The Foundation of Communication Technology
The timespan of communication technology can be broken down into what is called the “Four Eras,” which are, the Tribal/Oral Society, Civilizing/Scribal Phase, Modern Era, and the Postmodern Era. Each era built upon one another to generate tools for humans to communicate and to get to where we are today. The most recent eras, Modern and Postmodern, contain the communication technology that has taken over our world. Newspapers, television, radio, and the internet have allowed us to share and acquire knowledge rapidly all over the world. The internet especially has allowed anyone to discover and produce knowledge without needing any special skills or permission. Communication has certainly become much easier and accessible due to the technology produced during these two eras, but none of it would exist without the two eras that came before.
The Tribal/Oral Society (roughly from the beginning of man through early Greek antiquity) and the Civilizing/Scribal Phase (Medieval/ Renaissance Europe through early 18th century) are the foundation to our communication technology. Our first dominant form of communication technology was oral speech, which was formed during the Tribal/Oral Society and is a familiar tool used today’s world. The tribal culture was extremely communal and a sense of individuality was not a concept during this era. According to the article, “Media Evolution and Cultural Change,” by Joshua Meyrowitz (2008), tribal societies’ “history, philosophy, and mores must be stored in memory and conveyed orally, supported by embodied action, song, dance and ritual” (56). Elders of the tribes had the duty to pass down knowledge to the children. Rhythmic poetry, which is used today as an art form, was key to spreading knowledge during this time since the tribal members relied on their memories to obtain the knowledge. Since oral communication was only a face-to-face action, tribe members’ knowledge only came from their shared experiences within their tribe. Spreading and obtaining knowledge outside the area which they resided was unobtainable. Even though a certain tribe was extremely connected with one another, outside tribes and places were “perceived as profoundly strange” (Meyrowitz, 2008, 56). Due to the nonexistence of individuality and relying on their memories to communicate with one another, complex ideas, arguments and thoughts could not be produced or stored to be passed down to other members. Tribal people used the communication technology of oral speech strictly to pass along vital knowledge to other members to survive their everyday lives.
After the Tribal/Oral Society Era ends, our communication technology adapts with the transition to the Civilizing/Scribal Phase. Oral speech is still the dominant tool, but the communication technology of literacy, writing, and print became a huge impact to our social world. The ability to read and write was scarce among people, but the few that did, often called “scribes,” would be used by monarchs and the Catholic Church. These two hierarchical systems result in a huge cultural shift from communal tribes to civilization of city-states. A sense of individualism and deeper intellectual thought began to form during this era, but only the the hierarchal systems had the resources for this, resulting in their influence and control of people. Book making, which was a long and tedious task by hand, allowed deeper thoughts and complex ideas to be recorded. According to the article, Technology and Social Change: Four Major Eras,” by Michael Soha, this record keeping would enable “planning for the future” and ultimately allow people to gain specialized knowledge.
During the latter half of the Civilized/Scribal Phase, the revolutionary invention of the printing press would completely shift our social world once again and soon spark the beginning of the Modern Era. The printing press, invented by Johannes Gutenberg, allowed knowledge and communication to spread long distances in short time. In the film, “A Matter of Fact: Printing Transforms Knowledge,” by James Burke, an example that demonstrates the effect of the printing press is provided, which is Martin Luther’s “95 Theses.” Luther wrote and printed 95 propositions that questioned and challenged the Catholic Church on their control of Europe. Due to the printing press, his theses was reprinted in mass production and sent across Europe in the matter of months. Meyowitz (2008) explains that printing allows readers and writers to “develop different individual ‘perspectives’” and provide “abstract unity” to others who speak the same language, no matter where they reside; no longer bounded by their local space (58). In the long run, the printing press would initiate other social communication mediums, such as, newspapers, that provide rapid mass communication, and spark the modern age, ultimately leading us to where we are today.
Without the foundation that the Tribal/Oral Society and Civilizing/ Scribal Phase eras provide, our social world and communication technologies we all know well today, such as the internet, would not exist. Oral speech gave us the opportunity to pass along vital knowledge to one another. Literacy and writing allowed us to begin to articulate deeper individual thought and expand our connections. Print allowed us to dive deeper into intellectual thought, individualism, opinion, and share our knowledge over great distances in short time. Each of the four eras build upon one another, not entirely losing the communication technology that came before. The way the world communicates has shifted and transitioned for many years and there is no sign of stopping any time soon.