Communications technologies include all technologies that facilitate the transfer of information. It includes various types of technologies such as wireless, wireline, and satellite communication systems.
Communication marks human development over time. Human beings have always felt the need to search, understand, and access information created, expressed, and communicated by others.
Therefore, the creation, search, and acquisition of information is a basic activity of human nature. Perhaps that is why the great evolutionary leap of humanity marks the creation of certain new means of communication as a turning point.
Over the last hundred years, this process has been marked by enormous and fundamental transformations in the field of technology, which have opened up infinite possibilities for communication and decisively deepened its influence on public life.
It is understandable that the technological revolution introduced in the field of communication has affected the behavior of people.
The main types of communications technologies are:
– Radio communications: Radio waves are used to transmit signals between two or more places. These waves spread through space until they reach the receiver.
– Wireless communications: use electromagnetic waves to transmit signals over a distance without cables. They can be used for voice, data, and video transmissions.
– Wired communications: use wired cables to transmit signals over long distances without using wireless communication systems.
Properties Of Communications Technologies
A communication system is a set of devices used for the purpose of transmission, radiation, and reception of signals of all kinds, such as voice, data, audio, video, etc.
The signal can be a digital or analogue type. The communication system can be easily described with three elements:
- The generator is responsible for creating the desired signal and therefore can pass through the channel with procedures such as modulation, filtering, coding, etc.
- The transmission channel that will have a signal traveling and can come from fiber optics, coaxial cable, or the air itself.
- The receiver implements the opposite process of the transmitter to reconstruct the signal.
Currently, all areas of society in which we live are dedicated to the promotion and development of communications technologies. Therefore, they are used both on a personal level and in the workplace, even in classrooms, and business areas.
That’s right, they are so present in every corner of our lives that they have been studied in depth by experts in the field, finding that they have the following properties:
– They are increasingly related to computers, especially the Internet.
– Foster a creative, dynamic, and growing industry.
– When used in education, teachers have more resources to teach lessons and students can more easily learn related content.
– One of its great advantages is that they allow people thousands of kilometers away to communicate quickly and directly, which means overcoming any type of barrier.
The Internet as A Means of Communication
The gradual introduction of inventions used for communication also led to gradual changes in society.
In the transmission of data from the real world to the virtual world via the Internet, various information, values, and benefits are transferred. They are often part of the real world, allowing virtual groups or communities to form in cyberspace, gradually creating the idea of a «cyber community.»
The influx of users on the web makes it possible to organize many different communities based on common interests. Virtual communities organize faster in cyberspace than in the real world.
ICT interactivity breaks the linear model of distribution, as users not only consume multimedia content, but also share, copy, redistribute, and discuss it with others.
But what is clear is that the Internet has opened up a new and limitless way for people to communicate. However, these paths are characterized by the uneven development of the global economy, so any analysis of the impact of technology on human communication will depend on these factors.
What Does Technology Bring to Organizations?
Information and Communication Technologies use information technology, microelectronics, and telecommunications to create new ways of communicating, using communication technology and tools to facilitate the distribution, access, and processing of information.
The ICT concept offers companies several advantages at three different levels:
- The concept of communication technology: at the information level
ICTs can reduce costs and help improve the use and transmission of information and communication.
- Communication Technology Concepts: Business Structure Level
On the other hand, ICTs improve interpersonal relationships and communication among employees of an organization.
- Communication Technology Concepts: Enterprise Level
Finally, ICTs can expand markets, reduce logistics costs, promote customer feedback, and improve brand image. However, we can conclude that ICTs are a very useful tool that can make the day-to-day life of people and professionals more comfortable and easier, and provide an environment of encouragement.
Characteristics Of Communications Technologies
Information and communication technologies come from computer interaction and telecommunications. This is done to improve the processing, storage, and transmission of information.
In this way, a higher level of comfort can be created, which increases the quality of life, while at the same time creating interest and attention for the surrounding environment. Next, we discuss the main characteristics of ICT.
- Immateriality
In general, it can be said that ICTs create (although in some cases without a real reference, such as analogs), process and communicate ICTs. This information is largely invisible and can be transparently and instantly transmitted to remote locations.
- Interactivity
Interactivity is perhaps the most important characteristic of the use of ICT in education. Using communications technologies, information is exchanged between users and computers. This function allows to adapt the resources used to the needs and characteristics of the subject according to the specific interaction of the subject with the computer.
- Interconnection
Interconnection refers to the creation of new technological possibilities from the connection of two technologies. For example, telematics is the information and communication technology that facilitates new resources such as email, IRC, etc.
- Immediacy
Communications technologies and their integration with information technologies allow the use of services that ensure rapid communication and information transfer between physically distant locations.
- High image and sound quality parameters
Information processing and transmission includes all types of information: text, image, and sound, so people strive for high-quality multimedia transmission, and the digitization process facilitates this.
- Digitization
The goal is that different types of information (sound, text, images, animation, etc.) can be transmitted in the same way that they are represented in a common format.
Disadvantages Of Technology
Not everything is fun in the world of communications technologies. Some aspects need to be analyzed for their negative effects.
- There are signs that more and more machines and robots have replaced human labor with negative consequences. As technology advances, human labor is undervalued.
- Dependence on technological devices. This inappropriate and excessive use of technology has led to serious health problems such as addictions, depression, social isolation, anxiety, hearing loss, or eye diseases.
- Less human interaction. With the advent of search engines like Google or WhatsApp, human communication is disappearing.
- Physical isolation. More and more people are spending more time on mobile devices, game consoles, social networks, and surfing the Internet. Communication and the way people interact is declining rapidly.
- Social inequality. Societies without access to new communications technologies remain marginalized.
- Excessive and uncontrolled consumption. This immediacy, just one click away from any product or service, can sometimes lead to excessive consumption.
- Promote a sedentary lifestyle resulting in health problems.
- Creativity diminishes. This dependence on digital devices means that we do not work so much with our heads.
As we have seen, the development of new communications technologies has advantages and disadvantages. They can cause serious health problems if used incorrectly, but if used correctly they have great benefits and are useful for science.
The Future of Communications Technologies
Technology is used as a collaborative tool for communication between people. Think about how technology was used during the Covid-19 pandemic.
You sure have participated in quite a few Zoom calls, used video conferencing services, communication platforms like email, instant messaging, and more.
Technology is a communication tool that enables human relations across borders from different places and locations in the world, and through different networks. Thanks to this and the technical possibilities, many companies can work remotely, as long as they have secure access to the network.
In the future, we expect technology to go even further, especially in terms of virtual reality (VR), 3D technology, and holograms.
If we go back to the 1990s, no one could have predicted how technology has grown and expanded since then. Now we can understand the value of communication technologies and how they can improve industries, businesses, and our lives.
The future of communications technologies it’s brilliant with lots of breakthroughs being made every day, so the possibilities are endless.
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