EOTO: Communications Tech Timeline

The evolution of technology, much like the evolution of people, has profoundly changed the way that society operates. As time progressed, people grew to have a better understanding of the world that we live in.  Pioneers decided to change the way that people communicate, because we need that human connection almost as much as we need air to breathe. From the invention of the printing press, to the revolutionary era of the internet, each technological advancement has shared a new better way of spreading ideas and connecting with others.

There will always be those people who disagree with the path that modern technology has taken us. For every positive outcome that arises out of technology, there are five negative ones. From the biggest concern, such as the protection of privacy to smaller but still impactful affects like mental health concerns and worries about the lack of social interactions. Everyone one has something to say about the evolution of technology and what it is doing to us as human beings. 

In 1440, Johannes Gutenburg made a name for himself and for the printing press. If you do a google search of the printing press you will find that credit is given to Gutenburg for it's invention. But that is not entirely true. Between the years, 1039 and 1048 AD, Chinese engineer Bi Sheng invented the world's first ever movetable type of printing. 

He replaced the panels of the printing blocks with individual characters that could be reused. After Sheng, Wang Chen decided to take his invention and improve it. In 1297 he created a process that would use wood, making it more durable and precise. He also created a revolving table for typesetters to create more efficiency which led to a greater speed in printing. 

After Bi Sheng and Wang Chen created the technology, the printing press did not appear for 150 years. Johannes Gutenberg was a goldsmith and inventor, who became a political exile in Germany. He began to experiment with printing and unlike Wang, he used metal and printing blocks with each letter creating the first movable type in Europe. In order to make his invention work and have the ability to develop in large quantities, Gutenberg had to create his own ink, and find a way of using a winepress to flatten the paper for printing. 

    Before the printing press, the creation of books were very expensive and rare to make. Each book, and copy had to be done by hand and that was very time consuming. So when Gutenberg created the modern printing press it made it a possibility to produce books and other texts in a more efficient and less expensive way. Texts could now be mass-produced and available to the lower and middle class. Because books were expensive to make only the rich could have the ability to purchase them, which lowered the overall access to literacy and education.  Thanks to Gutenberg, those who weren't rich could now have afford the opportunity to be introduced to books, newspapers and much more. This improved the overall increase of education.

Gutenberg had a problem however, he died before he could figure out a way of making his printing press profitable. His creditors gained his invention and therefore its problems. They came up with a way of using the printing press, to spread news and information to other countries. The idea was to sell newspapers, pamphlets, books etc. to ship captains leaving port. As soon as these ships arrived at their designated location, the locals in town would copy the literature and spread them to others. 

Since the access of literature to all was relatively new at this point, the majority of people still could not read. So people would go to pubs and listen to readers read the news of what was going on. This changed and introduced the idea of consumption-- it made it normal to check in on what was happening every day. 

 With the creation of a new form of technology, means that those who are "silenced" can now have a platform to voice their opinions. Radical voices were the first to jump at and endorse the idea of the printing press.  Before it was easy to censor individuals, all officials had to do was get a hold of their notebooks and burn it. It became harder to do, after the press was invented. It was dangerous and difficult to destroy dozens if not hundreds of copies. The printing press also created the illusion of mystery and danger. The more dangerous a book was, the more people wanted to read it. 

Some historians believe that the invention of the printing press, introduced the world to the idea of machines stealing jobs. Scribes were in high demand and bookmakers would employ dozens of people to hand make, copy and illustrate manuscripts. The press took those jobs away and while I can understand the notion, I don't necessarily agree with it. The press created a whole new influx of jobs. Jobs such as printers, booksellers and even a printer's apprentice which our future founding father Ben Franklin had.  The printing press introduced the world to the idea of spreading literacy, and sharing news, and we should be very grateful that it was invented, because it only got better from there.