Communication is a fundamental part of our society. There are many types of communication, including verbal, nonverbal, and written. Nowadays, technology dominates all forms of communication because it has become so advanced that it's changed the way we do just about everything. As a result, there are now multiple ways to communicate with other people, utilizing the various gadgets around us that allow for such communication.

Communication technology has gone a long way.

Technology has provided many advancements and conveniences to our lives. However, communication is one aspect of our lives that benefited the most from such advances. Technological advancements completely changed the way we communicate with each other and, in general, made communication easier. No longer are we restricted to just communicating with nearby friends and peers. It's now possible to speak with anybody from any corner of the world. The Internet and social media, aside from sending emails, have made communication with others more accessible and easier than ever. We can easily communicate with others through personal devices like smartphones or computers. There are several aspects of communication that modern-age technology changed forever.

1. Emails

Emails are still a very relevant form of digital communication nowadays. Before the explosion of social media, people primarily communicated digitally using emails. After typing your message, the recipient will receive your email after a few seconds or minutes. Emails might not be as instantaneous as chats and messaging apps in terms of returning messages, but it still is a good and formal way of sending messages to others. It's just that nowadays, email is not the only dominant form of digital communication as there are now multiple ways to communicate with each other digitally.

2. Social media

Social media is the biggest game-changer that technology has created in recent years. Social media is not only limited to sending messages to other people; there are many ways people can interact with each other through it. People can post pictures, videos, and various kinds of information. Other people can react or comment on what you post. There's instant feedback when it comes to replies and messages. Social media has a wide-reaching range. It has also become the main driver for advertisements and marketing nowadays, and many companies now utilize social media to target their specific audiences. Online businesses have become a thing, and people can use social media to their advantage to reach a wider global audience which was not possible before. It's also possible to make a living by streaming your content and gaining revenue from ads depending on view count. Social media has opened a lot of opportunities for us.

3. Information consumption

In the past, if you want to know the recent news, your options are to read the newspaper or watch the regular news program. Today, people can access the latest news by tuning in to the world wide web or social media. The speed at which the newest information comes through modern sources is unprecedented. Many people now use these sources for the latest news. Even local news channels sometimes get their latest info from social media sites. In terms of updates to our favorite things, we can also get them quickly from social media updates, and we can get notified if any new information pops up.

4. Advertising and marketing

Due to the massive reach that social media and the Internet brings, it's no wonder that companies now place their ads and market their products online. Billboards and TV commercials were the means to advertise services and products before, but online ads and marketing now overtake them. Try browsing on the Internet, and you are bound to see a huge amount of ads on websites you visit. Ads can even appear while watching videos on streaming sites like YouTube, playing games, or browsing social media. Companies even utilize means to gather data about their target audiences with ads specifically suited to their preferences.

5. Apps and communication tools

Technological advances paved the way for creating software for online messaging and communications. Aside from social media apps, you can also download many messaging apps on your smartphone. Some apps allow you to video chat with others. The presence of this new technology made it possible for people to work remotely, as evidenced by how people have adjusted to working from home during the COVID pandemic. We are not limited to just sending messages nowadays; we can now also interact and see somebody else through video chatting.

6. Smartphones

The way mobile devices have evolved over the years is a testament to how technology has impacted our daily lives. What used to be simple devices for texting and calling other people has now turned into portable computer devices. Social media and apps collaborate well with our mobile phone devices. We now possess something in our hands capable of doing many functions that a computer can do.

Final thoughts

Technological advancements brought many changes and benefits to communicating with each other. However, along with new devices and technology comes a whole slew of downsides. For example, data streamed between communication devices can be breached and stolen by others for their use. So companies must implement safeguards to help protect their consumers from data breaches.

There's also something about interacting and communicating with people personally. During video conferencing and virtual meetings, the way people speak and body language can get lost while communicating online. It's even harder to figure out another person's emotions and intent when you are just sending messages with each other online. True enough, our current technology allows us to reach a broader scope of communicating with others. Still, technology should not replace all of our old ways of communicating and meeting with each other. We have to learn how to utilize these newer technologies properly and use them to our advantage without letting them take control of our lives.