Forms of Human Communication through the Ages - Research Paper Example

Forms of Human Communication through the Ages INTRODUCTION Human beings are a species that innately lives in groups and requires and benefits from group living. Ever since human beings began interacting on a formal level finding ways to communicate with one another is essential. It is through understanding and communication that allows people to work together, form functioning societies, and share in the development of culture and spiritual beliefs. Today we have so many different means and formats to communicate in; text, phone, email, and tweeting are all ways that human beings communicate from any place at anytime. That freedom was not always available and human beings had to work hard to get to the level of communicational freedom that most people have today. That journey has been a long and fascinating one. DISCUSSION As stated, the journey of human communication has been a long road through our collective history. The best way to understand that journey is to discuss their places in that history individually. Cave Paintings The Cro-Magnon, a precursor to modern man, was the first to participate in cave and rock paintings. To date it remains the earliest form of actual primate communication, estimated at 40,000 years ago (Ayiter, 2014).The majority of cave paintings found throughout Europe show scenes featuring animals, like bison and bear. Experts believe that cave paintings were important to early man for few reasons. These animals were essential to the livelihood for survival; they may have signs to let hunters know what game was available in this territory. Another theory involves the concept of an early religion; they may have thought that the images had magical or medicinal powers and they, also, may have thought depicting them might improve the likelihood of successfully hunting and killing one. These cave painters did not have any forms of actual paint, there implements were likely berries of different colors and charcoal (Beacon Learning Center, 2001). Cave paintings were a form of visual communication to members of one or perhaps multiple groups. It is likely that this artistic and communicative format that paved the way for the traditions of storytelling, spiritual belief, and cultural identity all at the same time. Cave paintings continued for a long time before verbal communication became more common; in fact, even after the invention of languages certain forms of cave-paining arts remained relevant and not uncommon (Beacon Learning Center, 2001). Storytelling Human beings began using their new found verbal abilities of, language as soon they realized that they could. Storytelling is the oldest form of true, verbal communication. It is extremely likely that the first communications benefitted mankind through its ability to warn of dangers, explain dangers, interact and development plans of action, as is hunting and later politics and social formations, but primarily served as the foundations of the tales that would eventually become the basis of cultures, the tales of a society, and the foundations of many of the most primitive of religions (Kanner, 2010). For this reason man earliest communications were likely fairytales and fables to teach, warn, encourage positive traits, and discourage negative behaviors for the betterments of the group as a whole. As the years moved forward and language became more formalized, stylized, and differentiated around the world; shared language and understanding entirely contributed to the cultures that were formed from that sharing. Without the earliest form of storytelling we would not have the fables and cultural tales that teach us what is, at least according to their respective culture, right and wrong and decidedly good and evil (Kanner, 2010). We would not have the religious tomes that so many in the world today still consider to be the most important books ever written. Without the development of verbal skills and language the humanity has a whole may never have adapted into the species that we have become. Drums & Smoke Signals Smoke signals and drums are two very common forms of silent, human communication. It was develop after language for situations when language would not be sufficient (Dubick, 2013). Before the age of cell phones communicating important information from long distances was not so very simple. Smoke signals made that possible. Both the Native Americans and the Chinese implemented smoke signal codes that when released from a mountaintop and could be seen for miles. However, there is no one code that was employed, in fact, the codes were seldom the same and were probably changed regularly. After all smoke signals could also be seen by enemies so the codes were only known by the sender and recipients (Indians.org, 2014). Drums were, also, used in a very similar capacity as the smoke signals; however, they also served a dual purpose. Drums in many cultures not only communicated information it was also incredibly important in many traditions, rituals, and religious rites. Drums in some cultures represented natural forces that were experienced by man, thunder, storms, and the power of a deity. They also could also be incorporated as a form of storytelling, which is still not uncommon although not as culturally relevant as it once was; humanity uses sound, drums, and music in general to communicate stories, specific events, and to commemorate places, people, and events. As man became more and more interested in communicating longer and longer distances and be able to have a record of words that were spoken to be reflected on at later time gave birth to the first means of written traditions (Indians.org, 2014). Early Handwritten Documents/Books The word manuscript literally translates into “written by hand,” which is exactly what human beings has to do before the machine printing of books. Each book, before the commonality of paper in 14th century, had to be hand written and copied on velum pages. Most of the earliest written works were almost entirely religious in nature. This is for two very specific reasons, The first is that literacy was low in the age of handwritten documents, the only ones who had the privilege of learning to read and write were academic scholars and those dedicated to religion, like monks who were responsible for a large number of the copies manuscripts that were produced ( Achdiyani, 2013).Complete works being handwritten did sometimes contain differences, mistakes, and variations from one another. Ultimately this meant that culture had taken a shift. Where once communication was more all inclusive, now certain forms were being reserved for the wealthy, elite, or religious in nature. Average people had neither the ability nor the time to read for pleasure, so they relied on the information given to them by others ( Achdiyani, 2013). Today we are not so trusting of those who tell us what is true without having some sort of tangible validation. This would be the standard for the next 1000 years (Creative Displays Now, 2014). People continued to write, rewrite and copy again onto those velum sheets and then in the 14th century switched to the earliest forms of paper produced and imported from the Chinese. Printing Press The first printing presses are probably not what most people imagine. Today we think of the massive, mechanized newspaper printers, like in comic books, flashing page after page of printed copies, with incredible speed. Its beginnings were far more humble. Although the Chinese had already been printing libraries of books for sometime it is, in fact, it is German inventor, Johann Gutenberg, who is credited with inventing the first printing press featuring movable type-letters for interchangeable uses in 1448 (Eisenstein, 1997).This style produces a typographic ,while those that preceded it, xylographic, required a single carved template for every individual page of any work. For this reason, it is Gutenberg’s invention that simplified, innovated, and changed the way that books were read and made the orienting of books an industry not reserved for the elite alone which was not entirely supported by the wealthy bourgeoisie of Europe, who did not want peasant educated and learning to read (Ayiter, 2014). The most famous example of Gutenberg’s printed works is the Gutenberg Bible. Gutenberg spent the better part of 6 years printing his bible; they are the first bibles ever printed in Europe in 1455. Today there are hundreds of books on the shelves, from famous authors and unknowns alike. Finding something to read is not exactly hard, especially since most books can now be found in a digital format, as well. However, in the age of the first printing press, even after the literacy statistics of the peasant had increased, books remained a rare and precious item. Of course, they were not inexpensive and this still made the ownership of books to be found among those with wealth or part of the Church (Ayiter, 2014). Letter Writing & the Postman Letter writing predates printed books and can be traced back to the age of the works in the Bible. Several of the passages and important information contained there for Christians actually were taken from letters disciples and prophets had written (Jones, 2009).Like the printed works access to parchment or paper and the ink and implements to write, as well as, the literacy to do so. However, as literacy rates increased and the invention of pencils and pens became much more common place, letter writing became and stayed the format of long distance communication for centuries. (Creative Displays Now, 2014). Letter writing became more and more important the further and further humanity continued to move from each other. As the United States spread out and expanded letter writing became the only form of real distant communication. Letters could be carried by ship, wagon, train, and for a short time, cross country, by the “Pony Express.” The first post office was established in 1775 and had reached its highest point in the mid 1800s the system had expanded sea to sea. This now allowed a more formalized way of sending and receiving communication (Creative Displays Now, 2014). Of course letter writing is not necessarily ideal, after all, letters can be lost, misplaced, damaged during transport from one place to the other, plus even when traveling at an optimum speed could take weeks if not months to reach the recipient. Today we see images of a new baby seconds after it has been born posted to a social media site instantly, however, back in the days where letter writing was essential, a birth announcement may arrive weeks or months after the event. Unlike so many other forms of communication that fell entirely out of favor as newer and newer technologies made them seem obsolete letter writing, even to this day, has never been completely stamped out; no pun intended. However, this did not stop new and innovative ideas in communication from evolving; the telegraph would completely change how communication was conducted. Telegraph The telegraph was the most ingenious invention of its kind. It was the first truly implemented technology that employed electricity to accomplish long distance communication with an immediacy, speed, and efficiency that had never been seen before. Although the technology behind he telegraph was first considered and researched by a British inventor, William Watson, in 1747, however, in the United States the history books credit Samuel F.B. Morse as the inventor of the telegraph in 1837, almost a hundred years later (Creative Displays Now, 2014). The Morse telegraph sent its message by sending signals through electrical wires. The name was also used to describe the famous, code of different taps and clicks that represented the words the sender wanted to send. Interestingly enough the last country to be wired with the telegraph was Australia (History of the Telegraph in Communications, 2013). The telegraph had the greatest impact on the railroad industry. The railroads could set actual schedules, keep track of trains, and communicate with one another throughout their travels. Unfortunately, for the bulk of its use it was considered to be a rather expensive luxury to send a telegraphed message, so it was not popular among the poorest members of society. As the years went by and the prices dropped and it became more accessible to the average person. Today we no longer use the technology that inspired the telegraph, however its invention set the foundations for future forms of communication, like radio (History of the Telegraph in Communications, 2013). Communication would not stop there. In the future we would continue to revolutionize how we communicate, from the telephone to the internet. CONCLUSION In the end we have come a long way since we sat by firelight and spread pigments onto walls to explain the animals and nature in the world around us. We have the ability to not just communicate across a continent, but across oceans, all over the world, and even into the vastness of space. Today we do not just connect with the close to us we connect with co-workers, acquaintances, and strangers with a click of a button. Many might think that mankind has essentially mastered all forms of real communication, but that seems unlikely. Technology and societies changes and the means by which we communicate could very likely change as well. From looking at where our communication history started, where we are today, and the continual ingenuity of humanity, it is likely only the beginning. REFERENCES Achdiyani. (2013, December 17). Challenges for new ways of communication. Climate Culture Communications Lab, Retrieved from http://ccclab.info/2013/07/12/challenges-for-new-ways-of-communication/ Ayiter, E. (2014). The history of visual communication [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.citrinitas.com/history_of_viscom/rockandcaves.html Dubick, C. (2013, September 23). Smoke signals, drums, and carrier pigeons lead to associates conference calls . Retrieved from: http://www.oppeace.org/node/13061 Eisenstein, E. L. (1997). the printing press as an agent of change: Communications and cultural transformations in early-modern europe.. New York and Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=4277 Jones, M. (2009, January 17). The history and lost art of letter writing. Newsweek, 1. Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/history-and-lost-art-letter-writing-78365 Kanner, M. (2010). The cultural evolution of storytelling and fairy tales: Human communication and memetics. Retrieved from http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s9676.pdf Creative Displays Now. (2014). History of communication from cave drawings to the web. Retrieved from http://www.creativedisplaysnow.com/articles/history-of-communication-from-cave-drawings-to-the-web.htm Beacon Learning Center. (2001). A brief history of cave paintings. Retrieved from http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/documents/1137_01.pdf History of the Telegraph in Communications. (2013). History of the telegraph in communications. Retrieved from http://www.shoretelsky.com/history-of-telegraph-in-communications/ Indians.org. (2014). Smoke signals. Retrieved from http://www.indians.org/articles/smoke-signals.html Read More