How Contemporary Communication Can Be Enhanced By Technology
Since the inception of time, man, as a social being, has always found ways of harnessing tools and resources available to him at any given time, and also given the kind of developments and stages of his capabilities and reasoning, has been able to attempt to satisfy his natural instinct for relating with beings like himself. From the basic bonfires to chiselled stones, from the loud sounds of beats and the voices of town criers to the television adverts and most recently, social media, man has constantly found innovative ways to relate with his fellow species, no matter the distance or situation attempting to bar his mission. Even so, man has been driven so much to produce algorithms, activated by man’s natural skill of relating, to assist in day-to-day tasks, in an attempt to make life easier. Therefore, this innate desire of man to want to relate with his fellow kind, to share ideas and convey information in a way that is understandable to the parties concerned, could be termed as COMMUNICATION.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes it as “a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behaviour [mediums]”On the other hand, the tools made or discovered by man to make life easier for him and for others can be termed as TECHNOLOGY. Depending on whatever situation man might find himself, he uses his inventions, based on the availability of resources and the particular need or problem that might require assistance, to find solutions to such problems.
Of course, technology improves with time, new discoveries, better techniques, and other factors, but it still exists to try to proffer solutions to most of man’s needs. Over the years, technology has played a key role in the evolution of man’s communication with his fellow species. Although acting as an enhancer in the sense of improvement, it is not an “influencer” as it does not precede communication. However, since technology depends on some of communication to function, both operate as some form of partners to each other, i. e. communication improves as technology ¬opens up spaces for it to do so. However, although man has come so far in the communication sector, conversing with his fellow beings in a faster, broader way than he has ever done before, saying that communication has reached its peak and final stage is a rushed and unreal conclusion. There are still so many ways communication can improve in service delivery, and as always, improved technology is in the best position to move it forward. These improvements in communication can come in the following areas:
Speed with wider radius: the fastest internet connectivity out in the market today for civilians is the 4G LTE or 5G for about a handful of developed nations. Military and research bases could have up to 7G. These numbers may seem impressive for man, as connectivity has never been faster in man’s history, but man has to test and go beyond his speed connectivity limits, as research has shown that the patience and attention span of the current generation depletes by the hour, and that number is termed to be even lower in future generations. If data is not sent fast enough, crucial information might not get to the end users because their interests change quickly. Even in transportation, the speed at which people and goods commute to other parts of the known world is still not fast enough. Improved technology could be key in this area.
