History of Communication Technology

In looking back at the history of communication technology, we can go back as far as 3500 BC. However, the first major communication advancement that we see today happened in the mid 1400’s when the daily newspaper started to circulate. That is about the same time that the Gutenberg printing press began and communication could circulate through print. Jumping up a few hundred years to the late 1800’s, we saw the pony express mail delivery, the typewriter, photography, the telephone, and the answering machine develop. The early 1900’s began with comic books, motion pictures, and television making strides toward what we see today. In 1944, the government use of computers began. Then in 1951, the first commercial computer was built with MIT introducing computer graphics in 1951. 1966 was the year that the fax machine was made by Xerox and in 1969, ARPNET was released, which was the first internet. The 1970’s seen a lot of computer advancements like the first computer chip made by Intel in 1974. Microsoft began in 1975, and the Apple 2 came out in 1976. The first cell phone network was released in Japan in 1979. By 1980, the Microsoft DOS operating system was released. In 1983, the cell phone network began in the United States. In 1985, Microsoft’s first version of windows come out, and in 1991, the World Wide Web begins. The first blog was posted in 1994 and in 1995; dial up internet service begins with AOL, Prodigy, and CompuServe. That same year, Amazon.com and Ebay.com begin. In 1999, google and myspace started their impressive track to popularity and redefining of communication on the net. In 2001, Wikipedia began, and a year later, Flickr started as well. In 2004, facebook began, with Youtube starting only 5 years ago. As you can see, much of the technology that has been created has started recently. When looking at communication technology timelines, there are very detailed ones and general ones as well. The one I used was relatively broad because there is so much information on them. One key point to note though, is that the bulk of information and advancement of technology was from 1960 to the present. As we progress through time, advancements in communication technology will continue to evolve at an even faster pace. With this evolution, we will most likely find ourselves continually amazed by what’s next and may never be satisfied with what we have!

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http://www.utdbox.com/Technology%20timeline_4340.pdf

Is the evolution of Communication and Technology really negative?

Technology, communication technology in particular can have some negative consequences in addition to the positive ones that get talked about so often. These positives and negatives can be very cloudy, however, when truly looking deep into the individual circumstances. Let’s take for example, a newspaper company. That company may have thrived in the 1980’s selling papers because everyone needed the news and the only way to get it was either television or newspaper. That same company in 2010 could potentially go out of business because much of the news that people want can be had for free at the click of the internet via mobile device, Smartphone, pc, iPod, etc. This would appear initially as a negative because many people would potentially get laid off and the company could fail all together. Looking deeper, there may actually be some positives and hope for these types of companies if they put in the time and effort. One angle to this is that if old print newspapers and magazines are phasing out and internet articles are what is more popular, then these companies need to make a strong push to make their products available on line. They should then put in the time and money to make sure their sites are user friendly with a competitive interface that captures the reader’s attention so that they will come back to their site for future news information. Once they do that, then their site hit count will rise and they can profit from the revenue of advertising from their popularity. One positive side effect would be that fewer trees would have to be killed because less paper would be used since we do not need paper to look at a story online as opposed to in a newspaper! This concept can apply just the same to the movie industry, where a company like blockbuster may need to make a stronger effort to deliver movies via the mail and/or through a simple download from their site, like Netflix. The music industry is heading toward a simple mp3 download from sites like ITunes, Zune, napster, or illegal like Kazaa, limewire, and bit torrent. A store like FYE, who sells cd’s will begin to see a decrease in sales as time goes on because of the evolution of the industry. However, with so much illegal downloading on line, the artists, recording labels, and stores all get hit hard in their pockets. This should make them unite and create incentives for people to buy the cd’s in the store. For example, if I was a big Eminem fan, I may not want to spend $10 on a disc when I can get it for free online. However, if that disc came with tickets to a concert, or a chance to win tickets, an autograph, or extra artist exclusives only available via the purchase of the compact disc itself, then I may spend the money and buy the disc. Aydan Corkern makes the point that this technological evolution has caused people to become lazier and less active. A point like this is hard to argue because I simply agree with the author on it. People do seem lazier and less active because of the internet and technology. They will often communicate online as opposed to getting out and socializing in person, which I believe is much healthier overall. The key here is that we must strive for a healthy balance of both.
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http://www.articleonlinedirectory.com/Art/128143/191/the-negative-effects-of-advancing-technology-on-society.html

What is technology and communication?

Among the different definitions of communication is “the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs” (dictionary.com). Communication has been the staple of human civilization and evolution throughout our history. It has allowed for great expansions of ideas, promotions of diversity, and potential for solutions to almost any problems the world has to offer through improved technology. But what is technology? It is defined as “the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science”(dictionary.com). It’s roots are in its processes being technical in nature and it seems to correspond with innovation directly and indirectly.

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http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/communication
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/technology

My daily communication experience

I wanted to give some insight to my personal view on technology and how it affects communication in my life. First, I use my cell phone for many things. Of course it allows me to make and receive calls, which I do often, but it also provides me with many resources and accessibility to a variety of gadgets that would typically be difficult to have within a hands reach away. One thing I use my phone for a lot is to calculate. For some reason I have a lot of trouble keeping calculators around the house with two kids running around. The good thing is if I need to check their homework or pay bills, my phone is always reliable and handy for calculations with a user friendly interface and quick access from my phone short cuts. Also, if I do not want to get caught up in a long conversation for whatever reason, text messaging is not only ideal, but mandatory in some cases, depending on who is on the other end! E-mail through my personal computer is also great for my many communications with different people and businesses. I have a laptop for better mobility and a desktop for more comfort and security because of the hardwire connection to my wireless router. I would say that I spend about 2 hours per day communicating on my cell phone and 1 hour per day communicating on the computer. This has allowed me to get many things done that would normally require long hold times, physical trips to different locations, and frustration with time wasted along the way. One example of this would be paying my cell phone bill. If I had to call Sprint to make a payment, it could take anywhere from 5-30 minutes. Paying online is never more than 2. Overall, my personal experiences with technology and how I use it to communicate with the rest of the world is a positive one.

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Mobility and technology

At the core of new technology in the world as we know it, today in 2010, is the internet. Like the sun in our universe, one of the closest planets to that sun would be mobile technology. Mobile phones, handheld computers, and instant messaging devices all in one, usually are small and are always a smart piece of equipment. Phones of today are taking the place of many things that used to be available via other outlets. For example, we can listen to music on our phones instead of needing a separate radio. We can use them as an alarm instead of an alarm clock. They work as a computer instead of a laptop or can be used to take a photo instead of a separate camera. If you need to jot notes down for later, they can enable you to do that instead of needing a pen and paper. If you need to instant message, your phone will likely allow that as well. What is fascinating about all of this is that each day the technology is getting fit into smaller, more compact devices, with better specs, for lower prices.( Alexander). It's not just about a better price, it’s also about consolidation and convenience. To be able to do all of this stuff under one bill, which can probably be paid via the very device you are carrying, is convenient in itself. Even deeper, however, is the accessibility of all of this information in less than a minute. Storage has now become a pivotal attribute to the devices as they allow users to store information for various outlets. For example, if you wanted to take photos on your mobile phone, then save it to your hard drive, you can later plug it up via a USB cable to your computer to order prints online or save it too. Some phones even have a mini photo disc that you can simply take out of the phone and stick into your computer and do the same thing. This mini disc can be taken to a photo shop or photo lab as well and the pictures can be developed that way. In case we forgot in all of this discussion, they are able to make phones calls as well to any parts of the world(Alexander). As technology evolves, it’s a wonder if we will be able to talk to an astronaut on another planet via our mobile phone to theirs in the future.
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http://ezinearticles.com/?Importance-of-Mobile-Phone-in-Our-Daily-Life&id=1349819
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Intorduction

My name is Nouri Zumot, and I am a senior at Florida State University majoring in Social Science. This blog is about technology and how it affects our daily life. Thanks for viewing.