The History
of Communication
"From smoke signals to the realization that nothing can be deleted."
THE ORIGINS
From Smoke Signals to The Telegraph.
Smoke & Tribes
The era of high latency. Communication speed is slow. The lifespan of news is incredibly long. Geography dictates destiny.
Post & Pigeons
The speed of communication increases. The territory of news distribution expands. The signal begins to travel faster than the walking human.
Books & Literacy
Population growth drives communication volume. More people are involved in the process. News begins to arrive from different countries. The world gets bigger.
Telegraph & Correspondence
The first global synchronization. Huge coverage of territory. The birth of the Media Business: Newspapers, Radio, Telephone Companies. Events begin to happen "fast."
THE CONNECTION
The Internet: From Desktop to Pocket.
Infrastructure Growth
The Internet appeared first in institutions, then in every home, and finally in every pocket. Bandwidth exploded. Cost of access dropped to near zero.
The Protocols of Chaos
The evolution of digital habitats: BBS → FidoNet → IRC → Forums → ICQ → LiveJournal. Each step lowered the barrier to entry. Now: Facebook, Twitter, VKontakte.
Multimedia Explosion
We moved from text to rich media. Skype and Video calls replaced the telegraph style. Half the world is now online (tens of millions in Russia alone).
THE DEVICE
The Death of the PC & The Rise of Mobile.
The Form Factor Shift
From mainframes to personal computers, and now to smartphones. The "Personal Computer" is dying. Mobile + Geolocation is the new standard.
The Loss of Non-Verbal
Crucial Loss: In text, we lose gestures, tone, volume, and appearance. We are forced to "invent" what happens on the other side of the screen. Emojis and Stickers appeared as prosthetics for emotions.
Virtual Personas
In a chat (SMS/IM), we demand instant answers. But we also gain the ability to lie. We can invent a persona. We can be anyone. The gap between Reality and Avatar widens.
The Solitude
One on one with the computer. And with the whole world simultaneously.
THE PROCESS
How Information Moves Now.
The Archive is Eternal
Instant spread of information. Giant volumes of data. Key Axiom: Nothing can be deleted from the Internet. The digital footprint is permanent.
The Death of Gatekeepers
Previously, only TV/Newspapers could broadcast. Now, anyone is a media outlet. The influence of traditional media is shrinking; the influence of the individual is growing.
The 15 Minutes of Fame
The lifespan of news is incredibly short. You can become a star instantly, but you will be forgotten just as fast. Huge, instantaneous audience reach, followed by silence.
Human as Sensor
Automatic generation of information. Check-ins, sensors, wearables. We generate data simply by existing and moving through the city.
CYBERSPACE
The Merger of Realities.
The IoT Ratio
There are now more connected devices than people. The network is becoming autonomous.
The New Reality
Everything important happens online: News, Communication, Shopping, Entertainment, and War. The physical world is becoming a secondary layer.
The Social Contract
By pressing "Like," we become part of the main process. Therefore, one must behave well. Do not do stupid things. The system remembers everything.