technology and communication -...

TECHNOLOGY ANDCOMMUNICATION

After studying thischapter, Jou trill be able to:. Explain how humans use technologJ to cha ge

the hlorld to meet their needs and wants.. Describe the rclationship between technology

a d chonge.. Describe the impact of the information age

up on c o m mu nicat io n t ec htro lo8!.. Gireexa ples oJhow technological lileracy cqn

affect yout life.. List the three mojor divisio s of technolog!

sl6tems.. Name and desc be the tvto uajot eategories of

com mu n ico t ion tec h n o logY.. Descfibe the relationship bet\^)een communta-

tion technolog! ond other subiecl arcas.

Technologyplays an everincreasingroleinthe worldin which ve live. That is why it is important to undel-sland whar rhis term means and i ls importance in yourlife. ln this chapter, the broad topic oftechnology willbe explored as well as communication technology.

TECHNOLOGY

What is technology? T€chnology is a constantlyevolving body of knowledge that deals with the techni-cal way in which we change theworldto meet ourneedsand wants . Technology allows us to extend our humanpotential through the use oftools. Technology can alsobe described as the practical application of scientifickl1owledge.

Forexample, when radio waves werediscovered, sci-entific knowledge was broadened. Radio technologywas then developedto use these waves. Use ofthe radio

has saved many lives by providing a way for peopleaboard ships, airplanes, and othervehicles to signal forhelp when in danger. Radio is used to warn people ofapproaching hurricanes or tornadoes. This is just oneexample of how technology has helped people to me€ttheir needs and extend their human potential. See Fig. 2- 1 .

Knowledge of tools, materials, and processes allowspeople to adapt to their environment. Suppose thisknowledge did not exist? You would have to learn tobuild a fire without matches. You would have to findways to gather enough food to live. Survival would beyour primaiy interest, and most ofyour timewouldbespent finding shetter and food. If your eyesight werepoor, your world would always be blurred, and youmight have difficulty surviving. Without antibiotics, acut might threaten your life.

Fig. 2 1. TheHubbleSpaceTelescopeenablesscient is tsio see par ts of ' the universe lhat have never been seen

before. {NASA)

Technology and Communication 25

Fortunately, our ancestors have made our lives morecomfortable by solving many oftheseproblems forus.This knowledge or technology was passecl down to us.We use this information for crealing new iechnology.This additional knowledge will be passed on to futuregeneratlons, creating even newer technology.

How does technology differ from industry? Ind stryis an organization that uses technology to producegoods and provide se ices for a profit. The goal ofildustry is to make money by selling goods and ser-vices. So, industry, which is an economic institution,utilizes technology, which is a body of knowledge. SeeFis.2-2.

Fig. 2 2. Industry ut i izes the techno ogy thar was !sed rod€velop th ls laser welder that assures prec is ion at isnment

oJ te lev is ion pans. (Zeni th)

TECHNOLOGY AND CHANGE

Change has always been a part of humari existence.However, technology has had a large impact on the rateof change. In the book, Futurc Shock, Alvin Tofflerdescribes human existence in terms of lifetimes. In thepast 50,000yearsj peoplehavehad over S00liferimes of62 years each. Of these, 650 have been spent in caves.Writing has only been possible in the past 70 lifetimesand pdnting in the last 6lifetimes. Electric motors haveonly been around for 2 lifetimes. Most of the technol-ogy that surrounds us today has been invented in this,our 800th lifetime.

Today, the time lapse between new discoveries andinnovations, and practical application ofthese disco\,-eries, is decreasing. In other words, the rate of change

26 CommunicationSystems

has actually accelerated. Think about devices such ascompLLers . . a te l l i t e , . cab le te le ' i . i on . and cop , i ng ma-chines. These are all technological innovations we havewitnessed in recent years. New technological devicesaciually increase the rate ofchange, by providing rvaysin which faster change can occu, Fig. 2-3. For exam-ple, computers and telecommunication make it possible to share and combineideas from around the world.

As change accelerates, the amount of knowledge inlhe world increases as well. Presently, the amount ofknowledge in the worid doubles in abont five years.Therefore, rapid change is something with which wemust all learn to live.

Throughout most generations of the human race,most technological innovations havebeen for basicsur-vival needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter. Priorto the invention of complex machines, most peopleworked in agriculture. Farming families grewtheir ownfood, built their ou,n homes, and made their ownclothes. However, as technology evolved, fewerpeoplewere needed in agriculture to produce the amount offood needed.

The shift from an agriculiural economyto an indus-trial economy beganin the early 1800s and is known asthe industrial revolution. New inventions, such as ihe

i \/ l

POWEi SUPPTY

Fig. 2-3. This device, which combines ex ls t ins technolos ies, wi l a l ow people wi th l imi ted v is ion to have

improved s isht . (NASA)

steam engine and spinning jenny, provided a way tomass-produce goods quickly and inexpensively. Facto-ries were built to produce the goods, and as people werehlred to work in the factories, cities were formed.Transportation was needed to send the goods to con-sumers, so railways and steamships were used for thispurpose.

As the number of indust es increased during thisperiod, the greatest number ofjobs in the nation werein industry. The industrial revolution lasted until the1950s, when information-related jobs became moreprevalent than industry jobs. Today, there are stillmany industries and industry jobs. However, there arenow more service-related industries than goods-pro-ducing industries since fewer people are ne€dedto pro-duce th€ goods. Many of the services provided byindustry are involved with informationtechnology. SeeFie.2-4.

During the industrial revolution, there w€le manyinnovations that provided the basis for the informationage of today. Electricity and electromagnetism werediscovered during this pe od. This resulted in commu-nication devices such as the telegraph, telephone, andradar. Communication devices, such as cam€ras, ra-dios, televisions, and video recordets were inventeddu ng this era as well. In addition, many technologicalinlovations were being used in factories that allowedmore goods to be produced by fewer people

The information ageToday, we areinthemidstof aninformation age. An

ilformation ag€ can be defined as an erawhen amajor-

ity of people are involved in jobs r€lated to informa-tion. Developments in electronics have resultedin com-puters and telecommunication that allow us tocomm unicare around Lhe world. \4ost jobs are in someway related to the transfer of information and utilizeinformation technology. These jobs include those ofclerks, secretaries, teachers, lawyers, printers, etc. SeeF is .2 -5 .

IrrMegatrends, JohnNaisbitt says that the history ofthe United States can be described as farmer, laborer,clerk. Inthe past, agriculture was the primary occupa-tion. Gradually, industrybegan to employ most ofthe

Fig. 2-5. This person's jobis pr imar i ly associated wi ththetransfer of in fornrat ion. (Apple Computer , Inc-)

MAJOR ERAS IN AMERICAN HISTORY

F i g . 2 4 . T h i s t i m e l i n e s h o w s h o w t e c h n o l o g y h a s e v o l v e d


rwork force. Today, there are still agricultural jobs andindustry jobs. However, the majority of people in thework force are involved in j obs requiring the transfer ofinformation. Knowledge of information technologywill become increasingly impotant iII the years ahead.

TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY

It is obvious, based on the impact that technologyhas on our world, that knowledge in this field is ex-tremely important. Technology is accelerating the rateof change, and its understanding is important il we areto play aroleinits use. [t is important to become tech-nologically literate.

What is technological literacy? lt means havitrg anLrnderctanding of technology and how it affects yourlife. This is important for a number of reasons. As acitizen, you need to be able to comprehend how tech-nology affects your life and your world. Only then canyou make informed decisions about the use oltechnol-ogy. As a worker, an understanding of technology isbecoming increasingly important in manyjobs. As aninnovator, und€rstanding past technology is critical forthe development of new t€chnology. As a person livingin a rapidly changing and increasingly technologicalworld, it is important that you be able to comprehendthese changes and utilize Lheir capabilities.

TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY SYS

Technology can be subdivided based on goals to beaccomplished by the system. Comrnon divisions in-clude:. Production (manufactudng, consttuctiarn, and bio-

related technologies).. Energy, power, and transportation.. Communication.

The goal or purpose ofproduction technology is tocotrvert raw matedals into goods for society. This in-cludes both the manufacturing, construction, and bio-related industries. Produc€d goods include furniture,cius, televisions, homes, and food.

Energy, power, and transportation ar€ interrelated.Energy technology is idvolved with the conversion ofenergy for doing work. Power technology involves con-verting energy into power. Tradsportalion technologyinvolves moving people or products. Typical applica-tions ofenergy, power, and transpotation technologyinclude electdcity, €lectronics, compute$, and trans-po ation.

The purpose of communicaiion technology is totraNfer information by technical means. Twical tech-

28 CommunicationSvstems

nologies in this category include telecommunications,pdnting, radio, and television.

All types of technologica.l systems are inteffelated.For instance, in building a house, communication isused as the plans are drafted. These plans communicateto the builder what is to be built and how. Energy,power, and transportation are used to transport mate-rials to the building site. Production is used in the actualconstruction ofthe house. Can you think ofother waysin which the various types of technologies are interre-lated? See Fig.2-6.

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Communication technology extends the capabilitiesof our human senses, Fig.2-7. For instance, atelephoneallows us to hear someone thousands of miles away. Aphoto and article in a newspaper allow us to see andunderstand sto es that take place in other places with-out our actually being there.

It is impofant to remember that communicationlechnology extends our ability to communicate. Thetwo pimary methods of human communication in-volved in this process are visual communicdtion andacoustical (sound) communicalion. In other words,these technologies extend our ability to communicateusing symbols across long distances visually, acousti-cally, or both.

TEMS

Fig. 2 6. Manufactured housing ut i l iz€s a l l technolosy sys-tems. For instance, communicat ion occurs as the house is

p lanned and as i t ls beins const .ucted. Product iontakesplaceaslhe houseis being bui l t . Energy, power, andtrans-portation aro utilized as the house is transporred to its final

destination. (ldanufsctu.ed Housing Institutel

Fig- 2-7. Telephones extend ourabi l i t iesto hearandspeak. ( l \ rotorola, Inc.)

Categories of communication technologyMajor classifications of communicating with tech-

nology include graphic communication and electroniccommunication, Fig. 2-8. Graphic communication in-volves transmitting information with visual symbols,such as words andpictures. Examples include drafting,photography, and graphjc arrs. Elecl ronic communica-tion includes ways ol communicating that involvechangingamessageinto el€ctronic signals or codes. Ex-amples include the telegreph, telephone, radio, televi-

sion, telecommunication, and computers. Major topicsin this text related to graphic and electronic communi-cation include technical drafting, photography,graphic arts, and electronic communication.

Although two categories are being presented lbrcommunication technology, it is important to remem-berthat someoverlap does exist. Forexample, electron-ics plays an important role in many types of graphiccommunication. Peopl€ use computers indesktop pub-lishing and CAD (computer-aided drafting).

Most communication technology, except for ma_chine-to-machine communication, is related to thehuman senses ofseeing and hearing. This islogical sincethese are the senses humans use most often for commu-nication purposes.

Craphic communicarion and eleclr onic corrmunica-tion will be explored in this text. This includes topicssuch as drafting, photography, graphic arts, and elec-tronic communication.

Draftilg is communicating information in graphicform, usually with drawings that require special skillsand tools to produce. A special drafting language isused to produce and interpret drawings. These drawings can beproduced manually or by computer.

Photography is a system that uses reflected light toproduce pictures on light-sensitiv€ film. With this pro-cess, a recording ofourthree-dimensional world can bemade on a two-dimensi,o\al snrface.In still photogra'pil, a single scene is recorded.It motiotl picturephotograph!, a series of stilt pictures are taken in rapid

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

2 8. Examples are shown for graphic communicat ion, e lect ronic communicatio n, a n d technolosies that ove rla p the two cate9ories

ELECTFONIC


succession. Whenplayedback, this gives the illusion ofa moving picture.

Graphic arts is the communication system involvedwith mass production of graphic images. This is knownas printing. Methods for producing a limited numberof copies is known as cop_ying or reprogruph)). Aplainpaper copier is an example.

Electronic communication involves putting infor-mationin coded form so the message can be transmittedwith electrical signals. An €xample of this would beMorse code. Itr Morse code, a telegraph sends messagesas dots anddashes.Tel€communications, thepiocess ofsending information ov€r long distalces by electronicmeans, is amajor aspect ofelectronic communication.Television signals are sent by electromagnetic wavesthroughtheairirtohomes. Again, the signalis in codedform until it reaches the television where it isconvertedinto a picture and \ound. Common elecr ronic commu-nication devices include telephones, video record-ers'players. radios. compulers, and televisions.

lmpoltance of communication technologyAs mentioned earlier in this chapter, we are in the

midst ofan information age. Communication technol-ogy has an impact on mostjobs. Many businesses, suchas radio, television, printing, advertising, music, andtelecommunications, are established solely io distributeinformation. Many ofthegoods produced by industry,such astelephones and computers, arerelatedto illfor-mation jobs. In addition, almost all businesses utilizecommunication technology in order to work more effi-ciently and effectively. i

Intoday's societywe are virtually surrounded by iI1-formatio[ technology. See Fig. 2-9. Understandingcommunication technology is an impotant part olbe-coming technologically literate. It affects all asDects ofyour life from work to leisure.

Communication technology and othelsubject areas

Although communication technologyis studied as aseparate field, it overlaps many other subject areas,Fig. 2-10. Academic skills such as reading and writingare very important in accurate communication. Mathskills play a role in communication as well. For exam-ple, technical drawing requires an understanding of ac-curate measurement, geometry, and proportions.Graphic arts includes formulas for page calculationsthat involve math skills. In photography, photos arescaled when printed. This involves the use of percent-ages. Although not a complete list, these examplesshow how basic academic skills are used in technolopvcourses.


Fig.2-9. Froman ear lyage, ch i ld ren en counter technology. Communicat ion technology a ids in the eouca!ron

process. (Texas Inst ruments)

Science is also important in communication technol-ogy. Scientific discov€ries aae oftel made in order tound€rstand the world around us. Technology is the ap-plication ol that knowledge. In communication, sci-ence has played a part in all the technologies. Forexample, fiber optic communication was only possibleafter the scientiiic discovery ofth€laser. Thescienceofcolor is important for devices such as color television,color in magazines, etc-

Since technology has played a key role in the evolu-tion ofpeople and their culture, this area is importantin humanities as well. Communication technology hasprovided the avenue for transmitting informationaround the globe. Other countries and people are seendaily on television and in the newspaper. This wotld-wide communication network is playilg an impodantrolein understanding other cultures and th€ shaping ofindividual cultur€s.

Justas basic acad€mic skills, science, and humanitiesare important parts of learning about communicationtechnology, this subject area can also play a part inunde$tanding the other subjects. Technology activities

Fig.2-1O. Com municat ion tech n o logy invo lves an u ndeFstanding of reading, wr i t ing, mathemat ics, and sc ience,

su ch a s computer sc ience.

ptovide the utilization of many other skills, thus mak-ing them practical and exciting. For example, geometrycan be much more interesting when making designswith geometdc shapes. The physics of electromagneticwaves is more relevant when actual messages can besent by these waves.

SUM ,iARYIn this chapter, you have explored technology and

communication technology. You are living in the midstof an information age, and technology plays an impor- )'tant role in this rew age. It is vital that we all continuallystrive lor technological literacy. Communication tech-nology and other academic subjects are closely related.Learning about commuiicatiol technology catr aid inthe understanding of olher subjecls and vice versa.

WORDS TO KNOW

All of the lollowing words have beenchapter. Do you know their meanings?

communication technologydraftingelectronic communicationenergy technologygraphic artsgraphic communicationindustrial revolutionindustryinformation agephotographypowertechnology

used in this

printingproduction technologytechnological literacytechnologytelecommunicationstransportatiotr technology

REVIEWING YOUR KNOWLEDGEPlease do not write in this text. Write your amwers

o[ a separate sheet.l. Technology:

a. Is an evolving body of knowledge that dealswith the technical way in which we change theworld to meet our treeds and wants.

b. Allo{rs us to extetrd our human potentialthrough the use oftools.

c. ls the practical application of scientific knowl-edge.

d . AII of the above.2. True or false? Technology is an organization that

uses induslry ro produce goods and services.3. As technological change accelerates, the amount

of knowledge in the world -(increases,decreases).

4. Which best desc bes the history of the UnitedStates?a. Clerk, farmer, laborer.b. Laborer, clerk, farmer.c, Fa-rmer, laborer, clerk.d. Laborer, farmer, clerk.which ol the following is characteristic of the in-formation age?a. Steam engines and facto es.b. Farms and crops.c. Computers andtelecommunication.d. None of the above.List four reasoos why you should be technologi-cally literate.

7. Match the following types of technologies withthefu examples.

Production technology.Energy, power, and transpo ationtechnology.communication technology.

a. Examples include elect city, electronics, com-puters and movement of people and products.

b. Examples itrclude telecommunications, print-ing, radio, and television.

c. Examples include producing furniture, cars,televisions, homes, and lood.

8. Name the two major categories of communicationtechnology.

Tschnology and Communication 31

10.

9 .

2 .

3 .

4.

t .

Which of the following is NOT an example olgraphic communication?a. Photography.b. Telecommunication.c. Technical drafting.d. Printing.Which of the following academic skills are used intechnology courses?a. Science and humanities.b. Math.c. Reading and writing.d. All ofthe above.

APPLYING YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Give examples oi ways in which technology hasimproved your way oflife.Cite some major changes in the last 50 years thatare due to technology. Prepare atime lineto sharewith the class.Visit a local business or industry. Find out howtechnological changes have affected its operation.Prepare a report and present it to the class.List academic skills necessary for studying com-munication technology.

Communicat ion technology is of ten used in merchandis ing programs. Thls computer ized"answerstat ion" can be !sed byconsumersto obta in in format ion aboutcel ta in prod!cts .{USG Inter iors, Inc. )

lW UwerStation


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