Brief History of Technological Advances
Technology continues to have a dramatic impact on how we communicate and has created new ethical dilemmas with each advancement. Let's review some of the major changes in technology in the past few decades and their impact on communication to gain a better perspective of how much communication has changed due to technology.
In the 1400's,Gutenberg's printing press allowed for cheaper production which resulted in greater quantities of books and exposure of information to the general public. Since the movable letters could be changed, texts were produced in multiple languages. (Kreis, 2012) Another important invention was the telegraph (providing communication across the ocean ) which increased the speed of communication and coveredr larger areas. By the late 1800s, most of the world was wired for telegraph communication. (McNamara, 2014) It's big rival arrived later with the telephone (two people communicating at same time but different locations). No longer did you need to wait for messages to be decoded and you interacted with another person at the same time.
The radio, invented by Italian scientist Marconi, transformed communication from one to many sources and was wireless! Radio had its own formats, including live entertainment, local information, news and specialized channels for a diverse population. With transistors, radios became smaller and portable. The next leap came with the invention of television. Now with visual images and audio, TV became the nationwide platform for commercial advertising, news, politics and the arts. It played a major role in shaping American culture. (Stephens,2014)
The greatest invention in the 20th century came next - the computer (click if you want detailed information of computer development) and later the internet. To understand more about the history of the internet, watch film documentary producer Melhi Bilgil's creative video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hIQjrMHTv4). Internet involves all of the other medias, making it more powerful. The ability to store data and stream videos continues to grow. Over the past decades, these changes resulted in making the world a smaller place, increasing the access and speed of information, and creating multiple platforms to communicate with a global audience.
Example: Within the past five years, all of us academic advisors increased our abilities to communicate with students. From direct mail, website,emails, texts, cell phone applications, social media networks, online orientations, live chat advising rooms and QR codes, it's amazing how technology has impacted our communication process. Ironically, in our attempt to be proactive, some students became more reactive and impatient if information was not quickly updated or if they had to meet in-person.
The radio, invented by Italian scientist Marconi, transformed communication from one to many sources and was wireless! Radio had its own formats, including live entertainment, local information, news and specialized channels for a diverse population. With transistors, radios became smaller and portable. The next leap came with the invention of television. Now with visual images and audio, TV became the nationwide platform for commercial advertising, news, politics and the arts. It played a major role in shaping American culture. (Stephens,2014)
The greatest invention in the 20th century came next - the computer (click if you want detailed information of computer development) and later the internet. To understand more about the history of the internet, watch film documentary producer Melhi Bilgil's creative video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hIQjrMHTv4). Internet involves all of the other medias, making it more powerful. The ability to store data and stream videos continues to grow. Over the past decades, these changes resulted in making the world a smaller place, increasing the access and speed of information, and creating multiple platforms to communicate with a global audience.
Example: Within the past five years, all of us academic advisors increased our abilities to communicate with students. From direct mail, website,emails, texts, cell phone applications, social media networks, online orientations, live chat advising rooms and QR codes, it's amazing how technology has impacted our communication process. Ironically, in our attempt to be proactive, some students became more reactive and impatient if information was not quickly updated or if they had to meet in-person.
Citations:
- Kreis, Steven. 2012. "The Printing Press." The History Guide. http://historyguide.org/intellect/press.htm
- McNamara, Robert. "The Invention of the Telegraph Changed Communication Forever, accessed October 2014, About Education, http://history1800s.about.com/od/inventioninnovation/a/telegraph01.htm.
- "Guglielmo Marconi," The Biography.com website, accessed October 2014,
http://www.biography.com/people/guglielmo-marconi-9398611. - Stephens,Mitchell.2000. "The History of Television." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. https://www.nyu.edu/classes/stephens/History%20of%20Television%20page.htm.
- "History Q & A", Computer Hope website, accessed October 2014, http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000984.htm.
- Bilgil, Melhi, "History of the Internet",You Tube, accessed October 2014, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hIQjrMHTv4.