Overview of the History of Communication

Man has been communicating since the beginning of time. Communication has evolved from the rudimentary drawings, markings, and carvings on cave walls to the World Wide Web, which has allowed society to communicate almost instantly with vast numbers of people. As society as a whole develops so do its various modes of communication.

Communication can be broken into four main areas: verbal, non-verbal, written, and visual. Non-verbal communication includes the tone of voice, facial expressions gesture and touch that individuals use to convey meaning to others. Incorporated with non-verbal communication are creative forms of expression including music, dancing, and art. Visual communication is the use of symbols, signs, pictures, and hand gestures. Verbal communication is the use of sounds, words, language, and singing. Written communication has long been deemed the test of a civilization’s advancement. It began with the invention of the alphabet and slowly began to morph into written word.

Man’s need for communication has resulted in a wide variety of inventions for the facilitation of communication. Writing instrument s were the first- man evolved from fingers and sticks to pencils, feather tips pens, and eventually into the modern pens and writing utensils of present time. The typewriter was another convention that helped to facilitate ease of communication. The print press took information and made it available to larger number of people due to the ability to copy information in mass quantities. Cameras were invented based on the need for visual communication. The telephone allowed individuals to be a significant distance apart and still engage in verbal communication. The radio and television both represent major inventions in the area of large scale communication-i.e. Broadcast media. Film and movie cameras have provided society with entertainment for years. Finally the computer, cell phones, and other digital devices allow us to communicate at a level and speed that we’ve never enjoyed before.