{"id":27,"date":"2016-05-29T16:17:56","date_gmt":"2016-05-29T20:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intro-to-new-media.local\/?page_id=27"},"modified":"2025-07-15T15:15:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T19:15:32","slug":"how-we-got-to-now-part-i","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/how-we-got-to-now-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"How we got to now, Part I: Communication + Early Media"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"02 - How we got to now, Part I\" width=\"660\" height=\"371\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1vUgG6Qa5ek?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group lessonIntro\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to watch for<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After completing this lesson, you\u2019ll be able to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Describe\u00a0the foundations of human communication<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Summarize the evolution of early forms of media<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Spoiler alert: this is a class on new media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, to understand new media, we have to understand how we&nbsp;<em>got<\/em>&nbsp;to new media, as well as some of the foundational bits of how communication in general works. This lesson and the next aim to do just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But first, a&nbsp;few things before we dive right in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><strong>These lessons are going to grossly oversimplify (and in many cases, leave out altogether) many\u00a0important concepts!\u00a0And that\u2019s okay!<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0People have spent large portions of their professional lives covering in great detail things we\u2019re going to gloss over in a single sentence, and that\u2019s awesome. Really, it is! If you\u2019re curious about any of the things we briefly touch on here, go look up more, and then come back and share what you\u2019ve learned with us. But, we\u2019re going to stick with a very high level of abstraction because we\u2019re mostly concerned with other things. Namely, I want you to try to\u2026<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><strong>Build\u00a0an understandable, coherent\u00a0narrative of how we got to now.<\/strong><\/em>History\u2019s much more fun (and helpful!) if you look at it as a story. Of course, dates and details matter (and I\u2019ll ask you to commit to memory a few key ones), but more than that, try to fit these terms and concepts together into a story that makes sense to you. This will help you\u2026<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><strong>Look for patterns.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Patterns are where it\u2019s at. By understanding the patterns\u00a0of how new media emerges (often from previous forms of media mixed with something new (a technology, a social change, etc.)), you\u2019ll be better able to form the aforementioned narrative. You\u2019ll also build helpful tools that will enable you to better understand new forms of media as they emerge. An important note on patterns: they\u2019re patterns, not hard-and-fast rules. People\u2014and especially otherwise very clever people\u2014often get into trouble by trying to make a one-to-one match between The Thing That Happened Before and The Thing That\u2019s Happening Now. As you apply patterns to new things, be sure to attend not just to what might be similar but also to what new twists and wrinkles might be at play this time. I\u2019d also love for you to\u2026<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><strong>Think about what new things are enabled by and what challenges are presented by each new medium.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Individual technologies are important, but they\u2019re only important if they\u2019re considered in context. What awesome (or sometimes not-so-awesome) new things does each medium enable? What challenges does it present? Because remember,\u00a0new mediums and technologies can be great, but in the end\u2026<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><strong>It all comes back to people.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0At the end of the day, we care about all of this stuff because of what it means (or meant) in the lives of real human beings, just like you and me. As we think about everything in this course (not just these two lessons), consider the human impact\u2014that\u2019s what truly matters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Okay, with all that taken care of now, let\u2019s get to it. We\u2019ll start with the very (very) basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Human senses \/ perception \ud83d\udc41\ufe0f\ud83d\udc43\ud83d\udc42\ud83d\udc45\ud83d\udc49<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Without our senses, no other forms of communication or media would matter. (Obviously, a lot of other things wouldn\u2019t matter, either, but let\u2019s stick to the topic at hand.)&nbsp;Sight, sound, touch, feel, and smell, not to mention other, lesser-known senses like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Proprioception\">proprioception<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our senses are the foundation of our experience, and they\u2019re innovations in their own right\u2014being able to sense the world around us as richly as we do is the culmination of a&nbsp;lot of biological iteration and improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, senses are only inputs\u2014no one else experiences precisely what you experience how you experience it except you. Let\u2019s move on to the most basic of outputs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Self-contained gestures (yelling, moving arms\/legs, hitting, etc.) \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f\ud83d\udc4b<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Progress! These are things that other humans can sense, our most basic way to create a signal. Think about infants: they cry when they need something, move to get comfortable, and hit or kick away things that upset them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are still some big limitations, though\u2014only people present at the time these self-contained gestures occur can see them, and by and large, they create meaning only about the person performing them, not anything else around them. It\u2019ll take us a bit to solve the first problem, but there\u2019s something we can do about the second one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pointing \ud83d\udc49<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine the infomercial&nbsp;for this one. \u201cWe\u2019ve all been there: resting peacefully in our cave, when suddenly, a tiger walks up to its entrance. You see it, but your friend who has a spear has his back to the cave entrance. You can\u2019t just yell or gesticulate\u2014how would your friend know what that meant? Introducing: pointing, a breakthrough way to reference things that aren\u2019t you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pointing is a big deal! Being able to communicate beyond the self is an immense step forward, opening up new avenues for humans interaction. Stop for a minute and think about all that you can do just by pointing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, there\u2019s still a problem to overcome. What if you want to communicate about something that isn\u2019t present&nbsp;<em>right now<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Signs \u270c\ufe0f<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Signs are such a big deal that they have their own field of study, called&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Semiotics\">semiotics<\/a>. (I still think that pointing is a big deal, too, but as far as I know, it doesn\u2019t have its own field of study.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Signs let us talk about things that aren\u2019t around us right now. At their most basic, think of child-like pantomimes\u2014sprinkling your fingers while moving your hands down to indicate rain, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reaching this level of abstraction\u2014being able to indicate things that aren\u2019t physically present\u2014is in many ways our first real language.&nbsp;Push signs further, though, and language really opens up. Once you have the ability to represent abstract concepts, like love, family, or time, you can have a fully expressive language, like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/American_Sign_Language\">ASL<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Speech \ud83d\udde3\ufe0f<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Compared to a fully-developed sign language like ASL, speech is no more expressive. But, for people who can speak and hear (which is most people), it\u2019s in many ways physically easier, which is likely why speech is the primary means of human communication. Plus, it offers a few bits of flexibility that gestures don\u2019t, like&nbsp;its&nbsp;ability to cover distance (shouting FTW!) and transcend visual obstacles (no line of sight needed).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, now that we\u2019ve gotten to fully expressive human language, it\u2019s time to shift gears a bit and deal with the big problem that all of these forms of communication still can\u2019t overcome on their own: permanence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are, of course, counter-examples, such as stories\u2014even very long ones, like epic Greek poetry\u2014passed down from generation to generation. But, the preservation of oral information relies on two potentially very risky factors:&nbsp;the notoriously unreliable memories&nbsp;&nbsp;of human beings and the ongoing survival of people who speak a given language. How to overcome them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group requiredReading\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udcda Required Reading:<br><a href=\"https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/History_of_communication\">History of Communication<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>(1,470 words \/ 7-10 minutes)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A quick word about required readings:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Welcome to our&nbsp;first required reading! So far,&nbsp;all the other links, videos, etc. have been optional\u2014they\u2019re there for fun, or if you\u2019re curious and want to learn more. There will be plenty more like them going forward,&nbsp;but it\u2019s time to introduce a second kind of thing: required readings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Required readings are different in that they\u2019re, um, required. Treat them just like the lessons on this site: you\u2019re responsible for carefully and completely reading and comprehending them (unless otherwise indicated\u2014occasionally I\u2019ll indicate for you to skimcertain sections). They\u2019ll always&nbsp;appear like this, in slightly indented grey boxes. Also, I\u2019ll include them (broken out) in the word count and reading time for each lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout the site, I\u2019ll do different things with required readings. Sometimes, when specific words, phrases, or passages matter, I\u2019ll quote&nbsp;the readings extensively. At other times, as I\u2019m about to do here, I\u2019ll&nbsp;share, without quoting much, my (sometimes brief, sometimes lengthy) thoughts on the reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t just read my notes, and conversely, don\u2019t just read the reading, either\u2014the reading and my notes, though they\u2019ll certainly overlap at times, are designed to be complementary. That is, you\u2019ll only get the full picture of what we\u2019re discussing by reading both together.&nbsp;If it helps, you might&nbsp;think about the required readings like homework and what I\u2019ve written on this site as my lectures about the homework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So with that, on to my notes on the reading itself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cave paintings and petroglyphs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As far as we know, cave paintings like this one represent humanity\u2019s first form of permanent communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/06\/9_Bisonte_Magdaleniense_policromo-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/06\/9_Bisonte_Magdaleniense_policromo-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/06\/9_Bisonte_Magdaleniense_policromo-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/06\/9_Bisonte_Magdaleniense_policromo-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/06\/9_Bisonte_Magdaleniense_policromo.jpg 1181w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cave_painting\">Bison in the Altamira cave<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Cave paintings (and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Petroglyph\">petroglyphs<\/a>)&nbsp;are our first mediums whose preservation isn\u2019t tied to human memory or the preservation of a spoken language. That\u2019s a huge deal!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, there are still two big problems. First, a major lack of clarity. Not all cave paintings are as recognizable as the bison above, but even if they were, there would still be problems. What exactly is this bison doing? When? Who painted him? Second, we\u2019re back, in a sense, to pointing: cave paintings can (mostly) represent only&nbsp;<em>visible, non-abstract<\/em>&nbsp;objects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our next few forms of communication represent humanity\u2019s collective efforts to tackle those problems in permanent media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pictograms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Pictograms, also called pictographs, bring several key innovations. First, they (somewhat) standardize a visual language\u2014the same image of a bison or a person will be repeated&nbsp;multiple times. The second innovation is closely tied to the first: pictograms often show sequence, thus offering us our first permanent media that can clearly show chronology\u2014the order in which things happened (turns out this is important for conveying information).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ideograms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ideograms are pictograms, but with one key innovation\u2014they use symbols to represent abstract ideas like emotions or relationships. This greatly increased the realm of what it was possible to communicate, just like signs did for non-permanent communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Logographic writing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Logographic writing evolved naturally from pictograms and ideograms. It\u2019s a fully standardized written language in which:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>a written character [represents] a word or phrase. Chinese characters and Japanese kanji are logograms; some Egyptian hieroglyphs and some graphemes in Cuneiform script are also logograms.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The standardization&nbsp;offered by logographic writing systems (vs. pictograms and ideograms) enabled the use of written communication to scale to larger and larger groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What didn\u2019t scale as neatly, however, was the visual language itself. Every new word, phrase, concept, or even shade of meaning required a new image. As it turns out, past a certain point, things get really complicated in systems like these.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Alphabetic (phonographic) writing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Alphabetic writing solves that very problem by introducing a supremely useful layer of abstraction: written characters represent the&nbsp;<em>sounds<\/em>&nbsp;used to produce spoken words rather than the&nbsp;<em>concepts<\/em>&nbsp;behind the words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This innovation allowed the range of words and concepts represented by written languages to scale nearly infinitely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re almost ready to move on to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/how-we-got-to-now-part-ii\/\">Part II: Telecommunication and Mass Media<\/a>, but before we do, we need to address one crucial medium that enabled the spread of written language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Papyrus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Writing on stone definitely has its advantages\u2014stones don\u2019t have to be manufactured or processed to be written on&nbsp;, and they\u2019re super-permanent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, stones present&nbsp;several notable limitations. Namely, they\u2019re super heavy.&nbsp;and they&nbsp;offer a very low information density\u2014it takes&nbsp;<em>a lot<\/em>&nbsp;of stone to store meaningful amounts of information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Papyrus\u2014an early form of paper, not the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Papyrus_(typeface)\">overused&nbsp;font<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=papyrus+avatar&amp;biw=1189&amp;bih=806&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X&amp;sqi=2&amp;ved=0ahUKEwi3kryur43NAhUF4yYKHYPlAxMQ_AUIBigB\">inexplicably used by&nbsp;<em>Avatar<\/em><\/a>\u2014solved those problems, though at the cost of durability.&nbsp;&nbsp;Paper is lightweight and portable, and it\u2019s also quicker to mark on paper than on stone. Additionally, it offers really pretty great information density, whether on a scroll or in a codex.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group additionalReadings\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Non-required&nbsp;Readings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Non-required&nbsp;readings are exactly what they sound like: additional readings related\u2014to varying degrees\u2014to the current lesson that aren\u2019t essential to the class (and won\u2019t be on quizzes or exams) but are probably worth a read if you&nbsp;want to learn more about the topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019ll always appear at the end&nbsp;of a lesson, set off in a blue box just like this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/ia.net\/know-how\/on-icons\">On Icons<\/a>\u201d by iA.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Super-relevant to the stuff in this lesson (and featuring super-fun icon art!), this reading talks about icons and their labels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/aeon.co\/essays\/your-brain-does-not-process-information-and-it-is-not-a-computer\">The Empty Brain<\/a>\u201d by Robert Epstein.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>An utterly fascinating read arguing that \u201cyour brain is not a computer.\u201d I\u2019m not sure I completely agree with it, especially in light of advances in machine learning like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/AlphaGo\">AlphaGo<\/a>&nbsp;(or as described pieces like&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/2016\/05\/the-end-of-code\/\">this one<\/a>, for example), but its central thesis is nonetheless worth serious consideration.&nbsp;Perhaps only tangentially connected to this&nbsp;lesson, but I read it when I was working on this lesson, so there you have it. Still, go read it now.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>And with that, on to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/how-we-got-to-now-part-ii\/\">Part II<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Words on \/ reading time for this page: 2,464 words \/ 12-15 minutes<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Words in \/ reading time for required readings: 1,470 words \/ 7-10 minutes<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Total words in \/ reading time for this lesson: 3,673 words \/ 19-25 minutes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What to watch for After completing this lesson, you\u2019ll be able to: Spoiler alert: this is a class on new media. But, to understand new media, we have to understand how we&nbsp;got&nbsp;to new media, as well as some of the foundational bits of how communication in general works. This lesson and the next aim to &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/how-we-got-to-now-part-i\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How we got to now, Part I: Communication + Early Media<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-27","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1948,"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27\/revisions\/1948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmi.cool\/intro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}