1.    Introduction

1.1.    Introduction

Throughout my time in the class, I have learned many different things regarding cultures and how they manage information. This class has been nothing short of enlightening in many different ways. Information and the transfer of information started with language and without language, none of this could be possible. During all my time in the class, I came to learn various things about language and how it was used and developed over time. The development of technology and information over time has been nothing short of amazing and has created a much better world to live in today. Humankind has grown from people using rocks and sticks to write to using millions of lines of code to encrypt huge amounts of data. There have been a few moments where my understanding of information and how its evolution has influenced the world have been displayed.

2.    Understanding Information

I did not understand how information and data was transferred and stored prior to this class. I understood written information but not digital information. I knew that language was written down on rocks, paper, wood, and anything else that was available. The ancient people used the many different materials to write down information but depending on the material, this made it very hard for them to edit anything. In my first essay, Ancient Greek Writing and its Effect on Greece, I discussed how Greek writing change dramatically because of invasions. The Greek language spread very quickly after the invasions but it was sometimes hindered because of the way it was exchanged. (Ancient Greek Writing and its Effect on Greece) Hard tablets and pottery were usually where the Greeks wrote their information. Cultures had very different means of writing. Egyptians used papyrus while the Mesopotamians and Sumerians used Cuneiform.

2.1.    Different Languages

There are many different languages in the world. Throughout the class, I have learned that there are languages that humans use to speak to each other and languages that computers use to speak to one another. It is very hard for me to understand this language because I do not major in this area. However, it has become more familiar to me because of the class. I now understand the history. In class, I learned that these digital languages are very similar to the languages humans speak, except the data can be stored and backed up forever while the human mind will forget many things.

2.2.    Transporting Information

The movement of languages and information has always been difficult. CIS 270WX has made it much easier for me to understand this transfer of information. It has not been easy for many to find ways to transport information and other things until recently. Before, people had to use horses and workers. In my essay, How Animals Changed Communication, I mentioned how the pony express made the extremely difficult trek across the American continent seem easy. (How Animals Changed Communication) The Pony Express transported mail across the United States with ease, much better than anyone else had done before. The Pony Express only lasted a year though. After discussions and videos in class, I came to learn that the railroads and other inventions began to take the place of the Pony Express. It surprised me that the Pony Express only lasted a year. Transporting information changes drastically every few years and makes the prior technology obsolete.

2.3.    The New Ways to Transport Language and information

I grew up in a time where physical transportation of information was becoming obsolete and outdated. Many services that delivered mail were going out of business because people could just send emails and other electronic messages. Large packages and other things were and still are sent by a few large companies. Cars, trains, planes, and other vehicles are now used to ship and transfer things across the world, making it much smaller than it appears. It is much easier than transporting goods and information with automated vehicles rather than animal draw vehicles. I did not understand the importance of mechanic transportation as much until CIS 270WX. The hardships people went through just to deliver goods were crazy.

2.4.    What is a Telegraph

I did not know when phones were invented but I understood their importance. However, I never knew there was a thing called a telegraph and a telegram. I knew that there was something called Morse code but I did not know that it was a product of telegraphs. The importance of telegraphs is huge because it showed people that sound waves could be transferred across electricity. Telegraphs are extremely important to the invention of the telephone.

2.5.    Telephones

With the help of the telegraph, the telephone was invented and revolutionized communication across the world. People could talk to each other from across a continent with the dials of a few buttons, levers, or switches. Phones helped connect a world that was still going through the industrial revolution. The importance of the telephone was not new to me but this class allowed me to see other uses for the telephone and how it led to further inventions.

2.6.    Cell Phones

Cell phones are a huge part of the world today. Just about every person that can afford a cell phone has cell phone now. Moreover, people have smart phones which can do just about anything and everything. The cell phone became huge during the 2000s when people combined telephones and walkie-talkies. I have had a cell phone for a large part of my life and I understood how important they were but CIS 270WX demonstrated cell phones in a much different way showing how they were just as revolutionary as the internet. In this class, I learned that with each innovation and invention, the world became much smaller.

2.7.    The Internet

The Internet runs the entire world now. Without the internet, many things that are possible today would not be happening or possible. The internet runs computers, TVs, phones, and many other electric devices. It is very hard for me to see a world without the internet. I grew in a time where learning how to use computers the internet was just as important as learning math and science. However, no class really explained the birth of computers or internet to the students. CIS 270WX taught me how the internet was formed and how it influenced the world.

2.8.    Social media

With the use of the internet, social media has erupted onto the scene and has taken over many people’s lives. I use social media a great amount. It helps me stay in touch with the world. It was very insightful to learn about the different early forms of social media and how they lead to what social media is now. In my essay, The Importance of Social Media, I discuss all of the different types of social media and how it influenced the world. Social media has led to the world being much smaller. Everyone can talk to each other anywhere they want and make friends all over the world. (The Importance of Social Media) I am addicted to twitter and find it very interesting to learn about to her social media.

3.    Conclusion

Throughout the class, I have learned many different things pertaining to the history of technology. There are many things I did not know or care about until entering this class. I never really understood how information was carried across the world until now. I mainly just used the inventions created to benefit my own life. I have always just taken them for granted. But CIS 270WX allowed me to understand the reasons and the impacts of the inventions I have been taking for granted my entire life.

 

References

R.P. Henderson, Greg. “Ancient Greek Writing and its Effects on Greece”

R.P. Henderson, Greg. “How Animals Changed Communication”

R.P. Henderson, Greg “The Importance of Social Media”