Technology is progressing quicker than ever. This is especially true in the area of communication. Just fifteen years ago, nobody really knew what a podcast was, let alone how to use it to create content and promote a brand.

From incorporating a business VoIP server to digital television, technology in communication is changing fast. That means it is also giving communicators more options than ever to get their messages out there.

What’s more, it isn’t only broadcasting or content that is feeling the change. The software and machines behind the screens are shifting too. Bringing us things like a team collaboration tool or a chatbot, making life easier, and improving communications for everyone involved.

Tech has pulled us into a new world. What started as cave paintings of hands and animals has turned into GIFs of celebrities and cats. Okay, perhaps in some ways things haven’t changed too much.

It has allowed us to talk to people around the planet. That gives us global business opportunities in our work life and allows us to discover that long lost cousin in Europe in our personal life.

Here are four ways that technology has revolutionized communication. More than that, they show how it has reshaped the way we interact with others and helped us experience a different world.

Money and speed

The most obvious way technology has changed communication is by saving time and money. That’s left us humans to get on with the more important things in our jobs and our lives. It’s also allowed us to be way more creative in the way that we connect with others.

Having the internet in our lives allows us to talk to people, sell products, and feel more involved. Watching TV adverts and reading newspapers used to be for the professionals. Or those with access to a world that most of us could only dream of.

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Companies no longer have to pay for a billboard or TV commercials and then wait months for approval. Today, we can create digital handbooks from our living rooms. Or make short films that get shared with millions from our kitchens.

The level of creativity that tech has allowed us is mind-blowing. Specialized software, apps, and videos allow us to educate ourselves and help build our skills.

Think about the way communication was in the past.

When sending messages, we would have to write a letter on a piece of paper, find a post box, and pay for a stamp and envelope. Then, on the other side, we had to wait for it to arrive or collect it from a post office. That’s presuming that we could spell and have legible handwriting!

Computers and the internet have sped things up. That said, even twenty years ago, if you wanted to send or receive an email, you had to be lucky enough to have a computer or be close to an internet café with enough money to use one.

Today, as a basic, all you need is a cheap smartphone and some WiFi. Then you have instant access to emails, group chats, and online photos.

The Victorians would have been confounded by our advancements in communication tech. Those living in the 1970s wouldn’t be much less confused.

Social Media

Believe it or not, the internet was invented way back in the 1960s. Some people spent their time experimenting with music and fashion. Others were playing around with routers and networks.

Yet, it wasn’t until the early 90s that the internet became publicized.

Thirty years ago, only some people could get their hands on the world wide web. And when they did, it involved chunky monitors and massive system units. Then they had to sit through twenty minutes of boops and beeps as the dial-up connected.

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Even then, though, it was only used for basic forms of communication (or at least what we see now as basic). By which we mean things like using message boards and sending emails. Or watching a CGI dancing baby slowly turn around.

Thankfully, this did make a path for the communication we use today. Move forward ten years. After watching singing hamsters and learning how to use email, social media was born.

In 2003, Friendster was launched as a way to talk to friends. It is widely recognized as the first social media site. It’s now evolved into a gaming site but lit the spark for modern social networks.

Today, sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn all dominate the scene. Along with others like Pinterest and Imgur, depending on what you are into.

Social media is amongst the best forms of communication that exist today. It has taken us all into the future. Of course, it’s always great telling the world what we have been up to and showing pictures of our babies and pets.

It has taken us from connecting with old friends to using live chat software to solve problems.

Whether sharing content or pictures, all we do on social media is communicating.

We could be reading a news story that someone has shared on Instagram. We could be watching a clip of a protest on Twitter. Or we could simply be commenting on a new product on Facebook marketplace.

Whatever it is, the revolution of tech has made communication so much more accessible. More or less, everyone has access to the same information on social media.

We develop communities and use hashtags to investigate our specific needs. There is no more waiting around for TV news to tell us what is happening on the other side of the planet. Or waiting for the next issue of a mag to come out to find the latest celebrity gossip. All this knowledge is being shared on social media all the time.

All we have to do is click on an app and scroll through our feeds.

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Digital communication

Thanks to social media, emails, and text messaging, communication today is instant. We don’t even have to wait around for the phone to ring. We just send a message and seconds later, we can have a response.

Of course, a business phone service has the same response as digital communication.

In general, though, the majority of us rely on digital media to talk to one another. When it comes to catching up with people, we will reach for WhatsApp over the dusty landline sat in the corner.

Through the power of digital communication, we share pictures, videos, and stories instantly.

In business, turning to online interactions has made the world of e-commerce explode. The two go hand in hand when it comes to customer service and selling.

The Digital Marketing Institute suggests 75% of B2B business leaders use social media. They take advantage of it in their decision-making process. The same organization also suggests that of those who shop digitally, 84% have larger budgets.

That shows that digital communication has a huge impact on sales,business, and the future of work in general.

The revolution of tech and communication means a business can start selling straight away. It means anyone can start an online business to earn passive income. It also means customers can ask questions instantly, too. They also have the opportunity to give feedback, both good and bad, enabling firms to adapt much more quickly than before.

In a working scenario, the internet means that people can do more and perform better research. As well as having a higher, more accessible amount of contacts.

When it comes to remote working, digital communication has made life so much easier. Take the recent pandemic, for example. Fortunately, we live in an age where technology allows us to adapt to work from home jobs and continue with the day to day.

Video calls give us the means to carry on with meetings. Teamwork software allows us to split work with our colleagues. And social media and various video-based solutions lets us share a plethora of content with the public.

More people work remotely than ever before. So, there is no doubt that digital communication will alter the way we will work in the future, too.

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Devices

Communication devices have come a long way since the days of the carrier pigeon. They have even come a long way from the first computer. In fact, most people now have their own computer that fits right into their pocket.

These tiny objects give us the world in our hands, revolutionizing the way that we learn and grow. You could spend an evening learning to use CTI software. Or you could take an afternoon off and learn the dance moves to pop hits of the 90s.

It doesn’t matter what you choose to do with it. The fact that we can discover the world through our phones is an amazing feat of technology.

It doesn’t just stop at smartphones. Tablets have completely changed the way that we view TV. Laptops mean that we can practice and build on our skills at any time. And smartwatches enables us to pay for things with the flick of a wrist.

Communication growth doesn’t just stop at the development of devices. The software that we now use has also greatly expanded. Using apps on smartphones, laptops, and tablets is the norm. Many companies rely on these not only to communicate between departments, but to connect with customers as well.

Consider our daily lives. The first thing we do is switch off our alarm. Perhaps then we put on some music. On the way to work, we whip out our train ticket, and then on the commute, we will read a book. The list goes on. But the point is, all these things can get done from apps on our phones. Something which before would have taken a physical alarm clock, a radio, cards, and a paper book.

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Whilst integrating digital tech into our modern lives, the software also keeps on evolving. For example, as more of us keep confidential data on our mobiles, the higher chance there is of data breaches. This means that software needs to be updated and developed to suit this modern way of living.

The same goes for things like Photoshop or producing music. The more that we rely on the revolutionization of tech, the better it needs to be.

Think about it, when was the last time you waited in line at the bank? Chances are, it’s been a while. Because all that banking can now be done on your very own smartphone.

So much in the modern age of communication can now be done with the tap of a button on our own devices.

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As technology develops, it’s exciting to see the change that it has already made. Not to mention the change it will make in the future. Especially when it comes to communication and workplace collaboration.

We are already seeing the way it saves us time and money. Using social media to connect with people from around the world is also amazing. Digital communication has changed all our lives for the better. Without our smartphones and laptops, we would all be lost. (Literally – we even carry GPS with us everywhere we go nowadays).

It’s fair to say that tech has revolutionized communication in some wonderful ways. A few years ago, it was imagined that the robots would be taking over. Instead, we are helped by video calls, instant messaging, and funny GIFS.

The question is, what do you think the future holds for communication tech?