Communication

Communication is the act of sharing information between two or more parties in either verbal, written, or nonverbal ways. Listening, chatting, and reading both contribute to the transmission of information. It has progressed over the years from primitive means of contact. The development is due to recent technological advancements, which have revolutionized information transmission and made communication more effective. This article would look at how technology has changed connectivity in today's culture. In the past, communication was done through petroglyphs - where information was carved into rock surfaces, pictograms where information and ideas were transmitted through drawing and illustrations. Before then, the passing on of information depended on people’s abilities to memorize, which often resulted in distortion of the originally intended messages. In other cultures, like the African culture, conveying of information used to be through smoke signals, beating of drums, blowing of trumpets or by borne messengers among other methods. In all these, there was a delay in relaying the messages, or sometimes it could not be delivered at all due to various barriers. Written methods were then introduced, and post offices came up which saw information delivered by letter through the post offices, a method which was unreliable regarding time and convenience. Introduction of telephones, radios and televisions revolutionalized the act of communication as many people could get the same information as delivered from the sender over a shorter period as compared o the earlier methods. Further advancement of technology has seen more efficient methods come up, these include internet, emailing facilities, social media platforms, video conferencing, smartphones, Text messaging services, cloud storage among others (Johnson).

Unlike in the past, the improved technology on the methods of communication has had positive impacts on the society today. The internet has made it possible for people to have access to volumes of information in a short period, this has improved research facilities for students and researchers which indeed has improved education (Internet Provider). Since the internet came, it is now possible for people to converse online. Through social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram and other social sites, people can now send and receive instant information. Through these platforms, people can interact without necessarily meeting, and this has reduced the distance between people as they can communicate easily regardless of the distance between them. Chatrooms, forums for discussions and dating sites make it possible for people to meet new friends and partners and know each other based on interests and region, as well as discovering old friends and thus bringing in more flexibility in dealing with social anxieties, for example, for people who are in long-distance relationships (Wright). People can also share messages, videos, pictures and other documents which otherwise was impossible in times past. E-mail facilities have improved sharing of written information from the letters to electronic mail. Instead of letters, people now communicate by writing softcopy letters and which are cheap to send, convenient in reaching the target receivers and reliable in terms of security and the speed of delivery. The electronic mail services are provided by Yahoo, Hotmail, and Gmail among others. People can also communicate in different styles, e.g., by the use of shortcuts, acronyms, symbols and emoji and still get the message delivered.

Video Calling and Conferencing, provided by Skype, Yahoo Messenger among others, can also enable people and families to see each other on a computer screen while talking despite the physical miles between them. These calls are an easy, convenient and affordable way of communicating with distant family members. Cloud storage facilities have also improved the storage of information, such that instead of relying on a person’s limited memory or other forms of storage, volumes of information can be stored in cloud and provide easy access to it anytime as well security from unprecedented physical disturbances which may tamper with the information. Technology has also enabled people to get access to the news in other parts of the world from where they are. Television and Radio, Online live-streaming and News websites make it possible for many people to get acquainted with trending events and news all over the globe. Through e-learning, one can study without sitting in lecture halls and classrooms, for it is now possible to do various courses online. Through course management systems, educators can provide students, who are long-distance commuters or disabled to reach to the classrooms, with tools to assist them in learning (Brian Perron). Availability of security Apps which are GPS enabled, helps people to track lost electronic gadgets as well as helping to track friends and family members of interest. It has become a way of reducing theft cases for one can easily track lost items that had the Apps installed on them or tracking devices attached to them (Ramey). Voicemail services also help people to get intended communication which they missed. If the sender makes a voice call and the receiver is unavailable at that moment, the sender can leave the message in the receiver's mailbox and they can retrieve it when they are available. This ensures that information is passed even when the two parties are not available at the same time.

Technology in communication has also improved Public Service Delivery and governance by promoting service delivery to the poor through improvement of efficiency, accountability and transparency of government administration and reducing fraud. It also promotes and eases participation of citizens in local governance. Digitalization of wage and pension payment has automated the processes and reduced corruption and delays. Automation of identification programs has helped to store demographic and biometric data of people for easier identification during important processes like voting. These new technologies ease the queues and tallying of votes during such processes, unlike times past when everything was done manually.

In the health sector, E-health has led to the introduction of computers and smartphones that help doctors and patients to monitor various conditions like Diabetes. Introduction of automatic bolus calculators can help patients take a more accurate insulin dose for optimal controls. Apps such as Insulin calculator, Diabetes Personal Calculator among others also help patients to check on their insulin levels periodically. The doctors can also use smart signates and TVs to educate and engage patients on various conditions in the hospital. Laboratory results can be retrieved by use of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems which is an advanced technology as well as Personal Health Records (PHR) which can help diagnose or treat illnesses on remote basis. They also help in keeping electronic records of patients which can be accessed anytime and from anywhere. Through these databases, for example, a specialist can get results of a patient from the examining doctor without the patient carrying the examination sheet physically to the specialist. As well the pharmacist can be able to access the medication recommended for the patient and dispense to them from the database without having any physical papers. Smart patient rooms also enable nurses and medical practitioners to monitor patients by using smartphones rather than the ancient pagers. They can receive alerts and any information from patients in the form of notifications into their smartphones then respond to give the necessary care needed. Apps have also been developed which aid in acquisition of health-related knowledge and offer health-related social support to patients (Weiner). Video-based consultations have also been made possible where doctors can examine patients without a face-to-face interaction; the patients only talk to medical practitioners on the phone then send images like X-rays and other scans to accompany the verbal explanation then the doctors can make a full diagnosis. Video clips and other health awareness programs that sensitize people on healthy lifestyles and how to conduct self-test examinations have also been made available on the internet and so people can carry out examinations on common conditions before getting to the doctor. Other services by mobile service providers have also been developed whereby the people get sensitized to contact doctors at any time should they be in need. This improvement, courtesy of the technological advancements, have eased access to medical care, unlike the past when communication platforms like these were not there, and the patients had to travel to meet face-to-face with the doctors regardless of the time, cost and distance it could take. The hospital environment is also a busy environment and is always faced with periodic disturbances. Usually, the nurses move up and down to monitor the patients, know the availability of doctors and specialists to attend to various cases, get treatment materials delivered as well attend to new cases and by the end of the day they could have gone all around the hospitals (Coiera). However, with new technologies, they can manage the condition of the patients from their rooms using the smart screens as well as using the phones to check on the availability of doctors and specialists, thus only needs to go up and down when it's unavoidable.

Communication Technology in Business

In the past, before the new technology, businesses used to operate in difficult environments. Productions could not be easily made known to customers, and the available door-to-door marketing strategies were costly and often did take a long time to yield results. Storage of information in files, manual computing of arithmetic and other forms of processing information was always a challenge and required massive manpower to accomplish, but still faced with inaccuracy. The introduction of new communication systems have, however, seen these issues dealt with and things made more efficient than in the past. Among the advantages that technology has brought to aid business growth are Storage of customer details, financial accounts, employee payroll details, purchase orders and purchases and sales. This is made possible by the use of programs such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access which also aid in the computation of complex financial arithmetic and other forms of business data. They too help in digital filing and make it easier for project and tasks management, as well as saving money and office storage space (Gregory). Unlike the past times, advertising and the launching of products by business organizations has been made easier with the availability of internet. Consumers can get to know of the new products in the market from communication media like Television, Radio, Magazines and Newspapers and on the internet. Almost all organizations have also developed their websites where they market themselves and their products too, as well as using video-marketing strategies to reach a wide range of customers. Digital networks have also made file sharing easier with the Local Sharing of files within the office from one personal computer to another. With satellite transmissions and broadband also, one can send files from home to the office and get a printout in the office (Ramey).

Video conferencing too has aided organizations in carrying out meetings without necessarily having to travel to attend to important meetings. One can be in a distant location but still be able to meet with the other board members through the computer screen, which has cut down costs for events like those. Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp, have also been embraced by many organizations to conduct customer care services. Apart from calling the customer care centers for assistance, it has been possible for customers to interact with the organization by chatting with the service providers. Organizations have also developed personalized Apps to reach many customers and ease access to customers (Baker). This is also advantageous in that the organizations do not need to establish a physical business site for its operations. Unlike times past when it was difficult to get customer feedback on productions, nowadays it is possible, as organizations can do online surveys and questionnaires to get to know what the customers think of their products. Also, e-commerce and e-business have provided a chance for businesses to conduct ranges of business activities online including; buying and selling of products, finding business contact particulars and information about various products, online invoicing services to cut on payment collection costs from customers, online banking and bill payment.

Among other advantages of e-commerce and e-business, they satisfy client expectations of accessing the organisation and gives them ease of access, reaches both local and global customers at the same time, for example, Amazon, saves time and money in banking - for it is done through the internet, clients can get to order and pay through online means without having to travel to where the organisations are, and thus save on cost and travelling distance. Organizations are also able to file their tax returns more efficiently on online platforms. Online Business training opportunities are also made available for small business enterprises to help them grow, the businessmen get to interact with others from around the globe, and they get to share ideas and concepts to help expand their knowledge. Online platforms can also help clients to book appointments at their convenient time. When hiring, organizations can look for the people they are in need of on the internet and then choose the best they need, they as well can get employees online by posting job adverts on any accessible online platforms, and people can get to view them and make applications.



Works Cited

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Brian Perron, Harry Taylor, Joseph Glass, Jon Margerum-Leys. "Information and Communication Technologies in Social Work." Advances Social Work 11.2 (2010): 67-81.

Coiera, Enrico. "Communication Systems in Healthcare." Clinical Biochemist Reviews 27.2 (2006): 89–98.

Gregory, Alyssa. 33 Ways to Use Technology In Your Small Business. 29 September 2017. 4 December 2017. .

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Weiner, Jonathan P. "Doctor-patient communication in the e-health era." Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 1 (2012): 33.

Wright, James. How Technology Has Improved Communication. n.d. 4 December 2017. .