Throughout history, the evolution of technology has been deeply connected to the evolution of communication, with the establishment of a bond where new discoveries in technologies represented also news channels and ways of communication.

Pictographs in the ancient world gave us written communications, with immobile writings applied to stones. Then, inventions such as papyrus, paper and wax led to the creation of printing press during the 15th century, which allowed the transfer of documents from different places, and the need to uniform languages to communicate over long distances. Finally, a last huge revolutionary impact was brought by the widespread introduction of electronic technology that, exploiting electronic signals and waves, brought the creation and the transfer of electronic documents to a whole new level through the well known concept of World Wide Web.

High speed, low costs The big revolution in communication is indeed the fact that thanks to technology it has been possible to lower the costs while increasing the speed of communication. Emails took the place of letters, allowing an instant transmission of information while avoiding costs such as paper, ink and stamps. Sending texts via mobile phones became the first way for instant written communication. Software that allowed the use of the Internet connection for instant messaging, such as MSN Messenger, gradually created an alternative to texts. The new social networks, such as Facebook, included the instant messaging features in a wider context offering at the same time different applications and services, to allow the instant transmission of messages in every moment and in every place, thanks to the diffusion of mobile networks connection that allowed communication to be constantly present in our life.

Communicating with quality The evolution of technology benefitted not only speed and costs but also quality of communication. Technology made it possible for us to access and share information in a moment, by a click of the mouse. The use of search engines to research any kind of unfamiliar thing, the use of translators to understand different languages, the research of a location and the consequent list of related pictures are just examples of how technology changed drastically our way of approaching the world. Thanks to technology the storage and the retrieval of information are enhanced, allowing quality and security in the storage, with accuracy and speed in the retrieval. It became easier to check facts before speaking and, therefore, easier to create dialogues based on facts more than assumptions or confused memories. Also, it is now possible to easily contact, and re-contact, people to solve doubts and avoid misunderstanding, allowing the creation of a clearer and better quality communication.

Everybody can communicate now The previously introduced factors of low cost, high speed and high quality are essentially accessible to almost everybody. Accessibility is the keyword of the new communication system where everybody with a broadband or a generic Internet connection can communicate in an instant with every part of the world. People are able to send messages just by writing them and clicking a button, usually without even needing to sign their messages. The creation of usernames and avatars on forums, online communities, blogs and social networks, allows everybody, from the shiest to the most opened user, to become part of a community interacting and communicating with others. Virtual identities allow people to hide behind a mask, benefitting the transmission of information especially for those people who fear the judgment of others. With the new technologies, everybody communicates almost without realising it.

Nature of Communication The spread of interactive communication and the ease of communication in general, with application that allow instant messaging and videoconferencing for instance, made the communication more flexible and dynamic. Messages tend to be short and fast, substituting to the traditional alternate communications of letters and emails, an interactive communication with the instant exchange of messages among the communicators. Technology also gave the possibility of establishing relationships with distant people and tracking down old friends, offering alternative possibilities for the social life of the individuals as well as valuable business opportunities for every kind of entrepreneur.

Written by: Pietro Paolo Frigenti

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