Prima Stephaney Y. Nadate and Hannah Jane S. Parreñas

Have you ever tried eating your favorite dish without any condiments in it? Tastes bland, right? Just like a society devoid of communication, it is lacking. Ever since primitive times, oral culture has been vital to humans. It has been the seed that continued to grow and develop into a form of communication that we have now. Then with the influence of oral culture, came the existence of literacy which brought about the era of writing and making the process of interaction more structured. With the unceasing curiosity of humans and their desire to make life easeful, new media arose. It encompassed a wide range of users, from the younger generation to adults and elderlies, and was used in communicating with the public and in the faster dissemination of information. Looking back at how communication evolved from simple forms to something humongous and revolutionary, we can say that the creation of humans with abilities and mechanisms that surpass computers and machines is a possibility. This prediction was based upon the development of a computer-mediated brain-to-brain interaction engineered by Barcelona-based researchers. This discovery showed the feasibility of a brain-to-brain communication and strengthening the applicability of the union of computers and the human brain for high performance (Grau et al., 2014). However, while innovations such as this continue to develop, wholesome interaction, one that involves each other’s presence in close contact, will be set aside.

With the pursuit of convenience, old ways of communication that helped us in building meaningful bonds with others are being forgotten thus, 50 years from now, everything may be done with only taps and clicks or even more, voice commands. As a major foundation of communication, we must not abandon the oral culture. Despite modernization having made the communication process easier for us, oral communication remains vital in making deeper connections with those around us, not just the circuit or virtual connection that technology offers us.

References:

Grau, C., Ginhoux, R., Riera, A., Nguyen, T. L., Chauvat, H., Berg, M., … Ruffini, G. (2014). Conscious Brain-to-Brain Communication in Humans Using Non-Invasive Technologies. Brain Stimulation, 8(2), 323. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2015.01.047

Jessamine Kay Palomo & Anaiah Rhima Palomata

Humans have always been curious creatures particularly regarding the things we expect to happen in the future. Our ancestors dreamed before about flying cars, but what they weren’t able to predict was the huge improvement in communication.

Over the past centuries, communication has greatly evolved along with the recent technological advancements (Rufferty, 2017). Primitive methods of communication became advanced and developed through the intervention of writing systems, printing machines and devices that paved way for digital communication.

In the next 50 years, communication is predicted to be superb considering the trends in the communication arena. Future communication will be anchored to revolutionary technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and chatbots. According to Vaish (2019), chatbots have already developed proper interactivity providing easier handling of queries in massive amounts. Humans may soon have daily conversations with AIs since companies are taking advantage of it for customer service and other labor force.

Furthermore, the existence of Speech Translator applications, although imperfect, are currently being improved and shortly, this advancement will result to elimination of communication language barriers (Dellinger, 2019).

At this point, it isn’t so far-fetched to dream of sending messages through brain waves. There are studies conducted to make way for this idea. Dr. Pascual-Leone and his colleagues at Starlab Barcelona and Axilum Robotics in France managed to transmit messages from one person to another, via a digital connection between brains (Hooijdonk, 2016).

Through the years, communication has changed and developed abruptly. In the near future what we think that is impossible might happen and the only limit is the human mind. Sure, there may still not be any flying cars but what we should be most excited about are the enormous possibilities in the way we connect to each other.

A casual conversation with a Korean Oppa? Yes, please!

References:

Dellinger, A. J. (2019, May 22). Google’s Translatotron can translate speech in the speaker’s voice. Retrieved from https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/15/google-translatotron-direct-speech-translation/

Vaish, A. (2019, January 5). Five Reasons Why Chatbots are the Future of Customer Service. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/325830

Van Hooijdonk, R. (2019, August 1). Decoding brainwaves into text and images: The future of communication. Retrieved from https://richardvanhooijdonk.com/blog/en/decoding-brainwaves-into-text-and-images-the-future-of-communication/

Rufferty, I. (2018, March 19). How Communication Has Evolved With The New Technologies. Retrieved from https://medium.com/bsg-sms/how-communication-has-evolved-with-the-new-technologies-52ee1ca114f

By: Colleen Calizo, Matthew Palabrica, and Angeline Tupas

If we look back through history, we can see how early forms of communication and media were made for a main purpose: to keep records. Examples of these are artifacts like the Rosetta Stone and the Code of Hammurabi.. Instead of using paper, people wrote upon rock. These tools for inscription therefore allowed information to be preserved for succeeding generations to know. Aside from record-keeping, communication can also be described to contribute to an individual’s imagination. This is seen in the impact of storytelling, specifically through its visual nature (Sturm, 1999). Ong (2002) describes storytelling as the only way to disseminate and consume information.

As these trends gradually evolve, it wouldn’t be surprising if five decades from now, we will find people in chips forever frozen in a single moment. This may become a new way of recording a piece of ourselves in history, or a means of preserving storytelling. Reliance on orality and visual references will be high as texts and written words decrease and slowly fade, but interpersonal communication will no longer be needed as people know you through your profiles in different platforms (Guaita, 2017). This prediction is drawn from a current trend in communication, which is the development of memes. In terms of conveying content, the subjects of memes can range from everyday humor to socially-relevant satire. It’s an expanding world of meaning in itself. Maybe in the future we’ll see something like Tony Stark’s goodbye hologram message to her daughter

To conclude, the future of communication seems to point to humanity becoming more and more intertwined with technology. Through the internet, we can see how there is a gradual replacement of oral and written modes by digital forms such as memes. Forms of communication will therefore deviate from the traditional mediums and develop into immortalizing particular speeches, moments, and even people in time. 

References:

Guaita, J. G. (2017). How will we communicate in the future?. Ferrovial Blog. Retrieved from https://blog.ferrovial.com/en/2017/10/communication-of-the-future-prediction/

Ong, W. (2005). The Orality of Language. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis Group.

Sturm, B. (1999). The Enchanted Imagination: Power to Entrance Listeners. School Library  Media Research, 2(1), 8. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjf1N7xiLzkAhUbUN4KHeqcBfoQFjAAegQIAhAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpdfs.semanticscholar.org%2F9d70%2Fbdcdc34e402b5f856073df860e04b627daec.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1GZ39CgmVIfUqVwssNDxUC

by: Jeane Valerie Valera and Eula Rose Villaruel

Communication evolved greatly through time, from the traditional oral communication to simple writing and to  digital communication. As the years passed by, the scope of the human mind gets wider because of the many advanced inventions and this resulted in the provision of a bigger room for improved communication.

Scientists had been studying DNA as data storage and recently, Microsoft and Washington University researchers introduced the first fully automated system for keeping and retrieving information in manufactured DNA (Langston, 2019). Compared to other storage media, DNA is more stable and abundant but it is currently costly and the read back of data is slow (Caroll, 2019). In the future, common people will have access to DNA data storage and will use it to keep data such as videos and documents. Data sharing and accessibility would also be enhanced by this technology. This small strand might be the answer to the approaching limits of our computers to store massive data in silicon devices (Caroll, 2019).

Another discovery is the artificial intelligence which is the intelligence required in the machine processes performed by humans (Wisskirchen et. al, 2017). One famous example is the invention of robots. In 1960, robots were first discovered and were later then improved as to what we have now. In a few years time, scientists predicted that home service robots will be invented and be normalized in every household. These robots will said to include functionalities like localization, navigation, human-robot interactions, and even perform human tasks initiatively (Liu et.al, 2009). Everyday routines and household chores will be much easier and convenient for everyone. 

Communication is a dynamic process, thus media and technology used in communication had to adapt to the changes and demands of modern society. Soon, it will come to a point that people will be technology-dependent.

References:

(2017). Menial, repetitive drudgery could be absorbed by robots, which would leave us humans more free time – but to do what?. Retrieved from: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/robots-are-coming-but-will-they-take-our-jobs-uk-artificial-intelligence-doctor-who-a8080501.html

Caroll, A. (2019). DNA: THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL STORAGE? Retrieved from: https://lifelinedatacenters.com/data-center/dnas-digital-storage/

Hyde, E. (2019). Why 2019 will bring Dna data storage closer to reality. GENETIC LITERACY PROJECT. Retrieved from: https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2019/01/09/why-2019-will-bring-dna-data-storage-closer-to-reality/

Langston, J. (2019). With a “hello,” Microsoft and UW demonstrate first fully automated DNA data storage. Retrieved from: https://news.microsoft.com/innovation-stories/hello-data-dna-storage/

Liu, L., Yang, S.-H., Wang, Y., & Meng, Q. (2009). Home Service Robotics. Measurement and Control, 42(1), 12–17. doi: 10.1177/002029400904200104

Wisskirchen, G., Biacabe, B. T., Bormann, U., Muntz, A., Niehaus, G., Soler, G. J., & Brauchitsch, B. von. (2017). Artificial Intelligence and Robotics and Their Impact on the Workplace, 1–117.

By: Dollyn Joy Salmoro & Mary Clarisse Surmion

Communication plays an important role in our daily living for it helps us in giving and receiving information to one another. For the past years, its improvements are no joke. From writing on stones, leaves and woods, to sending of letters through pigeons and horses, to the discovery of Morse code and telegraph. Then in late 1900’s, telephones, radios and newspapers were made and it was followed by the invention of beepers and computers (Jiminez, 2014).

Fifty years from now, changes in modes of communication might happen in a blink of an eye. For instance, the interaction with one another will be in voice commands and the technologies with the use of sensory communication will rise (Monotype, 2019). Augmented reality system will be invented and one possible application is through the set of reality glasses wherein one can view anything that is happening in the world and see real-time digital information about what you are viewing (Strickland, 2019). We are also about to enter an era of video conferencing and artificial intelligence because of the presence of webcams on laptops and televisions. Lastly, interpersonal communication will slowly disappear in our everyday living. People will depend on the improved mediums that they can use rather than meeting each other, which could affect their social relationship (Guaita, 2017).

Even in today’s generation, improvements in communication are already visible and it can be seen through our cellular phones, social networks, and other medias (Martinez, 2014). So what more after 50 years?

Change is inevitable and therefore, lots of improvement will be made in our daily communication. It had been through a lot of stages, and it will be more efficient in the future. Whatever changes that might happen, we must remember to use these modes of communication wisely.

References:
Guaita, J.G., (2017). How will we communicate in the future. Retrieved on September 4, 2019 from https://blog.ferrovial.com/en/2017/10/communication-of-the-future-prediction/
Jimenez, L., (2014.). How we communicate: then and now. Retrieved on September 4, 2019 from https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/blogs/025bf606-020a-48e9-89bf99adda13e9b1/entry/how_we_communicate_then_and_now?lang=en
Martinez J.S.Q., (2014). How we communicate today. Retrieved on September 4, 2019 from https://prezi.com/ble8vbknaak6/how-we-communicate-today/
Munoz R., (2018). The Evolution Of Communication Through The Centuries. Retrieved on September 4, 2019 from https://www.mobilecon2012.com/the-evolution-of-communication-through-the-centuries/
Monotype (2019). What visual communication might look like in 50 years. Retrieved on September 4, 2019 from https://www.monotype.com/resources/articles/what-visualcommunication-might-look-like-in-50years/?fbclid=IwAR027eV4TmxpgMxN512 o4WXYJMxIEJ9PEqvKJC99VDiVkLiTSL yaKfgTYc
Strickland J. (2019). What is the future of communication. Retrieved on September 4, 2019 from https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/future-of-communica tion1.htmfbclid=IwAR2T4S7n8ST3P0PYC0i_goCb2BKWAaiiZwT1QqDLB8cNC9Mim5 Q7oaJHw

By: Rachel Race & Thea Faye Ynion

Before modern media and communication arises, people strived to find ways on how to stay connected with each other without instantaneous communication. The use of telegraphs is their means to communicate with long distance people while newspapers are the main source of information for the mass before. During World War II, comics became the source of entertainment for the youth which is also an instrument in providing information and education for both children and adults (Scott, 2011).

Communication and media 50 years from now is hard to predict in this generation where all are good especially in terms of technology. In the situation of media today, where a web of lies became the truth, the virus- like spread and fabrication of fake news is no surprise. Five decades from now, hate culture will continue- people against people- bullying and shaming others behind the screen. On the other side, the improvement of communication and media is an unending process. It will not stop until people will
become contented. The fact that internet connection is a big help, it’s still not enough since it has limitations. Once you’ve used up all your internet data, internet surfing will not be possible. With this scenario, internet connections would become unlimited in the future because of our innovative mind.Programmers designed many apps today including those where we can have news and articles. Since it’s impossible for the future generation not to have mobile phones, it’ll be the source of mass information
which will make the use televisions and radios diminished.

It is our nature to search and made things that will make our lives easier. The continuous expansion of social media today will affect our future and we can’t stop it. Yes, improvement on our society is a must, but we need to know our limitations and responsibilities.