Additional inventions such as the call bell, central telephone exchange, common battery, ring tone, amplification, trunk lines, wireless phones, etc. were made by various engineers who made the telephone the useful and widespread apparatus it is now.
Specific to our New Media course, I think the significance of the invention of the telephone is very important. The telephone not only evolved how we communicated with each other, it also dramatically affected the speed at which we communicated. Consequently, people no longer had to wait long periods of time to decode messages via telegraph or morse code, methods previously used. As a result of the invention of the telephone, information was widespread in significantly shorter time.
I like how you connected this to our course. The invention of the phone not only allowed us to communicate with each other but allowed for the creation of the cellular phone, which just about everyone owns these days. The now widespread availability of communication and contact that we have now today really came many, many year ago with the telephone, or even the morse code.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be interesting to find out if the phone is the most used means of communication or has email, text, facebook, aim or any other communication devices surpassed the use of phones.
ReplyDeleteI think it is really amazing when you look at the evolution of technologies such as telephones. What started out as an idea has turned into a technology that has completely revolutionized communication both locally and internationally. In addition, now phones offer multiple platforms on which users can communicate. With the invention of smart-phones, users are able to communicate through email, text messages, and even via mobile social networking sites. The only question now is what's next?
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for the video telephone. The technology has already been incorporated into computer technology so the next logical step seems to be turning that into cell phone technology. Verizon has introduced a pretty impressive house phone system with their fios network that can send text messages and do all sorts of cool things. Videotelephone will change phonecalls forever
ReplyDeleteWithout the telephone I would be lost. It has been a staple in my life as it is for nearly everyone's lives today. To be able to transcend space and time the way a telephone allows is truly amazing, and something that has now become no big deal to us. I still think it is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think a lot of people feel lost without their phones these days. Its common to hear people complain they feel so disconnected when their phone is lost or broken, even if its just for a few hours.
ReplyDeleteI feel that people are so lost without their cell phones today because they are no longer just phones. One can almost go as far as to say they are mini computers. From experience, I own a blackberry, and when I lose it or do not have it for a period of time, I actually do feel lost. It's sad to say, but very true and losing your contacts stinks.
ReplyDeleteNote that unlike many other early electrical technologies, the telephone was used for direct interpersonal communication, which is what many new media technologies, like email, IM, chat, mobile telephony, text messaging, etc., is used for. And the telephone system represents a complex system for the exchange of messages, a forerunner of the internet, and the computer itself as a system.
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