Progression of Communication Technologies -- A Continuous Cycle

What stood out to me the most from this week’s readings was how the progression of communication technologies has gone from a focus on military and government use to a widely spread use not just by governments and nations but by private industry, NGOs, and the public. Technological innovation progresses historically and presently have moved in the direction of better efficiency, quality, personalization, and globalization. The push and pull dynamic between the need for technological innovations on the part of governments and the demand for communication expansion by the public also caught my eye. There is always a drive to advance technological capabilities, and as each advancement occurs, there is an even stronger drive from users for more access, speed, consistency, and control from/of these tools.

In her book, The Information Revolution and World Politics (2008), Hanson discusses the evolution of technological advancements. Even in the 1500’s, when printing grew in popularity, the ability to mass produce messages and to share them with members of the population had a unifying effect. Citizens felt part of the community and for the first time felt that they had a voice. This led to the rise of not only the nation state, but also to the power of governments to influence large numbers of people, and to the power of people to access larger amounts of information (p. 16).

Over time, new innovations added various levels of complexity to international communication. In the 1800’s, the telegraph allowed for rapid, long distance transportation of messages whereas previously news had to travel by person. Society began to demand up to date information about the world, and news agencies and media were born. Thus began a long period of networking and the use of collective opinion to influence the actions of the government. Likewise, the government used this power to influence and control their countries, their colonies, and their economic success. The telephone, radio, and television also added new dimensions over the next century that gave increased power to both the people and the governments that they lived under. Each technology added to communication capabilities, while simultaneously adding complexity and new demands by and challenges for governments and for the world population.

What I find most interesting, is the common threads throughout history. It is no secret that history repeats itself. In studying the history of international communication and of communication technological advancement there is no exception. What I am curious about, is what will happen in the future? Where will the battle for control between the public and the government lead? Currently with the latest technologies of Twitter and Facebook, people are able to keep followers up to date on their lives to the minute – how could technology share more about its users? How could technology progress to allow its users to network even further? When does technology become invasive? Is there a line that needs to be drawn in terms of privacy and of control? Today we as a society have come a long way from the original papers that gave basic, fairly outdated news. What will future technological demands and uses be? I look forward to exploring these issues in future readings and discussions.