History of Communication

Communication can be said to have started from the day life began on earth as every organism communicates with each other in some form or other. When we say communication, it can range from exchange of ideas to conversation with each other. Speech, which started about 200,000 years back, has revolutionized the way we communicate.

It is not only humans who have mastered the art of communication, animals also communicate among themselves. Any behaviour of an animal that affects the behaviour of other animals can be called animal communication. On the other hand the human brain has evolved over the centuries which have allowed human beings to be different from animals and mastered the art of speech. Speech has helped humans effectively transfer knowledge and information through the generations.

Though speech has allowed in easier spread of ideas, is not a perfect form of communication. This has resulted in the use of symbols for communication which has helped in improving the range of communication.

Cave paintings are the oldest symbols known to human beings which have helped in communication over the ages. The first attempt at conveying information was in the form of cave paintings. Petroglyphs, carvings on rock surface are the next stage in the evolution of communication.

Pictogram, symbols that represent an activity or concept by illustration, is the next stage in evolution of communication. In it ideas are transferred through drawing. Various ancient civilizations used this form since 9000BC. Pictogram over time evolved to ideograms wherein ideas are conveyed through graphical symbols. Writing evolved from pictogram and can be divided into 3 types- syllabic, alphabetic and logographic.

Writing has evolved over the centuries and is the most common form of communication among humans today.