Communication and its Versatility

Drums that Talk shares a history about the "evolution" of communication which begins with the use of drums in some cultures. Drums were used multiple times to informing neighboring groups of people about activities for the day or even about attacks. From the use of drums moved on to the development of the Morse code first beginning out as a series of codes for numbers which later moved on to the formation of an alphabet to share messages. Other than external forms of communication, Gleick also goes on to mention about the differences in verbal communication among different cultures such as the different Chinese dialects which utilizes constant changes in tones have different meanings. Communication varies among cultures but are very important in order to get a wide variety of messages through to one another which is why communication technology has become widely needed as well as used.

This analysis of communication and its different forms from different cultures can inform us of a deeper meaning. In relation to the class discussion on Friday, the methods of communication and its intricacies can show us a cultures' values and beliefs. For example, one can tell what is important to a community or culture by simply examining their vocabulary. For the Inuit Eskimos, the word snow has many different versions of how to say and describe the word snow that it would be baffling to us. Yet for their culture it is needed as their survival from day to day as well as their acquisition of food requires accurate descriptions of the condition of the snow. This can also be seen in modern American culture where there are several words that can mean "money". And as always communication does not always have to be verbal, as body gestures and body language can mean one signal but in another can mean the complete opposite. 

It is amazing and stunning how completely versatile forms of communication can be. From the beginning of history it has been the source of information throughout the world, and this will be the case from now towards the future because of the vital role it plays in culture and society.