Week ten: The internet

The internet has had a fast and profound effect on many people lives around the world. Easily accessible and such a huge database of information it would be hard to imagine what society would be like without this technological advancement (Costigan 2015, p. 1). While the general consensus is that the internet is having a positive effect on society and culture, it is certainly not completely trustworthy (Costigan 2015, p. 1).

With internet access in almost every home, anyone with a tablet, computer, laptop or mobile phone can use it, whether it be for good or for evil. This is even more relevant today, with many young Australians being groomed for terrorist activities assumed through access to the internet.

While there are some disadvantages to the invention of the internet for so society, the advantages far out way these. People are more culturally aware having access to speak virtually with people from other cultures all over the world (Costigan 2015, p. 1). Those who may be medically unfit to often leave the house can still connect with the rest of the world and feel part of society (Costigan 2015, p. 1). Another advantage is the social platforms that have been emerging over the past decade where networking with friends and family is now inherently easier. Sharing updates with extended families is now not just subjected to a Christmas letter with a family photo it can be shared instantly for those intended.  

Reference List:

Costigan, L 2015, 'Module 10: WINNERS AND LOSERS—HYPERMEDIA, HYPERTEXT AND POSTMODERN KNOWLEDGE’', COMM12022: Technology, Communication and Culture, CQUniversity e-courses.

Week four: The Great Divide

The invention of electricity can be seen to be the most influential technological advancement on society and its ability to communicate effectively (Costigan 2015, p. 1). Before electricity, the medium for communicating was solely based on how fast the message could travel, as in boat, horse or on foot. This slow form of communication was what drove human beings to search for a more effective way in communicating over large distances in short amounts of time. Smoke signals and the semaphore system eventuated in a more effective way to communicate as this could be performed instantly as well as over vast distances (Costigan 2015, p. 1).

During the 1840’s, another technological advancement was developed and rapidly connected the world. The telegraph, used to send Morse code through electrical impulses was an advancement like no other and had a widespread use (Costigan 2015, p. 2). However, just like in today’s technology the outback was often left behind. Globalisation has created perceptions about areas that are remote from cities (Marchant 2014). Early white settlements in rural Australia quite often were without reliable technology which included the telegraph (Marchant 2014).

With the invention of the mobile phone it would seem that there is still a great divide between rural and metropolitan areas regarding cellular coverage. In the 21^st Century, there is still a significant part of the earth without mobile phone coverage leaving rural areas, once again, behind in the world’s technological advancements.

Reference List:

Costigan, L 2015, 'Module 4: Electricity creates the wired world', COMM12022: Technology, Communication and Culture, CQUniversity e-courses

Marchant, J 2014, 'Connecting the Bush Telegraph: Promoting Networks in the Global Countryside', Global Studies Journal, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 13-20.

Week three: The Print Revolution and the loss of script writing

It is a common misconception that Western civilisation is solely responsible for the print revolution. Whilst the West certainly contributed to the invention of printing technologies, without Chinas knowledge of paper and passing it on to the West, print may not have occurred for many more years (Costigan 2015, p. 2).

While the European civilisation was still primarily an oral culture, China had already pioneered the moveable type press (Crowley & Heyer 2011, p. 64). This movable type press consisted of carved wooden blocks used to print on the paper, resulting in many books being printed before Western society had even discovered paper (Costigan 2015, p. 2).

The invention of print technology was a great benefit to society; however, there was one downside in that many script writers were now unemployed (Costigan 2015, p. 2). Before the printing era, all books and scrolls were handwritten in script. This typography was not feasible to reproduce on a printing press where the letters were created by small wooden blocks (Costigan 2015, p. 2).

This aesthetic calligraphy was lost for many years until newer technology enabled for its comeback along with many different types of typography. The print revolution snuffed script writing for a long period of time; however, fortunately the 21^st Century computer has been able to bring back this ancient and beautiful style of writing.

Reference List:

Costigan, L 2015, 'Module 3: The Print Revolution' COMM12022: Technology, Communication and Culture, CQUniversity e-courses.

Crowley, D Heyer, P 2011, 'Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society 6th ed', Pearson Education, Boston.

Week one: The Code of Hammurabi

Over the course of human evolution, the medium for communication has changed dramatically and in no doubt still evolving today. Cuneiform script written on clay tablets, was the primary way to communicate important information in the early civilisations located in the Middle East. By 2825BC “the direction of writing and the arrangement of words according to their logical position in the sentence had been established” (Costigan 2015, p. 2).

This advancement in technology resulted in the Code of Hammurabi, which is said to be the first written code of behaviour and law in human existence (Costigan 2015, p. 2). The code consists of 282 laws, including punishments to correspond with the crime committed. The Code of Hammurabi is no doubt in the roots of most contemporary judiciary systems and laws that are being used today (Ozek & Ozek 2008). Without the rapid advancement of pictographs on clay tablets, to then represent syllables in a sentence, the code would not have been created for many more years and quite possibly from a different civilisation and not the Mesopotamians. This could have had a profound effect on today’s society and culture.

Whilst the Code of Hammurabi does consist of 282 laws and corresponding punishments, it is also a code of behaviour in which was expected to be followed by all. This code of behaviour is still relevant and an expectation to be followed in the 21^st Century (Ozek & Ozek 2008).

Reference List:

Ozek, C, & Ozek, MM 2008, '"Code of law" of Hammurabi', Child's Nervous System: Chns: Official Journal Of The International Society For Pediatric Neurosurgery, vol. 24, no. 5, pp. 537-538.

Costigan, L 2015, 'Module 1: The media of early civilisation' COMM12022: Technology, Communication and Culture, CQUniversity e-courses.