Communications

Communication is the act of sharing information through a common system. Communication is the quality that defines humans as social specie. Since the development of the alphabet to the invention of the Internet technology has improved the way people communicate. According to popular opinion scientific progress has negatively impacted communication, however historic events provide counter facts. Scientific progress has developed technology that greatly influences how society communicates. As one walks into the library it is not rare to see people using computers, talking on their cell phone, and even texting all at the same time. Communication technology has made multitasking possible. By doing multiple tasks at the same time one is saving time, yet according to Pondent’s paper society believes that one is not engaging with any of the tasks therefore the quality of communication is lost. Thanks to the Internet one can communicate with anyone around the world. More and more people are using technology to communicate and face-to-face interaction is becoming a thing of the past. Because one is always behind the screen people are isolating themselves. As a result of the isolation people are becoming lazy, and they do not feel the need to exit their house to look for entertainment or even shop because everything is at their fingertips thanks to the Internet. Pondent’s paper expresses that when one takes a closer look at the bigger picture of technology and communication one can quickly see the negative effects of it. The erroneous usage is these great tools are much like the Darwinian theory. People adapt differently and some will use these tools to their advantage and gain of knowledge and other will not know what to do with the constant change. The negative effect from technology comes from people’s behavior and misusage of technology. Throughout history one can see the development of effective communication. Scientific progress has contributed to this development in the form of technology. Since the early years cave men have used a system of signs. These signs consisted of a group of disorganized patterns that had different meaning to each human (Now.com). It was not until the year of 30,000 B.C.E that communication began to take a more understandable format. The usage of creative pigments and figures made the signs more understandable. Jumping to the 13th century the use of hand written documents even though this was a great method only the wealthy class had the education and money to be able to read these manuscripts. Because these books were hand written only a limited amount of them existed. In 1448, Johann Gutenberg invented the printed press. Printed press revolutionized the way books were made forever. The use of pre printed text blocks, ink, and paper allowed for books to be mass-produced (Now.com). The lower classes of the 13th century were the ones that took the greatest advantage of this invention because for the first time there had the opportunity of an education. In 1747, William Watson invented a devise that was able to send messages using electrically generates signal through a wire (Now.com). The telegram was the first machine that allowed instant long distance communication. The telegram was a great technological tool that helped during the wartime. The upper classes were able to use it to deliver personal messages but the lower incomes families were no able to afford it. Following the telegram was the telephone. The telephone was another innovation that has revolutionized the way one communicates. Thanks to it one can have long distance conversations and leave voice messages. It that proves that scientific progress creates technology that helps the development of effective communication. On 1967, the Internet was created for military purposes and today is the most used tool of communication (Now.com). Today the Internet is available everywhere, and dislike the previews technologies Internet can be afforded by lower income families. As one walks into the library one can see all the great innovations and communication tools that scientific progress has made possible. Today it is much easier to communicate than it was twenty years ago. Twenty years ago the only way people would communicate was face to face or by mail. Thanks to technology one can commutate in a matter of seconds with anyone around the world.
“First, since we are dealing with a process whose every element takes considerable time in revealing its true features and effects” According to Schumpeter’s quote progress takes time and the true effects can not be seen till years later. Communication technology has been around since the existence of humans, therefore, one can see clearly the positive outcome of the scientific progress and it’s relationship with communication. Internet, telephones, telegrams, written publications, and pattern signs are the steady progress of technology. Looking back in time one can see all the prints that scientific progress has left behind and the way it has helped the development of effective communication.

Works Cite
Baird, Theodore. “Darwin and the Tangle Bank.” Great Interdisciplinary Ideas. Ed. William Vesterman. New York: Pearson, 2008. 30-39. Print.
Now.com. History of Communication from the Cave Drawing to the Web. Creative Displays Now, 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.
Pondent, Corr. Negative Effect of Technology on Communication. Demand Media Inc., 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.
Schumpeter, Joseph. “The Process Of Creative Destruction.” Great Interdisciplinary Ideas. Ed. William Vesterman. New York: Pearson, 2008. 47-53. Print.