Terence P. Moran: History of Communication

Throughout history, information has been stored and transmitted as a means to continue communication of knowledge throughout the eras. From the earliest forms of storing information via the Lascaux cave paintings to illustrate hunting to the earliest humans, to modern day corporations keeping internal documents for employees saved and relayed to reference. In its highest level, passing on knowledge through time and space to reach other audiences, is largely at the forefront of cultural survival.

All human communication is founded upon our language-structured ability to stretch the boundaries of our senses by inferring how the realities of time/space and energy/matter operate, and to imagine, design and construct techniques and technologies of communication that are able to provide and share more information than is naturally available through our sensory receptors. (Moran, 1)

 

When reading the first three chapters of Introduction to the History of Communication, it is outlined that there has so far been six key changes throughout the history of human communication that have affected how information is generated, stored and shared over time.

As illustrated by Moran, the key evolutions- revolutions in ways we communicate have evolved from oral and visual signs and symbols to today’s Age of Information (8).

 

After taking into consideration the symbiotic relationships of those key changes of evolution- revolution in technological development, it becomes apparent to me that another evolution- revolution has occurred in the way in which ‘cultural survival’ is no longer dependent on ‘human survival’. As humans and technologies have evolved throughout the eras, there has been an evolutionary shift in the symbiotic relationship between preserving information and relaying information.

 

As communicating information was formerly equated with human survival in earlier eras, it is my belief that in the 21^st century there has been a revolution in the standards that define and measure human survival. It is no longer ‘survival of the fittest’ for the human race, and lack of information doesn’t mean lack of life. For example, in the earliest forms of sharing information via Lascaux cave paintings – not accessing the information could potentially mean not eating ergo death, but in the 21^st century, there are many options of accessible techniques to garner information – look no further than ‘Googling’ grocery store locations to be well informed. Whereas in previous eras not being able to access stored information had a very negative effect on survival, in this day and age not being up-to-date with the latest social media or Cybernetic technology that information is being transmitted, stored, relayed on, doesn’t affect survival – it affects knowledge and ultimately the people choosing not to access the Cybernetic technologies that transmit information are without knowledge.

 

However, garnering knowledge and information is still at the forefront of every successful organization, business, and functioning society. Without information systematically managed, the flow of knowledge would be disrupted and we would never have technological advances (evolutions and revolutions) that largely define our way of life and help to shape emergent future cultures. Information therefore has a key role to play in the critical development of future technologies. For example, if in the late 1890’s the Lumière brothers were not able to access the information pioneered by Thomas Edison’s Kinetograph, the modern video camera as we know it today would cease to exist. It is this type of historical and monumental advances for technologies based on access to collective knowledge that exemplifies the absolute need for access to information that is saved and relayed through space and time.

 

Survival in its broadest sense, extrapolated into the 21^st century, Cybernetic age can be understood more accurately as learning to utilize available communication options,  new technologies and platforms that transmit, store,  and relay information. We are no longer relying on cave paintings and memories to store information. The 21^st century individual uses reference websites like Wikipedia to garner knowledge on a wide variety of topics and uses web applications that harness the collective intelligence provided by the end-user to then systematically manage content and display information accordingly e.g. LinkedIn “people you may know” and, Facebook – News Feeds sorted by navigation patterns.

 

Ultimately at one point in history, not being able to access information had a causal relationship with chances of survival.  Moving forward in our Age of Information society, survival isn’t directly and causally linked with access to information because now we have such a wealth of sources to rely on. The issue lies within the evolution and emergence of net new technologies and the rapid, revolutionary change they bring about in the symbiotic relationship between  ‘cultural survival’ and ‘human survival’, in the end triggered by these ‘new’ technologies becoming commonplace and redundant to effectively reach audiences relaying information that has been stored and can be accessed to further societal development.