Article by:
Zoe Rein Isobelle J. Florete and John Patrick G. Octavio

Today, in a world where communication and media go hand in hand, it is quite hard to determine how people communicated before.

Communication is defined as the process by which people exchange information whereas, media is considered as an instrument of mass communication. Most, if not all, cannot fathom living in a world where cell phone or social media does not exist.

By this time some advanced civilizations had created the system of writing, the alphabet system and is followed by the discovery of the papyrus which gave birth to the concept of mass media.
By the next 50 years, we are sure to see many more evolution and advancement in communication and media. We may see people having face to face interactions, this is because by nature humans are social animals, and needs other humans to survive, a driving force of the social nature of humans is through the hormone oxytocin which elicits feelings towards others (Waytz, 2014).

However, face to face interactions will be minimal, this is primarily due to the advancements of technology, as technology experts believe that in the future everything would be assisted by machines and gadgets, through this the interactions will be between man and machine (Floyd, 2018).

50 years from now, to enhance social interactions, the discovery or creation of a brain-to-brain communication device might be possible, this is through the development of the technology similar to those used to monitor and stimulate brain functions (Maiques, 2016). It will be another era of human communication in which feelings, hues, music or dynamic ideas are imparted. One may even have the capacity to think and convey all in all and open the way to non-verbal communication with different species.

50 years from now, mood-communication may be possible. One’s mood which is reflected in the brain’s wave pattern, will affect the surroundings in order for them to get feedback – for example lift one’s mood and shape it in various ways. (Frank, 2012).
The future that lies ahead is uncertain, but the future of communication is within our grasp. Its evolution and development is inevitable. Should we take another step forward? Or should we reconsider and take a step back? I guess, we’ll never know.
References
Floyd, C. (2018, March 16). In 50 years we’ll have ‘robot angels’ and will be able to merge our brains with AI, according to technology experts. Retrieved from BusinessInsider: https://www.businessinsider.com/we-asked-6-experts-what-the-world-will-look-like-in-50-years-time-mwc-2018-3
Lambert, T. (2018). A Brief History of Communication. Retrieved from Localhistories: http://www.localhistories.org/communications.html
Smith, L. (2018, February). A Brief History of Communication. Retrieved from Neighboorhood: http://www.neighbourhood.tv/a-brief-history-of-communication/
Taylor, R. (2018, December 31). A Short HIstory of Media. Retrieved from Owlcation: https://owlcation.com/humanities/A-Short-History-of-Media
Waytz, A. (2014). 2014: What Scientific Idea is Ready for retirement. Retrieved from Edge: https://www.edge.org/response-detail/25395
Frank, L. (2012, July 16). Beyond Speech and Gestures. Retrieved from https://thenextweb.com/media/2012/07/15/whats-the-future-of-communication-lets-ask-the-e xperts/