Samya SABER
COM 2303
Dr. Ibahrine
Chapter 1 Following the Historical Paths of Global Communication
Detailed Outline
I- Geographical Space: a barrier to communication
Many years ago geography and characteristics of lands such as seas, mountains, trees and rivers were considered as barrier to communication.
However, nowadays thanks to the efforts of scientists and technology nature is no longer considered as a barrier to communication.
i- Geography and the Mythical World.
Ancient people knew life only as they saw it unfolding within a few square miles of their rural homes. And travel was hazardous and unpractical, that is why ancient people believed that the world beyond them was magical and supernatural. So historians reported and illustrated their maps with supernatural creatures.
II- Ancient encounter of Societies and Culture.
Exploration of the world by people such as Marco Polo and Alexander the Great stretch the boundaries of the known world. For example, the Greek explorer Pytheas sailed around Spain and France around Britain and into the Baltic region.
The astronomical and mariner records of those explorers were used in Greece for several centauries.
III- Global Explorers: migrants, holy people, merchant
Migrant was a way of life; changing climate conditions and food supplies required a nomadic life. So nomads were most of time traveling and thanks to their travels they discovered new lands and areas. The same thing apply to holy people, they were exploring the new world to extend their religion in other places and to communicate their beliefs and values. Also merchant they were either exploring new lands to sell their products or to look for new products.
i- Mapmaker in the medieval world
Mapmaking was an integral part of communication history. Maps were widely considered to be valuable keys to unlocking unknown world.
IV- Inventors: Signals and Semaphores.
Ancient people invented many ways to send and received signals that allowed them to communicate and to exchange there information and ideas. For example, Romans used the reflected sunlight to transmit a message and Inca used smoke signals and quipu, a cord with knots based on numerical systems. Also Persians and Romans used messengers to transmit their messages; the courier was send either by messengers (people) or via animals like hors or birds.
V- The printing Press, literacy and the knowledge explosion.
The complexity and diversity of the intellectual and cultural life created a marketplace ripe for information, stimulating the spread of literacy in Europe after the development of the printing press.
The rise of papermaking was first in China and after that Arabs develop the papermaking and the printing more and then the papermaking arrived to Spain in 1150. after that the German Gutenberg develop a metal type for 50 character and he also adapted his press to allow printing on both sides of the sheet and produce copies with much clearer print than had been possible with older block printing.
The rise if printing press was encouraging people to read more and was behind the spread of information regarding many fields such as religion, commerce and politics.
VI- Scientists and international networks
The electric telegraph was the first technological innovation of two ways exchange information. Then the innovation of telephone and wireless radio follows. These three innovations opened the door to the subsequent social revolution that accompanied the information age.
After that the countries were looking for international standards to unify the world. Such as the adoption of a global time system in 1884.
