We can communicate with other people in many different
ways. We can talk and write, and we can send messages
with our hands and faces. There is also the phone (including
the mobile!), the fax, and e-mail. Television, film, painting,
and photography can also communicate ideas.
Animals have ways of exchanging information, too. Bees
dance and tell other bees where to find food. Elephants
make sounds that humans can’t hear. Whales sing songs.
Monkeys use their faces to show anger and love. But this
is nothing compared to what people can do. We have
language — about 6000 languages, in fact. We can write
poetry, tell jokes, make promises, explain, persuade, tell
the truth, or tell lies. And we have a sense of past and
future, not just present.
Communication technologies were very important in the
development of all the great ancient societies:
- Around 2900 BC, paper and hieroglyphics transformed
Egyptian life. - The ancient Greeks loved the spoken word. They were
very good at public speaking, drama, and philosophy. - The Romans developed a unique system of government
that depended on the Roman alphabet. - In the 14th century, the printing press helped develop
new ways of thinking across Europe.
Radio, film, and television have had a huge influence on
society in the last hundred years. And now we have the
Internet, which is infinite. But what is this doing to us?
We can give and get a lot of information very quickly. But
there is so much information that it is difficult to know what
is important and what isn’t. Modern media is changing our
world every minute of every day.
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