Human Communication

Ever wonder how communication started? People nowadays are familiar to Facebook,

Twitter and Instagram. All of these are examples of social media which is somehow dominant in

our society. There is definitely a foundation behind this like how it evolved throughout history.

With the advent of the Internet, New Age Media was introduced, this includes our mobile

phones, computer and the Internet which is now the popular mass media communication. Before

mass media was started, people learned how to write using alphabets. These alphabets contribute

a lot to the evolution of human communication. Different techniques of writing were developed.

Timeline of communication

1. Oral Tradition

2. The Visual / Symbolic Tradition

3. The Written Tradition

4. The Mass Media

5. The Digital Age

Oral Tradition

Oral tradition is the way of exercising customs and teachings by means of

communicating through speech that can be written down as time goes by. Although it is

commonly done in writing, oral tradition will be able to know the group of people and society we

belong which can possibly preserve past events and partake beliefs by some groups that does not

necessarily to write off. It has been a justified method to refrain from revealing important facts in

a group that even a person who is unable to read and write would know. Oral tradition depicts to

take in stories that contribute to the rooted history of the group of people in any aspects in life
(Fadeiye 2004).

The used of writing materials were greatly limited in Africa before the European came.

They are solely depend in oral tradition that even illiterate African would be able to use for

important part of their practices, beliefs and literature to be passed on the next generation. Oral

tradition was used for gaining education, religious beliefs and even legal matters or in any other

aspects in life.

On the other hand, even oral tradition is considered as the best way to know the history

behind human communication it may at risk to twist out the true meaning of facts. It might also

happen that the chronological order of events in the history would be uncertain and inaccurate.

Symbolic Tradition

Now a Days understanding of symbolic tradition is valuable in our daily life. Many Art

Historian Warburg, Erwin, and others that the biggest challenge is deal with a certain means of

an image or sign. According to Wittgenstein’s “there are various resemblances between the

members of a family such as build features color of eyes, gait and temperament and so on, and

these resemblances tend to overlap and crisscross in many ways.” Everybody shows different

emotions by their problems. However, it’s our option to convey ourselves and symbols which

around us. It contribute to other spiritually to understand the meaning of symbols. We all know

that the language we used for communication is made of systems of symbols. These symbols are

signs or character that represents an object, function or process. Example of symbols – letters /

we used in transcribing word, reading, writing. It can be an expression of ourselves, emotions or

even feelings. Symbol is not only an object but it can give meaning to everything. (Kuuva S.)

(p.21).

The Written Tradition

In 1050 BC, Phoenician alphabet was the first and the longest alphabetical inventions. Many

traders from the past used it to write. They were the cause of its worldwide spread out in

different places. The standard writing started from right to left. Allott (2000) explained that this

alphabet was invented by the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Assyrians, Cretans and Hebrews. Also this

is the only influential alphabet that survived in the past. In 900 BC, China used the very first

postal service for government. After China, Romans used homing pigeons to send message in

776 BC. Other countries like Canada and Paris also use homing pigeons as messenger.

Bì shēng (990-1051 AD) was a chinese artisan and inventor of the world’s first movable

type techonology, one of the four great inventions of ancient china. Bi sheng system was made of

chinese porcelain and was invented between 1041 and 1049 during the medieval song dynasty.

The book records detailed description on the techinical details of bi sheng’s invention of

mavable type and clay types by innovation through wood, as his process increased the speed of

type setting as well. Hua sui (1513).

Books have been around for nearly 3,000 years but until, johannes guntenbergn invented

the printing pres in the mid 14’00s they were rare and hard to produce. Text and illustrations

were done by hand, a very time consuming process, and only the wealthy and educated could

afford them. But within a few dacades of gunternbergn’s innovation, printing presses were

operating in england, france, germany, holland, spain and elsewhere.

By 932 A.D chinese printers regularly were using carved wooden blocks to print scrolls.

But these wooden blocks wore out quickly, and a new block had to be carved for each character,

word, or image that was used. The next revolution in printing accured in 1041 when chinese

printers began using movable type individual characters made of clay that could be chained
together to form words and sentences. Daley, jason (2016).

The Mass Media

Mass media refer “to many” or a large numbers of people while media is an electronic

form of communication. Example of mass media are television, films and such like. Mass media

is also known as the quotation “one-to-many” communication.

Mass media has four important characteristics. These are the distance, technology, scale

and commodity. Distance is the communication between the sender and the receiver. Message

can be transmitted with the use of technology. It can be locally or international communication.

But not everyone can use mass media. For example you need to buy television or need to pay

subscription to watch using satellite or cable signal.

Television has a great impact on our daily lives. Eventhough many changes happen in the

present (Schroeder2001). Television has a great impact on our daily lives. Through television we

are entertained and learn more. Although television helps us in many things it also has a bad

effect. Like for example,we are consuming a lot of time watching telenovelas and also it affect

our vision of frequent watching near the TV. Mass media is a really vital part in the way we

lived.

The Digital Age

Evolution on Digital Communication: Domination of Mobile Phone

According from dictionary it's an electronic transmission of information that has been encoded

digitally which significantly used in communicating (e.g digital communication technology,

mobile phone, computer and so on). I can still remember the days back when I was at my first

and second year in high school, most of my teacher do share their hassle when digital

communication were not really that dominant during their student life. You literally have to
search the whole library to find this certain book for your references but we now have computer

(hardware), Google (software) where you just have to click and brows then information will

appear. The struggle of watching a non-colored Television where these days, --these days, most

people will probably not appreciate and walking miles for them to communicate with their

friends, family and so on.

For this research I focused on mobile phone since this is somewhat the most popular

technology we used in communicating. Some basic fact according from Tchernenko (2017) it

was Motorola the earliest handheld mobile phone and was first made to public commercially

from 1984. You literally have to charge it for 10 hours but could only give you a maximum of

half an hour of talk time. Until Nokia outdo it with its cellular devices making it the globes

highest-demanding mobile phone. "It wasn't until 2017, when Apple introduced its first iPhone,

the 1st generation with multi-touch sensors" - Tchernenko, (2017) Because of this mobile phone,

the competition in making a high quality technology become dominant (Tchernenko, 2017).

"Mobile Phone achieved an undeniable breakthrough with its multi-feature, like, jaw

dropping graphics with capability to process several thousands megapixels per second, high

quality multi-media, 4K ultraHD video player, HD gaming console, high resolution digital

camera. Broadband speed with blazing fast date rates capable of 300+ MBPS. Long battery life

having the ability to power all these amazing experiences with less energy than it takes to power

a light bulb for 15 minutes" - Qualcomm (2014)

Mobile Phone really took us into a whole new level of communicating in an absolutely easy way.

Making it less hassle with its one-clicked function feature (Tchernenko, 2017)

Negative effect

Following Katz (as cited in Golwaker & Shelar, 2017) the main goal of mobile phone is
to communicate from far-off people but minority seems like have a different opinion from this.

Probably because it changes lot of thing which some find not good.

As mobile technology become dominant in our society it also lessen our interaction with people

making us lazy that we do not even bother to have an actual conversation with one, instead, we

prefer technology to communicate which is somehow problematic because genuine talk, legit

facial expression and real emotion can never replaced by signs and emoji (Nilles, 2012).

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