Communication is the exchange of information between entities. The arrow of time has created the need for communication and communication has contributed significantly to the biological, cultural, and technological evolution of our human species. Communication occurs at every level of society. At the micro level, cells communicate with other cells by sending signaling molecules. Our organs have to communicate physiological and sensory information to our brain and our brain constantly has to communicate with the rest of the body, as it is doing right now, allowing me to type. My typing itself is presenting another level of communication, between myself and the readers of this blog. These are only a few of the infinite examples, but they present communication as a phenomena that is essential in our lives and one that manifests itself in many different shapes and forms.
In modern history, one level of communication that has been increasingly gaining importance in human societies is mass communication. In communicating to the masses, the source of the communication attains power unlike ever before. In a sense, modern history can be viewed through a lens in which mass communication has continuously evolved as to facilitate its propagation. In other words, the transmission of information from the source to the masses has become significantly faster. It started out with primitive religions and engravings of written words and symbols. Since then paper, the printing press, domesticated animals used to travel further distances, mail system, trains, cars, airplanes, newspapers, television, internet, and many more things have emerged. The Torah, Bible, and Quran are examples of mass communication mediums that have shaped major civilizations and still influence the lives of billions of people. Just as one can see how powerful these holy books are in shaping societies for the past few millennia, the same respect should be given to modern means of mass communication as a powerful tool to influence, control, and manage the masses, especially given the technological advances behind modern mass communication. Hanno Hardt writes, “Deeply embedded in the cultural fabric of contemporary society, mass communication defines reality and marks the boundaries of social knowledge, authenticating its representations of the world through public compliance and consent, if not sheer popularity.”[1] The danger lies in the amplification of the information from the source to the receiver of information because this gives much more power to the source of information. In our current society, the source has become media conglomerates owned by a few, but who transmit news, information, and culture to millions of people.
[1] Hardt, Hanno. Myths for the Masses: An Essay on Mass Communication. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2004. Book. p.7
I liked how you went into detail about how communication has evolved over time. The examples you used really help to articulate the significant progress that communication has made.
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