New Innovations For Oral Communication

2   Melanie Erickson 

     Dr. Farman

     DTC 375

     February 17, 2009

     Word Count  963

                   New Innovations For Oral Communication 

In the beginning of time we started off with pre historic man. People talk, told stories and everything was a tight knit community.  When paper came along in the 1400’s things became recorded. People would record life and have documents of events. Nowadays people are becoming post historic. People are starting to combine prehistoric man with historic man. Even though we cannot separate completely from only writing and only in our society; we are however using oral as our main communication to today’s world.  In today’s world we are now using cell phones, computer, and media as our main source of communication.

Cell phones are now becoming more and more upgraded with the times and the speed of our society. We are able to do more with our cell phones such as send pictures, text and pay bills that require no paper writing what so ever.  Cell phone with text messaging comes down to the fact that people want to save time and goes with the post historic man. One can confirm coffee appointments without words, just sending a picture of a cup coffee, “as images, these signs also carry a certain amount of information in their own right:” (Drucker, II), telling the other person, we are still on for coffee today.  By using pictures and symbols this saves a lot time by not having to spell out all of the words. Texting and using pictures, “are active agents for creating meaning, instructions for reading, viewing, comprehending information” (Drucker, conclusion), in a fast and interactive way.  If one does not want to have a long drawn out discussion with someone then texting is the best way to say what you want in a fast and straight to the point way.  People do not even use Standard English with texting they use pictures and shorthand for texting messages.  Cell phones are used in other ways for saving time in writing; People can now pay bills on the phone with automated tellers, and not have to write and mail checks. People used to have to spend hours writing out bills and send them out. Now with innovated system people can just call and speak their information to get the job done. Cell phones are contributing to our society in moving toward oral communication                    

Computers have revolutionized the way we communicate around the globe. It is a fast and cheap way to send letters to family, friends, and co-workers.  People have gotten used to this method because it is a fast way to communicate to one another. People could stay in touch without having to pay for a stamp and wait three days for them to receive it. E-mails allowed one to write a letter and have the other person receive it the same minute and reply back instantly. Later e-mails got faster yet with Instant Messaging. Now, one does not have to wait for E-mails, they can have a conversation with an instant conversation back and forth instantly around the globe. ” Studies show that some 75 percent of teenagers use instant messaging, making it one of students’ primary modes of written communication” (Martineau). Today this theory was even updated with the web cam. Now, friends and family can see and speak to each other on the computer with the use of the web cam and the combination of Skype. They are able to see each other’s facial expressions and body gestures all the way across the globe, Just as well as if they were sitting right next to each other. Computers are a big reason why people do not have to have read and write and is more oral in our society and this way of life is accepted across the globe. 

Media has also advanced from the historic of black and white silent movies where you had to read the movie from beginning to end; if you turned away you missed part of the movie; you also could not socialize during the movie because of this. Today not to many people I know even reads the book they wait until the movies comes out to theater  or they rent movies and play them on their own movie theater; they will also invite friend and talk about the movie while it is playing. According to Rivas my friends are not alone, “there are more than 40 million functionally illiterate adults in the U.S. “ ( Rivas), this means that at least 40 million other people also are incapable of reading the print and waits for the movie to come out. The local stations are now showing reality shows that get the audience interactive with the T.V.  Sometimes they have the audience log in and vote for the people that they want to win, or be withdrawn from the show. They have game shows as well that you can play at home and if you were the one that had the lucky number then that person could win a prize; Wheel of Fortune, and Deal or No Deal, has this option on their show. Media has become more interactive nowadays then it has ever been before.

In today’s world everything is fast pass and right to the second, oral communication is a faster and easier to get information across to people then reading and writing. Therefore, every day scientists are becoming more innovated to save time and coming up with new ways of getting information out without the process of reading and writing.  Soon there will not be any reason to have pen and paper it will be accomplished with cell phones, computers and media. 

Work Cited 

Drucker Johanna, and Jerome McGann. Images as the Text: Pictographs and pictographic Logic. iath.virginia.edu. date unknown. 16.02. 2009. http://www.iath.virginia.edu/~jjm2f/old/pictograph.html 

Martineau Pamela.  Tapping Instant messaging. Education Weeks digital Directions.12. 09.2007. 16. 02. 2009.  http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2007/09/12/02im.h01.html 

Rivas, Paul.  “Volunteers are working to Eliminate Illiteracy.” Villagelife.org. 1997, Feb. 15, 2009. http://www.villagelife.org/news/archives/func_illiterate.html