Innovation is a word thrown around during conversations regarding tech but often overlooked during retrospective talks. The last few decades have seen significant advancements in communication technologies. From the introduction of email to social networking, innovative communication approaches have transformed the way we interact with each other. By looking at these approaches from the early 1980s to the early 2010s, we can guess what the future holds.
Introduced in the 1980s, email became a popular way for people to communicate over long distances. As a result, it revolutionised business communication and paved the way for the growth of the internet. Many businesses still rely heavily on email as an essential tool for internal and external communications.
Mobile Phones
When Alexander Graham Bell made the first call in 1876 to his assistant, he said, “Mr Watson – come here – I want to see you.” More than a century later, an evolutionary descendant of the same concept became widely available as the mobile phone. Fast forward a few years later, mobile phones had become an essential tool for communication. The ability to call or text people from anywhere at any time was a mind-blowing innovation. Today, mobile phones have evolved into smartphones, providing a range of communication and productivity tools in one device.
Text Messaging
Text messaging emerged in the 1990s as a solution to sending short messages via mobile phones. It became a popular way for people to communicate quickly and discreetly. Today, text messaging remains an essential communication tool, despite instant messaging taking up a large share of the market.
Instant Messaging
As a concept, instant messaging popped up in the 1990s but it only became popular in the early 2000s. It allowed people to communicate with each other in real time, no matter where they were located. Today, instant messaging has evolved into a range of platforms, including WhatsApp, WeChat, and Facebook Messenger.
Voicemail
Voicemail became widely available in the 1990s, providing an alternative to answering machines that addressed the issues of privacy and urgency. It allowed people to leave messages for others when they could not answer their phones. Although not as pivotal as before, voicemail is still widely used with a range of other communication tools.
Video Conferencing
Bell Labs boasts a lot of great innovations with the concepts of video conferencing technology taking the cake. Introduced as a way of transmitting video and audio, it took another half a century to develop the first one-way communication channel. It wasn’t until the end of World War II that the technology stabilized and led to the conferencing boom in the 1980s. The internet and the webcam pushed video conferencing even further allowing people to communicate over long distances. It gradually became an essential tool for business communication and remote work. Today, video conferencing has become even more critical with the rise of remote work and the need for virtual meetings.
Social Networking
Contrary to popular belief, MySpace was not the first social network. SixDegrees.com launched in 1997 and established features preceding current social networking sites. Although they couldn’t establish themselves as sustainable businesses, they formed the framework for the social media sites we love today. Recognizable names such as MySpace, Cyworld and Ryze then started popping up in the early 2000s. These gave platforms such as Facebook a few popular features that enhanced networking and staying in touch with friends and colleagues. Today, social networking has evolved into a range of platforms, including Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
While these significant advancements in communication technologies have transformed the interactive process, some approaches seem outdated today. However, it is these significant roles that keep shaping the communication tools we use today.