal and small-group exchanges among friends to mass communication, as experienced in public speeches, magazines, or news broadcasts. There are three purposes for a message: inform, persuade or goodwill.