Technology: Digital communication

The idea

Digital communication means sending and receiving information electronically, for example email, instant messaging, video calls, social media and shared cloud documents. For a business it changes how staff, suppliers and customers exchange information. Email and messaging give fast, written contact and create a record; video calls allow remote meetings, cutting travel time and cost; cloud platforms let several people edit one file at once. Drawbacks include dependence on reliable internet connections, cyber-security risks, information overload and reduced face-to-face contact. A small firm may use video calls to meet an overseas supplier weekly, saving air fares, while a retailer may use social media to answer customer queries quickly. The skill is explaining how a named digital tool affects communication in a given business context.

What earns the marks

• Identifies a named form of digital communication, such as email, instant messaging, video conferencing, social media or shared cloud documents.
• Explains how that method speeds up information flow between the business and its stakeholders, for example staff, suppliers or customers.
• Explains a cost or time benefit, such as reduced travel for meetings or lower spending on printed letters and postage.
• Explains a limitation, such as reliance on a stable internet connection, cyber-security risk, information overload or loss of face-to-face contact.
• Applies the point to the context given, for example a small business contacting an overseas supplier or a retailer handling customer queries.
• Reaches a supported judgement comparing the benefit with the drawback for the business described.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Listing digital tools without explaining any effect on business communication.

  Put it right by linking each tool to a specific change in speed, cost, reach or record-keeping.

• Treating digital communication as always beneficial.

  Put it right by balancing benefits with drawbacks such as connection failure or security risk.

• Writing about communication in general rather than the digital element.

  Put it right by naming the electronic method and describing how information is sent or received through it.

Exam tips

• Name the digital method first, then state the effect on the business, then add a because clause to secure explanation.
• Use the business in the case study by name and refer to its actual stakeholders rather than writing about businesses in general.
• For a judgement question, weigh one clear benefit against one clear drawback and state which matters more for that business.