Let’s talk about Evolution
Okay, I know what’s on your mind right now. You think that this blog is about one of the most boring topics in Science: Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Sorry but I would have to violate your expectations in a negative valence ( I learned this from Madame Inton :)) This is not about Charles’s theory. No, no, no. Instead, I will share with you the story of my constant companion‘s evolution.
When “c” becomes “C”
Humans evolve. Animals evolve. Plants evolve. And so does communication. Yes, communication has evolved, and will continue evolving.
Communication’s journey started with Adam and Eve. Then after many years, people invented the hieroglyphics and the Morse Code. However, these ancient forms of communication were replaced by what we call now as traditional media such as the radio and the television. And some years after they reached the stardom, another superstar came and stole the spotlight from them: the internet.
The internet took the whole world by storm making another milestone in communication history. With the warm hospitality that the world showed to it, this superstar continued to grow and then gave birth to different types of new social media such as blogs, podcasts, social networking sites, etc.
These developments placed the field on the society’s pedestal. So it is not just communication, it is now COMMUNICATION.
The Geek Lens
Communication evolves. So what?
Some people may not see the other side of this phenomenon. They don’t really care if Facebook and YouTube cause traffic around the world. Probably because they are too busy with their virtual lives that they don’t have time to take a pause and contemplate the reason why new social media exists.
But I am an OrCom student. I must always wear my OrCom hat. This phenomenon must be given attention. Having said that, I am going to look at the new social media through the geek lens.
When I thought about the existense of new social media, I was reminded of the Uses and Gratifications Theory by Blumler and Katz. According to that theory, people choose the medium of communication that can gratify their personal needs. For example, a teenager who is so obsessed with a campus hearthrob may choose to use SNS sites to stalk him. Or a mother who is looking for her lost child may use the television or radio to find him.
Another tenet of the theory is that people compare the communication channels available to them and then choose which of them is the most convenient and can satisfy most of their needs. I guess that is one of the reasons communication evolved. The previous channels of communication cannot satisfy our ever-increasing needs to get in touch with the world anymore. We need a more sophisticated and more convenient way of expressing or entertaining ourselves. We created the new social media because we know it will gratify most of our needs.
WE ARE THE REASON BEHIND THE EVOLUTION OF COMMUNICATION.
We modified it to be able to adjust to our wants and needs. It is one of our tools to survive. As long as we exist, the communication’s journey will not stop. As long as all our needs and wants remain unsatisfied, communication will continue evolving.
The Reason behind the Evolution
If humans evolved for survival, what could be the reason for the evolution of communication?
The first thing that crossed my mind when I encountered this question is that communication did not evolve on its own. We are the ones who initiated that thing to satisfy our wants and needs. Because our environment is different from before, we need tools that can help us adjust to it. And that makes the communication’s evolution a part of our own. If we did not want to make communication easier and more convenient, we wouldn’t waste time, money, and other resources inventing the mobile phone, the computer, or the internet.
We are the reason behind the evolution of communication.
Jenelyn B Mendoza
Do the Write Thing 
“WE ARE THE REASON BEHIND THE EVOLUTION OF COMMUNICATION.”
I like how you used the users and gratifications theory to emphasize this point. By using this theory, you somehow implied that we mustn’t look down on those who still use the traditional media. Why? Because as you said, we have different needs, and we have to find a certain channel that would satisfy such need. We certainly can’t force our lolos and lolas to use the internet because they have different needs. Haha.
And no, you’ve not violated my expectation in a negative valence because 1) I never expected a discussion about Darwin because I know this is a comm blog HAHAHA, and 2) I think this discussion is like Darwin’s evolution theory explained in the realm of communication. Much like Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, we need to adapt to our ever changing environment so we changed our means of communicating. Sorry I’m not making any sense. Hahaha.
yes, we should not think that those people who prefer the traditional media to new social media are “kill-joys” or technophobic. 🙂 We have different needs and different ways of satisfying them. Though the new social media seems to be the most convenient communication channel, there are situations where the traditional media is more appropriate.:)
I think communication evolves the same way that we do. Well, not evolving physically like in Darwin’s Theory but in the way we see the world. With continuous learning, we strive to discover more than what we already know and because of that we need to expand our horizons and meet people and go places. I think that is why we value the internet so much nowadays because it lets us discover things about the world with just one click. We can see different places even before we can even go there. I think that as long as people continue to explore and learn, there will always be new to the way we communicate that will bring people closer.