Just as with transportation, the technical innovations in communications during the 20th century changed people’s habits and way of life. The speed and efficiency of communications helped to connect people, regardless of the distance that separated them. Modern means of communication emerged in the 19th century thanks to electricity. In a very short period of time, all known means of communication changed including the telephone, cinema, the phonograph, photography, etc.
These means of communication changed how people interacted since it became easier to reach the entire population quickly. With the growth of communications, mass-circulation newspapers, unions and various theories related to communications began to appear. New ideas had to be considered such as freedom of the press, censorship, public opinion, etc.
Mass communication led to the standardization of ideas and culture: the entire population was influenced by the same media and the same ideas. Leaders quickly understood the role of communications in influencing people and spreading ideas. For instance, throughout World War I, means of communication were used in order to create ideological propaganda and convince the masses of the need for war.
The first advertising agencies were born during the period between the two world wars. Companies wanted to take advantage of the potential advertising showcased by these new means of communication.
The entertainment potential of these techniques was also exploited as fiction programs quickly appeared on the radio.
Today, communications are part of everyday life: radio, television, internet, news, telephone, etc. These means of communication facilitate commercial transactions, banking, business and information management, etc.
From this point forward, this information industry would promote the exchange of basic information (databanks, finances), cultural information (films, television, magazines, newspapers) and know-how (education, methods, guides). In addition to advertising, companies now use means of communication to inform their customers, manage crises and set the record straight.
Forms of media work together to alter the perception of time and space. With more reliable and faster means of communication, it is possible to communicate with the entire planet, very quickly, including the most remote regions.
The first major invention was the electric telegraph connecting cities and enabling remote communication. Starting in 1832, telegraph wires were often installed alongside railroads.
Since the telegraph system could not be used to send words, nor transmit voice, a code had to be created so that messages could be understood. Morse code, composed of long and short sounds, included all the letters of the alphabet along with numbers.
In 1876, the invention of the telephone made it possible to carry voices and have conversations. However, the telephone wasn’t an immediate hit with the public: telegraph networks already existed and building a more complex telephone network didn’t seem possible. This is why the first telephone networks were connected to telephone operators who made the connections between subscribers. It was the automation of connections, the sharing of lines and the growing technological efficiency that propelled the development of the telephone. More recently, the telephone has become more versatile due to wireless communications and mobile phones.
The radio was invented around 1918 and radio station networks quickly appeared. In the United States, the first network already had 500 stations by 1924 and reached no fewer than 3 million listeners. Radio stations became more and more popular in industrialized nations. The BBC, founded in Great Britain in 1922, was the first public radio station. Its programming rules were very strict, and the BBC did not allow any advertising. Radio quickly reached the entire population, with family members gathering around the receiver.
During World War II, world leaders used radio to spread their ideas, inform the population, promote misinformation to deceive enemies or provide important information in code form.
In preparing for the Normandy landings, British soldiers used radio to inform the population and the French resistance. In order to prevent the Germans from learning of their plans, all messages sent were in code.
After the war, radio competed with television which became easily accessible to everyone. However, radio remained more popular and accessible in developing countries.
By using radio to reach the masses, the leaders of the Rwandan genocide succeeded in spreading their messages of hate and inciting the population to violence and massacre.
As soon as it arrived in homes, television rapidly eclipsed all other forms of communication. Its power to bring people together around images and sound meant that by 1947, the average household had a television. By 1951, there were 10 television devices for every 100 people.
It was around the same time that governments created public television stations to inform, educate and entertain. Public television stations still have the same objectives today. However, from very early on, these stations faced competition from commercial television, which is focused on entertainment. Over several decades, new technologies such as cable and satellite made it easy to access more channels and enjoy more choice. This allowed people to access regional, national and even international broadcasting companies.
Computer science evolved very quickly thanks to accelerated communication processes which facilitated information transfer, contacts and business transactions. The first programming language, known as the binary language, was invented in 1854 before the invention of the computer. Binary language made it possible to invent programming languages for computers and software.
The first electronic calculator was developed in 1943. Many of these calculators were built in the following years as they were needed for long calculations. In fact, calculations related to the explosion of the very first H bomb were done using these devices.
Although interest in commercial computer science began as early as 1951, it was the personal computer that increased the popularity and accessibility of computing devices.
In 1977, two major computer companies emerged: Bill Gates founded Microsoft, while Steve Jobs founded Apple. From the beginning, these two companies competed to develop devices that would appeal to the public. In 1979, Apple released its first personal computer, the Apple II. In 1981, IBM responded by launching the Personal Computer (PC).
That same year, the Osbourne company came out with the first laptop computer, which weighed only 11 kilograms. The miniaturization of parts, especially microprocessors, reduced the average size of computers, while improving performance. As well, the invention of transistors, smart chips and memory improved computer function. These technological advancements also meant computers were less expensive.
Up until this point, computers were used to store information. They were not yet used for communication. The idea of connecting computers to a network first came about in 1969, when researchers at the University of California connected four computers to each other. As of 1972, computers connected to the network had access to 40 sites and enabled the exchange of electronic messages. This was the beginning of the Internet.
This new form of communication was reserved for researchers and universities. The network could only be accessed after the HTML language was developed in 1982, paving the way for the World Wide Web. In 1993, the Mosaic software package was released and put on the market one year later, under the name Netscape. There was immediate interest in this new technology as computer owners connected their devices to a new international network.
Today, the Internet is a communications service used in professional and commercial sectors as well as for personal use. Computer science and, later, information technology made it possible to store and transfer information in the form of text, calculations or sound. Compared to other means of communication and information, the internet has a greater capacity for interactivity.