An Age-Old Voice

Well, well, well what have we here...two very identical objects. This is no coincidence.

Roman wax tablet        –>          iPad tech gadget

Recently, I got a job as a barista– and until you are one, you respect coffee and it's ability to awaken you. The problem I have now is that I see it, smell it, 200x a day and become desensitized. It no longer has aromatic appeal. The coffee, it just comes out. It's over.

Perhaps the same goes to Smart Phones. Until you have one, you anticipate how life would be wonderfully different. It has taken me a few months, but I am very much desensitized to the former feelings of unbounded possibility. So what is next? Or...what was before?

First telephone: steel diaphragm and electromagnetic receiver creates 

energy from your voice and moves it through a wire.

As decades went on after Alexander Graham Bell spoke over the 'receiver' to Watson in 1876, people have had an itch to transform communication again and again. But the concept of the Smart Phone has been centuries in the making. In, Writing On The Wall by Tom Standage, his research presents a picture of humanity's reliance on social networks and instant communication. Back in ancient Rome, people were being quite social. One prominent Roman, Cicero, went so far as to have his slaves write and send multiple papyrus messages a day to his friends inside Rome. Cicero was obstinate that his friends write him back immediately so he would be up-to-date on the dealings of the Roman Republic. In public spaces Romans posted: Events, debate monologues, public outrages and more. Romans were also producing what could be considered as Youtube comments. A "talking statue" was a statue littered with satirical comments against the Papacy in the 1500's. Thus, the need to have your voice heard in an instant has been a part of society for a long while.

The Romans are a minor example of how long we've been reaching for instant communication. So, when you look at your Smart Phone and tap a social media icon, you are a part of the age-old tradition of setting the stage for your voice to reach the masses. Is there anything more instant? Is there anything more satisfying...

Side note:  Looking further back at ancient nomadic tribes. These groups developed a way to get someones attention–blowing into horn-shaped seashells. Yes, this was the smart-horn.


Read on:
Tom Standage's Writing On The Wall
NY Times Book Review
Talking Statues of Rome