Main Points

Seven milestones in the evolution of human communication are language, writing, printing, telegraphy and telephony, photography and motion pictures, radio and television, and computers.
Language led to the development of an oral culture where information was passed on by word of mouth from one generation to another.
The invention of an alphabet and a usable surface made writing possible. Writing created a social division in society. Those who could read and write had access to more information than those who could not.
Writing helped create and maintain empires as well as make storehouses of information, such as libraries, possible.
Printing made information available to a larger audience. It helped the development of vernacular languages, aided the Protestant Reformation, and helped the spread and accumulation of knowledge.
The telegraph and telephone were the first media to use electricity to communicate.

2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of The McGraw-Hill Companies.