Communications in the Twenty First Century

Both verbal and nonverbal communication is important. If you think of Helen Keller and her story delineated in “The Miracle Worker”, a deaf and blind woman learns to communicate and even to talk. Gestures and facial expressions at times communicate ideas that simple words never could.  There are many ways to communicate other than with words.The ancient Chinese had a unique way of communicating in war times. If the Great Wall of China was threatened at one point, a watch man would light a fire, then the watchmen at the next tower would light the next signal fire until the nearest military troop was notified. This style of communication, with smoke, was compared against a rider on a fast horse, a SUV four wheel drive, and a hand radio. At the end of the experiment the signal fires spread out along the wall came in second to only the hand radio in relay time. The age of the internet has greatly changed the way we communicate. The speed at which people can get information without even visiting a library is amazing. E-books are even available online. The internet can be a great tool or a huge disaster to some people. The ability to send messages, interact with people all the way around the world, and purchase items from any of a million different suppliers greatly empowers the consumer right from the comfort of their own home. Some though do not handle the great open horizons as well as others. One young adult, the eldest of four children, went off to college. In high school he did very well and earned good grades. Once in college he was living away from home and had unlimited access to the internet, chat rooms, and forums. Pretty soon all of his time became absorbed with talking. By mid semester his grades were below average. Then by the end of finals his family realized that he had failed his first semester at college. He only passed one class out of 15 credits. His parents had been paying his entire school bill so that he could concentrate on his studies instead of working and going to school. At the end of the semester his father flatly told him that he would have to pay his own tuition because he had squandered his time and energy and the family still had three other children to put through school. So in this situation this young person was not a good steward of his time, energy, or financial resources online. Advancements in communication also have been seen in telephones. Cell phones are light, easy to carry, and have wide ranges of coverage. No longer are people limited to short wave radios or land lines. The Samsung D 900 Mobile Phone is a good investment. It has a three megapixels image sensor. It also utilizes a micro SD card for additional memory for pictures. To help insure good photos it automatically focuses and can take multiple pictures. To help with darkness or dimly lit interiors, it comes with a built in flash, something that most cell phones could only dream of supplying. Communications, from a smile to a wave, the internet or a cell phone, all enable people to interact with one another. If you are looking for new ways to communicate or want to share your ideas about communications in the twenty first century, then you can visit Community Brain Blog, an article directory with information on many different topics including communications.