Technology and Communication

The Dark Ages

100

Communication began with this method of transportation.

What is RUN FORREST, RUN! Historyworld.net mentions outright that carrying messages on foot was of course the original form of "sending" communication. The article also brings about the subject of error associated with entrusting a precious message with someone. Which is where the prevalence of written messages came from! It is also noted that written communication indicates the beginnings of government for many civilizations (historyworld.net). It is from here that the importance of written word and communication can be seen. There is less room for error, and there can be an added level of privacy or secrecy in communication that was not always ensured when entrusting a message with an individual.

200

This was originally most important in communication between the 2nd and 11th centuries and has even made a resurgence today.

What is speed! "Until recent centuries, the only way to increase the speed of communication has been to increase the speed of the messenger" (historyworld.net). Persian Couriers mastered this first, Roman roads were the closest second, and eventually evolved to the Pigeon Post populated by Genghis Khan (historyworld.net) The pigeon post furthered the element of secrecy and privacy mentioned in the 100 level question of this column. While you could wax seal a letter shut to ensure that a messenger wouldn't tamper with your information, it was guaranteed that a pigeon would not need to know the information divulged in your letter. - The wax seals are also mentioned in the Pencils to Pixels article cited in class.

300

This revolutionary invention made the MASS spread of information easy and popular.

What is Gutenberg's Printing Press (historyworld.net). Making signs or posters, spreading news, distributing books, and other acts of the like were extremely difficult prior to the printing press. Today, fliers are still commonly used proving printing's test of time. However, Xerox experiencing difficulty in the United States proves that it is on it's way down, the principle still stands. Online fliers and their distribution through social media is becoming increasingly popular, ideas and processes all directly related to Gutenberg's 1440's printing press.

400

labelled "the first device to allow for mass communication"

What is the radio. "it has enabled information to be transferred far and wide, not only nationally wide but internationally as well"(personal.psu.edu).

500

The radio "has its roots in" this invention

What is the telegraph. (iml.jou.ufl.edu)

Emerging Tech

100

Sure! These are important and they go ring! ring!, the Pencils to Pixels article cited the original problem with this invention as being it's "[Inability] to provide any permanent record of conversation" (Pencils to Pixels, www.english.illinois.edu)

What is the telephone! -hard to believe we have come nearly full circle, maybe Morse was right, people value the concrete manner of texting and emails. Hardly anyone uses phone calls as their primary mode of communication anymore.

200

The Pencils to Pixels article cited this issue with the telephone. **Hint, it's NOT that there was no record of conversation**

What is PRIVACY! How ironic now, for many reasons. The original fear was that "strangers could call up [people's private residences] uninvited". With the amount of information that individuals put on the internet today, early telephone nay-sayers would be in shock.

300

These terms were coined due to the advent of telephone usage.

!What is "hello" and "goodbye"! Via the Pencils and Pixels article these terms were not originally well received: "'hello' was not a greeting but an expression of surprise, and that “good-bye,” coming from “God be with you,” was too high-toned and serious a phrase to be used for something so trivial as telephone talk".

400

Computers were originally intended for...

What is mathematical and numerical calculations! ~The issue of word processing came after the invention of the computer. Original word processing on home computers looked more like today's modern day JAVA coding script. You had to manually insert all aspects of writing such as paragraphs and punctuation. (Pencils and Pixels, www.english.illinois.edu)

500

Telephone usage and subscription surpassed what in the 1950s

What is automobiles. Yes, according to a book written by Claude S Fischer "During World War II, Telephone subscription expanded- unllike automobile ownership ... By 1990 all but several percent of American families had telephones. The device was effectively universal"(Fischer, America Calling: A Social History of the Telephone to 1940).

Myspace and Other "Flopped" Attempts

100

Friendster, Myspace, AIM, and others all did this.

What is failed. "In an interview with Businessweek, former founder Chris DeWolfe blamed Myspace's overenthusiasm and underexecution on the product side for many of the site's problems" (huffingtonpost.com). A former Facebook president stated that Myspace "was basically this junk heap of bad design that persisted for many, many years" (huffingtonpost.com). This same formula of not anticipating an on-coming competitor, and then rapidly trying to innovate (but producing sub-par products) has been the downfall of all such cites. Getting behind the learning/innovation curve in this day of technology can be detrimental to firms such as these.

200

This site failed due to a literal (digital) disintegration of bonds.

What is Friendster. A Wired article from 2013 described Friendster's downfall as this: "[in 2009]Many of the users weren't connected to a lot of other members, and the people they had befriended came with just a handful of their own connections. So they ended up being so loosely affiliated with the network that the burden of dealing with a new user interface just wasn't worth it"(wired.com). This is precisely the issue that is being discussed which people believe has befallen physical interpersonal communication. Those "ties" between people, the imperative face-to-face interactions are so weak (whether you take this literally or not is up to you) that the interaction becomes futile altogether. Could this be hinting at a communicative collapse such as the one Friendster experienced?

300

It's been argued through time that music is a form of communication. This social media site attempted (and failed) to tap this market.

What is Apple Ping. Shutting down Ping was coined as being an "acknowledgement that apple is out of its element when it comes to bringing people together in social networks"(wired.com). It is also acknowledged in the article that Ping would not let users sign up with facebook. In taking this immense and expansive social contact out of the game Ping became exclusive to a fault. Communication is only truly successful when it encompasses many people and crosses boarders. Even considering today's usage of wifi in order to stay in contact while travelling to foreign countries is imperative. Ease of communication is fundamental to its continued advancements.

400

This tech giant made SIX attempts at social media and failed with each (could this even mean a lack of communication within the firm?)

What is Google. While most would argue that the communication and transparency within Google is arguably good, their attempts at social media (2004-Orkut, 2004- Dodgeball, 2006-Jaiku, 2009- Google Wave, 2010- Google Buzz, 2011- Google+) each fell flat.

500

This social media site was mentioned as being a "digital ghetto" in 2011

What is Myspace. In a Huffington Post article dedicated to why Myspace fell apart "Researcher Danah Boyd compared user migration from Myspace to Facebook to white flight, making the case that Myspace had come to be regarded as a 'digital ghetto', whereas Facebook was a safe haven for more elite users" (huffingtonpost.com). I found this to be especially interesting because in America Calling: A Social History of the Telephone it was mentioned that initally only "well-to-do, white collar households had telephones". I think that it is appropriate to make the assertion that technological advancements favor the wealthy. However, then, by my thesis, this would also mean that communication favors the wealthy as well.

Where do we go from here?

100

Imperative to success in your business now and in the future.

What is SOCIAL MEDIA! A Forbes article from 2014 states "73% of adults have social media accounts ... [you need to] generate conversations or new subscribers"(Forbes.com). Later in the article- which gives tips on how to successfully master social media- a point is made that is supported with evidence stating "instead of just shouting at your audience, take time to actually listen to them"(Forbes.com) **SEE 200 level question for this column)

200

100 Level Question Continued

The evidence given in the above section states that it is increasingly popular for people to feel the need to shout their message and spread it all across all forms of social media. The point is also made that this is not so well received. While town criers may have been popular in something like The Dark Ages section I set up, they are not accepted in today's society.

300

Level 200 question continued.

The movement from here, in my opinion, is eloquence. We as a society need to figure out a way to preserve the art and majesty of communication as it has evolved throughout time. From the original on foot transportation of verbal and then written messages, to telephones, and then moving into the virtual world, and social media. As a whole, the world needs to accept a balance between, in essence, shrinking the world and becoming more interconnected and becoming totally disconnected from the physical world.

400

Level 300 question continued

As mentioned in my Unit Two project, many people I know personally struggle with this balance even today. Many people agree that, while technology and the advancements it has allowed in communication are benefical, they also seem to be stunting physical interactions. Social and physical communicative cues seem to be all but falling away, which would be a major cost to the benefit of being accessible at all times over any distance.

500

Where we actually go from here.

I believe that society will actually end up "reverting" in a sense. I believe that the "hipster trends" and increasing popularity of people wanting privacy from the government will cause individuals to pull away from technology and social media alike. I believe that texting and other privatized messaging methods by phone carriers will remain popular, but that open websites will see a decline. I personally am trying to cut myself off more and more, I believe that it's healthy to step away from the screen and speak in person, I believe that meeting up with your friends or family for a meal is imperative to keeping relationships authentic and healthy.