Importance of communication | Digital Letterpress: Part 0

Author's note: The Digital Letterpress series was originally published as a Wordpress blog for two classes from my graduate degree. The topics and concepts were tied to prompts from the course. It is archived here for preservation and for my own memory.

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My name is Phil, and this is Digital Letterpress. For the next couple of months, I would like to set out to explore topics in the realm of communication and its place in technology and media. I feel like it’s an ever-evolving dialogue and one that deserves to be discussed.

I studied English Literature for my B.S. degree, so (aside from reading novels and short stories until my eyes bled) I discovered my appreciation for an author’s ability to speak to me on a personal level even if we’re displaced by three hundred years and three thousand miles. What is so special about that? The author is able to communicate his thoughts, intentions, dreams. I realized that my appreciation was for more than just the story, but for the ability to connect and converse in ways I had never imagined.

So at this point, I’m pretty obsessed with the act of communicating. I even taught a college course to cosmetology and welding students about it. I’m also currently getting my M.S. degree in strategic communication. Some might not see the importance of being able to send and receive information efficiently, but I personally think it’s vital to our survival as a species (dramatic tone intended).

Drama aside, how is communicating different now than it was ten years ago?

That’s a loaded question, but one that can be answered by an analysis of today’s world. Technology has forever changed the way we live, speak, write, think. Information is now seemingly limitless, and our ability to transmit information is boundless. And as time goes on, those modes of contact will continue to evolve.

Each week, this blog will attempt to pull back another layer of how–in this new media age–we interact as a community, specifically through the art of communication. If we can’t determine how we need to adapt with the evolving times, we’ll lose the connections we currently have with one another. Our focus should be on how to grow closer (even in a time where we seem to be as close as ever).

So please join me, if you will, for this ride. You can always find this blog by typing ppinyan.wordpress.com. Let’s learn and grow together!