Relating early forms of media to what we enjoy today.

            My cell phone just buzzed.  It was a text message from one of my friends who is currently at school in Texas.  I wrote back, and just like that, we were having a written conversation.  After a while, I decided to call her and we had a nice chat.  The 1,500 miles between us made no difference in our line of communication.  Looking back on this event, I realized that a few decades ago, it would have been impossible.  It is insane to think that in order for me to have this same conversation in the ‘80s, I would have either had to do it through “snail mail,” or pay an outrageous long distance phone bill.  Before that, I would have had to deliver my messages through the pony express.  How did we come to this position of communication?

          The media has always played a large role in our lives.  Every day, we listen to the radio, watch television, and listen to music.  Every year, these methods become more and more efficient.  Ten years ago, video calling was something we thought could only happen in sci-fi television shows.  Now, iPhone users are able to video call whenever they please.  It is mind blowing to think of the things that are possible now that were not even just a few years ago.  How were the people who sent carrier pigeons with important messages even able to trust that they would arrive?  How did people maintain relationships with loved ones in different cities, or even countries, when it involved so much effort to send even the simplest message?

          The evolution of media is a topic that is very hard to grasp.  Ancient cave paintings designed to send messages have evolved in to cell phones, electric bill boards, and other mass forms of communication.  Instead of learning languages to become closer with other cultures, people just use language translators on the Internet.  Are these necessarily good luxuries?  Having things like iPhones and Facebook certainly make life easier, but they can also cause us to forget about the simple things.  Most of us can not go without looking at our cell phones for an hour or can not go a day without using an electronic device.  Maybe people from The Stone Age loved the things they did for entertainment and would still be perfectly content not having those luxuries.  Personally, I think in this day and age, we should spend more time focusing on the simple things in life.  The amount of time we all spend focusing on the media could be spent just enjoying each other’s company, like I’m sure they did before these recent innovations.