Assignment 1

Following the historical path of Global Communication:

* Geographical space: A barrier to communication

The author's main point in this section is that physical space is no longer an unsurmountable obstacle to human interaction. How the geography of space evolved into the geography of experience, with the barriers of space and time being challenged throughout human history. He also points out the fact that communication history aims to understand the social condition which laid the terrain for the evolving of new communication technologies.

* Geography and the mythical world

How ancient civilization imagined distant lands and countries, because of the almost inexisting amount of information they had the farther they moved away from their "immadiate world". The geographical constraints paved the way to all kind of imaginary beasts like cyclops, griffins, giants and other imaginary creatures.

* Ancient encounters of society and cultures

With a number of outstanding emperors and leaders expanding their kingdoms and bringing realistical records from distant lands, enabling people to rise above mythical beliefs and introducing some basic form of communication with different civilizations (Greeks-Asians)

* Global explorers: Migrants, holy people, merchants
At that particular time, Exploration was mainly supported by economic expectations like finding new trade routes, new partners, new markets to buy/sell goods. Exploration for the sake of knowledge or curiosity was not very common as no one would fund such an initiative.

* Mapmakers in the medieval world

Maps were viewed as state or royal treasures and were sealed away like precious jewelery. ALso the important role which maps played in communication history by unlocking unknown world as well as the opportunities which accompagnied them (new trade routes mainly)

* Inventors:signals and semaphores

Mainly demonstrating some of the most basic form of communication which were based on what was considered as technological advances at the time, like fire beacons, sunlight reflecting surfaces, pigeons or even just mounted courriers

* The printing press, literacy, and the knowledge explosion

How printing press moved literacy from a luxury to a notion which even common people could grasp.

* Scientists and international networks

The introduction of the first electric telegraph as an innovation in two-way information exchange, as well as the telephone and wireless radio and how they brought towns and cities closer together.

* International electric revolution

How steamboats, railroads as well as a broadened application of telegraph used opened the way to international communication, hoping to bridge countries and even continents together

* National vs International communication

With the advance known during the international electric revolution, the necessity to differentiate national and international communication was felt as messages destined to the local population and information with a farther reach started co-existing. The exemple of Reuters is a very good one to demonstrate how a national communication principle could be expanded to become the biggest international information provider.