It’s hard to fathom a time without the Internet or cellphones. But humans have spent most of our existence communicating without fancy technology.From documenting history with cave paintings to using carrier pigeons and western ponies, we’ve always tried to connect with others. Ultimately, communication has helped us always helped us invent, problem solve, write books and connect with our loved ones.
It’s amazing how far we’ve come: Did you know that the earliest forms of communication date back to 30,000 BC? It seems primitive compared to today’s smartphones, but petroglyphs are actually pretty impressive. Different cultures also use different means of communicating. Some Native American tribes used smoke signals to communicate with each other, while ancient China used the smoke to send messages along the Great Wall of China.
Things have moved at breakneck speed in the last two centuries, especially compared to how long it took our ancestors to innovate. In about 150 years, we’ve jumped from written letters to phone calls to text message to mostly communicating online. The future looks bright, especially because scientists are constantly innovating. I don’t know about you, but I’m incredibly excited about virtual reality and AI. What are you most excited to witness next?