subject: Global Communication Makes a Smaller World [print this page] Global Communication Makes a Smaller World
Reflecting on the historical progress of man is one of the most enjoyable pastimes of mine. It gladdens my heart to think of the maturation and progress of humanity. I have only started reading history recently, seeing as I have the time these days... and am not writing to you from atop some PHD high horse. I'm just sharing some simple observations based on a casual relationship with the story of history.
What interests me today is the story of communication. Let me start by selecting some examples of the way people used to communicate.
Courier: This is when a person carries a satchel containing a letter or scroll inside of it, or he simply memorizes a piece of information or message and delivers it in person. He would travel by horse or on foot. Paul Revere is a famous example of a courier.
Fire: smoke clouds were used by the Native Americans to signal messages to one another from great distances. Also there was a further way to communicate with fire. There was a system in which a pile of wood would be placed on a mountain top, and, if say the city/state was under attack, they would then have someone go and set fire to the pile of wood. This fire was visible from a distant mountain top which also had a pile of wood in place. When the people one duty would see the first fire ablaze, they would set fire to their pile. This process would repeat itself until a long chain of fires spanning vast distances would transmit a call for aid.
Homing pigeons: the male homing pigeon, after mating with its lifelong spouse, will always be able to find his way back to her. So when armies would go to war, they would bring these homing pigeons with them and when they needed to send a message to their king of emperor, they would attach it to the leg of one of these birds and set it free. The bird would then find its way to its mate which was back at the palace.
All of these ways of communicating have been replaced by the telegraph, then the telephone, and now the internet. The happenings of faraway countries are assessable with the click of a mouse. Even such ordinary things like shopping is much easier and faster. You can see perfect dress forms wearing the item you want and then press a button and have it shipped to your house. I know this sounds like I'm making a big deal about things we take for granted, but when I was growing up none of this rapid communication existed. We used to have to make reservations to call long distance. Now I can see my grandkids on Skype video. On balance, it is a very good thing that we can communicate the way that we can and stay well informed and well connected. We have come a long way from smoke clouds and homing pigeons.
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