Title: Technology & How We Communicate | Small Business - Chron.com
Headings: Technology & How We Communicate
Technology & How We Communicate
Prehistoric Communications
Newspapers and the Printing Press
Letters and Postal Mail
Telegraph Machines
The Telephone
Radio Waves
Television and the Entertainment Industry
Satellite Communications
Age of the Internet
Mobile Devices and Cell Signals

Content: The Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1886, and it changed the way humans communicated forever. Not long after the invention of electric phones, a direct dialing system was created to connect parties on either end. In high-traffic areas, a switchboard system was used to manually make connections, as well. The ability to speak with another individual or party directly without being in the same place changed the face of commerce and personal communications. Families and friends could use this technology to speak, without requiring long wait times on postal mail, as using postal mail increased the likelihood of losing touch for long periods of time, as people continually travel and move. Suddenly, you could pick up the phone and just make a call. The location-independence factor for a single party also added a layer of convenience. If people were traveling, they could still call a known location and communicate despite being on the road without a stable base location. If the other party wanted to reach them, they could potentially track them down at a hotel or they could call a line in their temporary location, opening up more opportunities to communicate regardless of location. Eventually, telephones became so prominent that international calls became a possibility and pay phones were erected in public places.