MCC Art 245

- History of Communication Technology-

Communication has always been an essential core system of our modern daily lives. Our perceptions have been changed and molded through communication. If you were to ask most people today, they would agree that life would feel incomplete without interacting with others. The original yet antiquated methods of communication were cave paintings, smoke signals, symbols, carrier pigeons, and telegraph. With years of technological development the latest and modern ways of communication are far more convenient and efficient. For example, Television, Cell Phones, Internet, E-mails, Social media, and Text messaging. Evolution of communication technology has made progress over thousands of years. This evolution will continue to grow so with the changing world. However this progress doesn't come without its consequences, below I'll illustrate the history of communication technology then discuss the follies of these technologies.

1800 BC

Smoke Signals

"What Hath God Wrought?" Traveling 40 miles, this was the first message ever sent. Developed by Samuel Morse and others, it transmitted electrical signals over a wire laid between stations. This new form of communication needed a better form of transmitting complex messages, Samuel Morse developed a code to solve this issue, he assigned a set of dots and dashes to each letter of the English alphabet.

1844

Telegram

1876

Telephone

"Mr. Watson come here, I want to see you". These were the first words spoken through the telephone by its inventor Alexander Graham Bell. Although Alexander Graham Bell originally wanted the greeting for the telephone to be "Ahoy" but Thomas Edison voted for a word he coined himself, "Hello".

1920

Fiber Optic

John Logie Baird patented the idea of using arrays of transparent rods to transmit images for television and Clarence W. Hansell did the same for facsimiles. Heinrich Lamm, however, was the first person to transmit an image through a bundle of optical fibers in 1930. The first all-optic fiber cable, TPC-5, that uses optical amplifiers was laid across the Pacific Ocean in 1996. The following year the Fiber Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) became the longest single-cable network in the world and provided the infrastructure for the next generation of Internet applications.

1946

Car Phones

The technology that powers modern cell phones is based on the old two-way radios of the 1940s used in taxis and police cars. The very first cell phone was used in 1946 by the Swedish Police Department. This phone worked using the principles of radio transmissions and was good for six calls before the battery died. This first battery for operating a cell phone was actually a car battery that was hooked directly to the phone, instead of being a separate battery like today’s cell phones. Most early cell phones could only be used in a vehicle because they needed such a large amount of battery power..

1973

Cell Phones

While at Motorola in the 1970s, Cooper invented the first handheld cellular mobile phone (distinct from the car phone) in 1973 and led the team that developed it and brought it to market in 1983. The 2 Pound "Brick" was called Motorola Dyna-Tac, it was 9 x 5 x 1.75in.

1978

"You've Got...Spam!"

The first spam email was sent to the 393 users on ARPANET by Gary Thuerk to advertise a new kind of computer.

2006

"Google It"

In 2006 to "google" became an officially recognized verb in 2006 when both Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary as well as the Oxford English Dictionary recognized it. Along with new words, new social media platforms were emerging. Twitter was created by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams in March 2006 and launched in July of that year. By 2012, more than 100 million users posted 340 million tweets a day, and the service handled an average of 1.6 billion search queries per day.

2007

The iPhone is Born!

The iPhone is the first smartphone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. After years of rumors and speculation, it was officially announced in January 2007, and was released in the United States in June.

The iPhone was the first handheld device to combine a multimedia player, telephone, and internet browsing capability on a touchscreen display. It quickly became Apple's most successful product, propelling it to the most profitable company at the time. The introduction of the App Store allowed established companies and startup developers to build careers and earn billions of dollars via the platform, while providing consumers with new ways to access information and connect with other people.

The Evolution of Communication Technology

Smoke Signals

These signals were used to send messages. They were mostly used in China. Chinese guards released smoke into the air. Smoke is depicted as a message to The Great Wall of China. A famous Greek Historian Polybius used smoke signals to represent the alphabet.

Carrier Pigeons

Pigeons are known well for their directions. They were known to find their home, even after traveling long distances. People used to attach small letters to their necks, hoping they would fly to the receiver. Pigeons were also used by Ancient Romans to tell owners how their entries had been placed. They carried essential messages and helped in evolution of communication.

Postal System

With raising awareness, people started to use courier services. Letters were delivered from one person to another through postal services. These systems were organized in India, China, Persia, and Rome. A Frenchman De Valyer started a postal system in 1653. The use of mailboxes and delivery of letters was done through the system.

Newspapers

Newspapers are still a wide form of communication used. Every other house has a newspaper delivery every day. These papers deliver written news and also other important national events taking place. Two types of Newspapers are National and International. Their types depend upon the news they deliver about. The first printing press system was introduced in 1440 by German Johannes Gutenberg. The newspaper started to get more attention and changed communication forever.

Radios

With the advent of Print Media, Radios were introduced after that. Radios are a source of news as well as entertainment for people. Wireless signals were studied and tested in detail. The scientists practiced using wireless power to share content. Radios are still installed in mobile phones, car systems. They were once a very important medium of communication.

Telegraph

The first electrical communication system to send text messages was called Telegraph. Sending letters required energy and patience to wait for a reply. Telegraphs were introduced to send text messages more quickly than written messages. It helped in sending information across the country.

Telephones

In 1849, the telephone was invented and within 50 years it was an essential item for homes and offices, but tethering impacted the flexibility and privacy of the device. Then, came the mobile phone. In 1973, Motorola created a mobile phone which kick-started a chain of developments that transformed communication forever.

The first telephone was introduced by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. Within 50 years of its invention, telephones became an essential part of every household and office. The devices transmitted human audio into signals. These signals were then transmitted through wires. Landline telephone service began in 1900s. People could talk on calls for hours through long distances. It was the most reliable form of the communication system. Mobile phones were introduced in 1973 and the mode of communication was changed entirely.

The Internet

Since the mid-1990s, the Internet has had a revolutionary impact on communication, including the rise of near-instant communication by electronic mail, instant messaging, voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone calls, two-way interactive video calls, discussion forums, blogs, and social networking.

The world of the Web has brought people closer. Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1990. Satellites support the internet. Through the internet, we can search for anything, anywhere in the whole world. Wireless connections via Wi-Fi began in 1991. Since then, people seem to be addicted to the internet. Nowadays, every small activity of our lives, business, and education involves the use of the internet. We highly depend upon the internet for our development as a nation as well as a generation.

The internet has made communication easier and faster, it’s allowed us to stay in contact with people regardless of time and location. It’s accelerated the pace of business and widened the possibilities within the enterprise space. It’s allowed people to find their voice and express themselves through social media, YouTube and memes. The internet has connected and divided us like nothing before.

Microsoft Business Email is the most formal way of communication used in offices. John Vittal in 1975 developed a software to support mails. From that invention, many mailing platforms have been created. As a byproduct of the World Wide Web, email was introduced to the world in 1991 (although it had been operating years before) and it has vastly changed our lives—whether for better or worse depends on your viewpoint. The first users of the messaging platform were educational systems and the military who used email to exchange information. In 2018, there were more than 3.8 billion email users—that’s more than half the planet. By 2022, it’s expected that we will be sending 333 billion personal and business emails each day.

While email is invaluable and we can’t imagine a world without it, there are tools that are springing up that are giving email a run for its money. Take Slack (an acronym for “Searchable Log of All Communication and Knowledge”) for example, the company which launched in 2014 has often been described as an email killer. However, while Slack has become the most popular chat and productivity tool in the world used by 10 million people every day, email is still going strong. In recognition of this, Slack’s upgrades have ensured that people who still rely heavily on email are not excluded from collaboratory work.

Text Message

Various network providers are used for sending text messages. The first text message was sent by Neil Papworth, an engineer, in 1992. From that day to now, text messaging has been a game of few minutes. People instantly chat through text messages. With advanced internet, online messaging apps have been introduced. These applications help connect people. They share texts through the internet.

Social Media

People share their entire life events on social media. Social media platforms help people share pictures, videos, and almost everything on the internet. It is the latest mode of communication in the digital world. Smart phones have made this more convenient. Social media apps can be downloaded into smart phones. Users of social media in this generation are obsessed with these platforms. They share the daily smudge of their lives on these apps. Social media has revolutionized the way we communicate. We can see what other people are doing through their social media profiles. It is now easy to check up on your friends who live far.

Communication has been made a lot easier. Distance is not an issue anymore. You can talk to any person you want, either living far or near. Better communication has helped us gain better social skills. From verbal speech to our text messages, we communicate about life each day. A feature of privacy through end to end encryption has been added to our daily communication through cell phones and other gadgets.

- The Follies of Technology -

The Dangers of Social Media
Social media use is associated with a variety of issues, including emotional and mental issues, such as anxiety, depression, stress, loneliness, and low self-esteem, physical issues, such as reduced sleep quality, and general issues, such as exposure to misinformation and political polarization.

It is not always clear if the association between social media and these issues is causal, meaning that one directly causes the other, and if so then in what direction; nevertheless, it is reasonable and prudent to assume that social media can lead to some of these issues in some cases.

People keep using social media even though it’s bad for them for various reasons, including a lack of awareness of the risks involved, psychological mechanisms such as the fear of missing out, and situational factors such as the high accessibility of social media.

Echo Chambers
One of the biggest dangers and most calamitous aspect of echo chambers is that they tend to lead to a lack of original thoughts, dissenting opinions, and challenging ideas. On an organizational level, this can limit our opportunities for growth and stem healthy and necessary debate. With the sheer amount of information accessible on the internet today, finding “scientific” studies that bolster your own opinion is fairly uncomplicated. The best way, then, to encounter dissenting ideas and beliefs that do not conform to your own point of view is through actively seeking out people and groups who candidly disagree with your own perspective.

Another problem associated with echo chambers within an organization is that they can limit our ability to effectively solve problems and respond to the exact issues that they endeavor to address. The constant and perpetual affirmation of our own beliefs that occurs within an echo chamber obviously causes division and polarization. And, polarized communities and societies lack the social capital that is necessary to work together on shared problems and common issues.

Conclusion:

Ultimately the evolution of communication technology has been largely beneficial, the progress we've made with technology has allowed us to communicate in ways never thought before, and new ways will continue to be developed. However, with great progress, there can come great setbacks. Our technological development has been on the verge of outpacing our physical mental capability. Our primitive brains aren't meant to be constantly bombarded with such a high bar of stimuli or with constant instant satisfaction. I think as a society we really enjoy encouraging progress but actively try to ignore any negative effects that progress might incur. Researching the evolution of technology made me realize how short the time between progress gets, with every new invention the next one comes sooner than before. I'm really looking forward to what new communication technology the next generation will be using.

References:

https://www.kalamtime.com/blog/evolution-of-communication/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/solrogers/2019/10/15/the-role-of-technology-in-the-evolution-of-communication/?sh=5cb2ba79493b

http://smarterware.org/2017/01/evolution-communication-technology/

https://effectiviology.com/dangers-of-social-media/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_(1st_generation)