Methods of communication have evolved significantly since the creation of modern technology. The invention of the telegraph is credited to have contributed to exponential growth everywhere, not just within the United States alone, and ultimately led to an even more advanced communication device that we know and use today: the telephone.

The telephone was created in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell, which was intended to be an updated version of the telegraph by communicating through actual human voices. Decades  after the creation of the telephone, multiple different styles of phones were developed according to advancing technology and the growing need for phones. In 1973, Motorola released the first ever mobile phone, which changed the trajectory of cell phone creation and implementation in society. Later, in 2007, Apple created the first ever smartphone known as the iPhone, which contributed to high demand in the mobile technology industry.

As cell phones were being created during the 70’s and 80’s, the Internet was rapidly growing and expanding as well. By the 1990’s, millions of people were using the Internet in their everyday lives. Computers were being found in households everywhere. New ways of communicating were being created, such as email and chat rooms, which made communicating with people easier and faster. Throughout the late 90’s and early 2000’s, social media sites were being created to help people connect with each other virtually.

Today, with the advantage of having a portable computer inside our phones, newer and faster ways to communicate have been developed for our convenience. Social media has taken precedence over much of modern society. Almost every business, institution, group, or individual uses social media to communicate with an audience. Social media is now the new, mainstream way of communicating and is used by everyone. 

With social media comes an influx of images. Why exactly is social media primarily composed of images, and how do they affect us? Images capture our attention better while also being effective at getting viewers to remember content. Seems simple, right?

A phenomenon known as the Picture Superiority Effect may be the answer as to why social media is so full of imagery in place of text. It is believed that the human brain can process images faster than written or spoken words. In fact, it is hypothesized that humans process images 60,000 times faster than written words. Because of this, people tend to bypass written information if a picture is present instead. 

With this information, we can assume that people today communicate better with pictures rather than words. Photos may be the new way of establishing a presence online. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Rather, it is just a new way of communicating with others. Communication in any form is all about messages. Every post that we see on social media has a message, including pictures as well!

Social media is a new, innovative communication method that is definitely worth learning about. For anyone interested, CEWT has a Lunch and Learn focused around establishing your presence on social media. More information about our upcoming Lunch and Learn can be found here.

Sources:

Forbes: The Role of Technology In The Evolution Of Communication https://bit.ly/3M9WFLz

Simpleshow.com: What is the Picture Superiority Effect? https://bit.ly/3SGGlnS

Socialchamp.com: Importance of Social Media Images for Digital Marketing - 7 Tips For Amazing Pictures! https://bit.ly/3Et0HNn

Rockcontent.com: Understanding the Importance of Visual Content in Social Media Marketing https://bit.ly/3yojyVI