Communication Technology Update and Fundamentals, 17th Edition

2A History of Communication Technology

Yicheng Zhu, Ph.D. & Mengqi Wang, B.A.*

* Zhu is an Assistant Professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at Beijing Normal University (Beijing, China). Wang is a master student in mass communication at Beijing Normal University (Beijing, China). (The authors and the editors acknowledge the contributions of the late Dan Brown, Ph.D., who created the first versions of this chapter and the related figures and tables.)

The other chapters in this book provide details regarding the history of one or more communication technologies. However, one needs to understand that history works, in some ways, like a telescope. The closer an observer looks at the details, i.e. the particular human behaviors ...