The History of Communication

Part 1: The History of Communication

• What makes us human?

  • Culture, religion, technology, work, tradition, norms and laws, art, language, abstract thinking, planning depth, and complex rituals are all aspects of human existence.

• Cognitive Revolution

  • The cognitive revolution is a massive increase in communication complexity, which led to behavioral modernity.

• What is communication?

  • Communication is defined as the means by which humans, and humans with objects, interact. Information is an object which can circulate through social relations.
  • Different perspectives on the definition of communication exist, with historical shifts in meaning.

• Communication Eras

• (100) Latin: communicationem = action.

• (1500) Renaissance: com = object.

• (1700) Modern age: communication lines = means.

• (1900) Contemporary age: com = maintaining social contact/media (e.g., radio, television).

• Today: communication = difference between transmitting (one-to-another) and sharing (e.g., social media) information.

• Evolution of Communication Forms

  • Humans communicated through speech.
  • Then, writing developed.
  • Smoke signals were the first form of long-distance communication.
  • Painting and art in prehistory were communications forms to capture reality, as they remain today.
  • Inventions like paper (105), the telephone (1876), email (1965), Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (2004-2009) are also significant communication developments.
  • Communication methods continue to evolve, and the meaning of "communication" shifts along with it.

The Science of Communication

• Communication as a Science

  • The science of communication involves trying to understand communication through observation of millions of situations and experiences. Learning from the experiences of societies helps to understand broader trends in human communication. The general knowledge gained can be used to further the understanding of situations.
  • Examples are popular videos and their virality.

• General Questions to analyze comm

  • What?
  • Who?
  • Why?
  • To whom?
  • How?

• Communication Theories and Concepts

  • Theories are general perspectives on and ways of thinking about a specific topic, e.g., the theory of gravity or survivor bias.
  • They offer ways to understand the world. They are often limited but offer particular viewpoints.
  • Theories in communication help us make sense of how communication works. Examples include the concepts of communication and their definitions.

• The Pyramid of Mcquail (2010)

  • Societal -> institutional -> group -> interpersonal -> intrapersonal.

• Operational Theories

  • Building on normative theories, these theories focus on real-world applications and actions, being more grounded in the world.

• Social-Scientific Theories

  • These focus on understanding how the world actually operates logically and rationally.
  • These aren't necessarily value-neutral views of reality.

• Scientific Debates

  • Structure vs. Agency: This debate explores how much of human behavior is determined by external structures and the choices individuals make.
  • Social change.
  • Materialist theories focus on material factors.
  • Cultural theories focus on ideas.

• Paradigms

  • Paradigms are groups of theories that share similar assumptions or viewpoints which help scientists understand communication. Changing paradigms can be like a scientific revolution in the field.

Paradigm Change

• Liberal Paradigm: Focuses on practical, concrete solutions, often having a positive view.
• Critical Paradigm: Aims to improve society by considering different viewpoints and power structures and can be more ideological.