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Word Of Mouth

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Viswamitra, Aug 29, 2018.

  1. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Word of mouth is passing of information from person to person by oral communication. Oral tradition is cultural material and traditions transmitted by word of mouth through successive generations. In fact, the scriptures were passed on from one generation to another through word of mouth for thousands of years. There are two reasons for Vedas to be called Shruti, a) what is heard by Rishis and b) what is passed on through recitation. The written scriptures were created much later in the life cycle of existence of Vedas. Learned people debated to teach their interpretation of scriptures to many others.

    In a fully-developed corporate world, the best practices are written down and archived under the quality management programs. The workers understand the best practices by reading and undergoing training programs to become skilled. However, there are methods and processes that are passed on for generations in villages through word of mouth. These methods and processes are never documented and capturing and developing them in large scale would result in substantial economic growth in many countries. That is why Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam suggested introduction of Providing Urban development in Rural Areas (PURAs) in India to not only capture all these methods and processes but also create a market online for the products and services from these villages.

    In a family setting, most of us are very familiar as to how the family culture and values are communicated to us for generations. Each and everyone of us has a grandparent’s story to tell. Almost all of them not only worked so hard to serve a large family while raising their own children but also inculcated their knowledge and experience to their children and grandchildren. They might not have had a great education in world famous Universities but had the rich life lessons and their word of mouth is invaluable for several generations to come.

    In a controlled and disciplined settings, the word of mouth is very powerful. In the military, the chain of command controls the verbal orders depending on the circumstances and situations. The sergeants and lieutenants execute the orders of the Generals even if it is a life-threatening mission. Even in diplomatic and intelligence service, the word of mouth plays a significant role to avoid hacking/interceptions.

    Even today, the word of mouth is a powerful tool used by small to mid-sized companies to market their products and services. There is an association for word of mouth marketing. This is tapping into human tendency to harp about clever decisions made by individuals to uplift the business. Even in schools and colleges, the word of mouth used to be effectively used to choose the leaders. However, nowadays the social media has taken over this coveted position. Even though there are so many technology tools available in the sports, the word of mouth is a great source of motivation for the sports personnel.

    There is no way to end this article but to talk about the negatives of word of mouth. Many times, it is used to destroy the reputation of people or businesses. Negative gossips are also word of mouth and an imaginary/distorted campaign to destroy the reputation of an individual and spreads as quickly as positive messages. Many times, what was communicated changes so much every time it is passed on to another human being. Even among extended family members, friends and colleagues, distortion takes place requiring clarifications to tell the truth. Word of mouth (half-truth) uttered by Yudishtra in Mahabharat war resulted in Dronacharya’s loss of concentration resulting in his death. Word of mouth uttered by a citizen in Ayodhya resulted in mother Sita being sent to the forest to live in a hermitage of a Rishi. Word of mouth uttered by a soldier resulted in Kovalan being killed in the Pandya Kingdom. The power of word of mouth could product different results, if used differently.
     
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  2. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    People have always relied on the opinions of their peers. As you pointed out these opinions have taken on a digital form ever since the social media takeover of social discourse. It used to be our moms gathering around the sabzi-wala thela* sharing opinions on everything from the new saree store in the market, or the latest TV show to the family that moved into the house around the corner. These days we scroll right down to Amazon's customer reviews to read the thoughts of strangers to help us make up our minds about everything from shampoo to laptops. What used to require the effort of making human connections is now available at the click of a mouse.

    But what comes easy goes easy too. Now we have farms in China and Bangladesh that can be hired to flood the Internet with positive reviews. Hey, word of mouth manipulation got us our current president! People trusted the 'likes' and news feeds of their friends and family so much that they stopped critically evaluating the misinformation they were being fed. Unaccountable access to mobs via WhatsApp led to the hysterical lynching of so many innocents in India. Dronacharya put down his weapons to lament the loss of his son because he trusted Yudhisthir's word. An ancient example of fake news I guess. But the lie remained a blight on Yudhisthir's conscience forever. History hasn't forgotten his one misstep in a life led with honor. Now there are only bots and anonymous accounts to blame. Maybe by doing away with the face to face interactions needed to spread the word of mouth, we've eliminated a critical step from the process -- accountability. We're connected to more people than ever before and yet lonelier and more isolated than we've ever been. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer but the sad reality is that this is going to get much worse before it gets better. What can we do? Maybe start by talking to that guy standing next to you in the queue or saying hello to that mom at the park. Maybe if we reach out to each other a little more we can steer ourselves away, at least at the micro level, from the future Amazon, Facebook and the like have in store for us.

    *vegetable vendor cart
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2018
  3. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    @Gauri03,

    Bingo. Word of mouth - accountability = social media communication without verifying the authenticity of what we communicate. You are right again about how we got our President and how social media has resulted in lynching of so many innocent citizens in India. Yudishtra is a victim of a scheme orchestrated by a world's best strategist existed during that Yuga.

    I remember the days moms gathered around sabzi-wala thela to talk about everything on earth. But that word of mouth interaction required a very little due-diligence than the reviews written by the customers in Amazon. I had a bitter experience when I ordered a nice dresser for my Master bath through Amazon and from California. I took all the effort to measure the size of the dresser, the space available in my bathroom, color of the dresser matching with the floor and decor of the bathroom, etc. Even the assembly of that dresser was not all that bad. After I finished all the interior, I received a notice from the State of Florida that a truck that carried content marked to be delivered to my residence crossed the border without payment of sales tax. I talked to Amazon and they directed me to the actual retailer and retailer said that they were not responsible for sales tax. Eventually, I called the sales tax department and a nice lady politely told me that I would be better off paying the sales-tax directly to their department.

    Social media is a powerful tool and it can change the rule of law, culture, tradition, and even destroy the entire nation. It has become most accepted social platform enabling a few who has no conscience, to weaponize misinformation to spread rumors and to change the fate of a nation. The connected world is a better place for the humanity but only after we figure out how to prevent misinformation.

    Viswa
     
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  4. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello:If a word is not uttered by mouth civilisation would have come to a halt!
    2. Some products and certain films impact sale or box office only by strength of publicity by word of mouth.
    3. Nicely written in cogent manner the significance of word of mouth from time immemorial to modern times. Kudos to OP.
    Thanks and regards.
     
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  5. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    You know everything started with the word of mouth. I mean how God said 'Let there be light and there was light'.
    We can't be brief and precise like God in what we say. During the times of Neanderthal men (mind you 'men', not women) the dictionary hardly had a page and even what was in that page was conveyed through smoke. As the dictionary started running to thousands of pages, we make lesser and lesser sense through our spoken or written words! Talking of social media, guys like Arnab Goswami completely dominates it. They make lesser and lesser sense with longer and longer spoken words. I do not want to write more about this as I may make the least sense like Arnad!
    Sri
     
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  6. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    Word of mouth-nice naughty name.’


    Though many people pretend not to bother about the personal matters in the

    life of others,there seems to be an inner urge to know the details.Is there any

    silent pleasure to enjoy other’s miseries?Or is their mind brimmed with lakhs

    of materials that they want to relieve their tension by passing them on to others?

    Do they want to be the centre of a conversation and make their listeners nod to

    them attentively?Is it any urgency to get into a group by sharing juicy details

    with them?Even our epics Ramayana and Mahabharata are abound in such

    gossips.Perhaps we are following Sage Narada and Lord Krishna only in respect

    of gossips. However we can escape saying that vedas ( shruthis ) also spread through word of mouth only.


    In the last 30 years, media influence

    has grown exponentially.Whereas many good things are not viewed by the public,

    thousands of images of violence,advertising, etc are exposed to the public through TV and internet.This is a booster to the innate instinct of gossiping.

    Becoming addict to mega serial is an indirect expression of finding a secret pleasure in

    gossiping about the sadistic events, mostly sorrowful.Unfortunately these gossipers include the most intelligent people having a thirst for knowledge.Writing in forums also belong technically to this category.

    Gossip has metamorphosed into a new word”CHAT” or’share ideas’and has coolly occupied the centre stage of every home.


    Gossip normally emanates out of fear,anger and jealousy and causes great hurt and damage to reputation leading to the unfortunate decision of suicide.Gossip is an emotional lethal.It is a phenomenon worthy of serious research.


    The influence of gossip is manifold.Gossip , at its magnificence, during elections may have considerable impact on political parties and can take credit for landslide victory/utter defeat.Gossip in stock market may drown the investors and corporates into a trench;Gossip in exam results may lead a student to take extreme steps.Gossip does not leave religious heads also.Any gossip regarding a boy or girl ruins the entire family.Well known is gossip in film industry.

    In a closely knit urban communities, sharing of thoughts thro word of mouth creates an awareness regarding education, health care, banking etc.It helps in team building and cohesiveness.It helps in self assessment and setting parameters for one’s behaviour.


    In an environment where communication is very poor and everybody works in an isolated cubicle ,those small whisperings about merger

    or demerger or downsizing,whether right or wrong ,may give the people concerned

    an opportunity to polish their resume and keep them mentally prepared for a change.

    The boss also has to keep his ears open to the gossip and get a clue regarding the’ behind the scene’ developments.Word of mouth is considered to be one of the shrewd methods of investigation techniniques in judicial wing.

    Appreciation thro word of mouth will help a long way in identifying the thread of talent inherent in the gossip monger and the affected .Once this is set in motion, there is a healthy spark.


    We cannot create a gossip free world.It is an inherent strength/weakness of
    the society. As long as there are human beings,gossip is sure to exist In stead of complaining against gossip ,we can live among gossip,can turn the negative gossip into positive ones by creating awareness and confidence among people.Identify gossips

    as’what to care’ and ‘what to ignore’,guided by common sense.


    The word gossip seems to have been derived from God-sib(related to god),modified later.

    If we can love God, why can't we love His sibling too?.


    Jayasala 42
     
  7. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Sri Thyagarajan:

    Thank you for your response and kind words. Isn't it a nice sequel to write about word of mouth after unspoken language? It is true words spoken created so many things including right living mentioned in the Scriptures being passed on for generations and Veda Vyasa and Lord Ganesha creating a history of the epics. Film industry is very well known for word of mouth and even here in IL, "Kollywood Gossip" is live and kicking for years with 115 pages of posts.

    Viswa
     
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  8. shyamala1234

    shyamala1234 Platinum IL'ite

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    Dear Viswamitra,
    Word of mouth has both of positives and negatives. Shruthis, Vedas are passed on by word of mouth. Otherwise we would have missed the great treasures.
    At the same time words of mouth can do a lot of damage also if not used properly. It is a double edged weapon.
    Yes, internet information is like words of mouth.... We have to be cautious.
    Gossip is bad, no doubt. Buy sweet words can change a person and make us think. Counselling, analysing and reputation of a person..... All are words of mouth.
    Syamala
     
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  9. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Thank you very much for your response, Cheeniya Sir. My English professor used to say communication has to be short enough to attract attention but long enough to cover the subject. I was laughing at your emphatic warning "mind you 'men, not women" when you referred to Neanderthal men, the founders of fossil fuel who communicated through smoke. Suddenly something clicked in my mind to understand why bright white smoke delivers the message to common man, when the selection process of the next Pope is determined in Vatican City even today. May be St. Peter started this tradition.

    After Arnab Goswami era, women have lost the coveted position as an expert in word of mouth. Manthara in Ramayana pales when compared to Arnab.

    Viswa
     
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  10. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello:i am reminded of governor's order - HANG HIM - NOT LEAVE HIM. But at the other end order
    Received was "HANG HIM NOT - LEAVE HIM"
    CONVICT escaped from being hanged.
    In Tamil too one example
    Kasu lessa
    Kasule ssa.
    Paisa difficult to come by and for Paisa one extinguish his life.
    Regards.
     
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