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The mysterious origins of communications: How did it develop from ancient Greece to today's discipline?
Communications, or communication science, is an academic field that focuses on the processes of human communication and behavior. This subject covers communication patterns in interpersonal relationships, social interactions, and communication methods in different cultures. Communication is generally defined as the process of giving, receiving or exchanging ideas, information, signals or messages through an appropriate medium, enabling individuals or groups to effectively persuade, seek or provide information, or express emotion. With the development of communication technology, in-depth research on communications has also been growing. In the 20th century, this field began to receive widespread attention.
Historical BackgroundWithin the scope of social sciences, communication studies has gradually become an independent discipline and now covers more modern forms of communication, such as gender and communication, cross-cultural communication, political communication, etc.
Origin
Communication as a natural human behavior became a subject of academic study in the 20th century. With the advancement of communication technology, serious research on communications has gradually begun. Interest in communications intensified after World War I, when military communications needs led to the development of new technologies that challenged previous beliefs about the limits of communications. The emergence of many new communication methods, such as the aerophone and throat microphone, represented a huge advance in the way humans communicate.
The communication methods used in war have made people rethink the potential and limits of communication, and promoted further exploration and innovation.
Academic Foundation
The institutionalization of communications studies in American higher education is often traced to Columbia University and the University of Chicago. Wilbur Schramm is considered the founder of communications studies in the United States and played a key role in establishing communications as a discipline. Schramm, whose background was as an English literature scholar, merged existing courses in speech, rhetoric, and journalism to create the field of communications.
Schramm created the first degree-granting program named after communication science and trained the first generation of communication scholars.
Contemporary Communications
Subject Category
Communications studies integrates different aspects of social sciences and humanities. It is considered an extension of social sciences and intersects with multiple disciplines such as psychology, anthropology and political science. As a marginal discipline, the study of communications involves a wide range of fields such as journalism, public relations and marketing, and is more closely integrated with professional fields such as health communications and business communications.
Communication studies not only contributes to the understanding of the nature of communication, but also influences a wide range of professions including politicians, policy makers and educators.
Global Impact
Early on, communications studies in Canada were influenced by federal agency investigations, focusing on the construction of national culture and the infrastructure of social circulation. With the development of communications, many Canadian universities now have related majors and are committed to promoting communications research on a global scale.
Future Development
Today, we are witnessing the rapid development of communication technology, the rise of social media and the accelerated speed of information transmission, which brings more new challenges and opportunities to communications. Communications scholars are exploring how these new mediums affect the way we communicate and their potential role in social change. As educational institutions continue to place more emphasis on communications, research in this area will impact all aspects of society.
Communications is not only a tool for understanding how we communicate, it is also about shaping the conversation in a more inclusive and diverse society.
In the evolution of communications, is it possible that we are still exploring the future of communications?
