Communication & Social Networks
The Lost Art of Conversation
The Evolution of Communication: From Cave Paintings to Texting
What do you think is the most valuable skill a person could have?
Human beings are endowed with abilities that only they have. However, the most important of all, common to all living beings on the planet, is “the ability to communicate.”
The word “communication” derives from the Latin “communicare”, which means “to share, to participate in something, to make common”.
Since the beginning of time, communication has been of vital importance, being a tool of integration, instruction, mutual exchange and development.
Have you ever imagined a world where there would be no means of communication between human beings? Most likely we would not be as organized as we are today since communication is the base element for the foundation of the whole society.
It is through communication that we exchange information, and share ideas, abstract concepts, behaviours and written content.
Through communication, humans, and animals share essential information. Through this, for example, parents teach their children to survive.
For millions of years, it was this skill that allowed all living beings to evolve.
Without communication, regardless of its complexity, the world would not be what it is today. Maybe we didn’t even exist. Communication went through several phases of development, from primitive sounds to more complex sounds that ended up forming words, writing and philosophy that allowed great discoveries and passed them on to future generations.
Communication was and is so important that man always tried to find new ways of communicating. Using pigeons, cards, the telegraph, the telephone and finally the internet.
This last form of interaction, which has completely dominated all others, can put an end to another type of communication that is intrinsic to us, the physical social relationship.
It became so easy to communicate that we stopped doing it. We don’t need to go back too far in time to understand the differences. Just about 20 years ago, when we wanted to socialize, we had to get together, in a cafe, on the street, anywhere, but we had to be present. Today that no longer happens. Of course, we still go to meet up with our friends, but less frequently, and we are no longer forced to do so.
I see young people increasingly isolated, playing games or chatting online, but not leaving home. Some are not even able to do so. We are becoming distant beings from each other while making friends on the other side of the world. The words group, clan, tribe or even family are losing their meaning and are being replaced by words like followers, fans, or supporters. As if all this wasn’t enough, now AI is strengthening its position and will certainly dominate the future. What will become of humanity? Sincerely, I do not know! But I want to be here to see it.
We are living in very strange times.
We are in a time when people find communication increasingly difficult. What is indeed difficult to understand, as we live in the age of communication. Are we losing our ability to relate, or are we simply becoming more selfish? This is a question that I don’t know how to answer, but one thing I know is that we are increasingly moving further away from each other.
The possibility of communicating is increasing, which does not mean that the information that is communicated is the best.
In this sense, another great threat facing society today is the phenomenon of fake news. Fake news is usually aimed at obtaining benefits. Whether these benefits are political, monetary, or otherwise, fake news is extremely negative information.
People read or see something on the internet, and they don’t care about whether it’s true. It will bring clicks, claps, and views, so they share without hesitation. Regardless of the consequences. This may seem harmless, but it is profoundly serious. I often find myself researching the same subject several times, from diverse sources, just to make sure it is true.
Those who still know how to communicate are at a great advantage.
The ability to know how to communicate is therefore, nowadays, of the utmost importance in our society. A good communicator, whether in politics, commerce, social media (like here on Medium), or any other sector, has a promising future assured.