In addition to creating efficiencies, let’s look at four ways advancements in communication have a positive impact on our lives.
Two-thirds of parents in the U.S. believe that parenting is harder today than it was 20 years ago, with many citing technologies, like smartphones and social media, as a reason.2 Should I give my 11-year-old child a mobile phone? they wonder. Why do they need a Chrome book for school? they ask.
Students learn differently. Some are more visual learners than others. Some need to “do” something in order to learn. Using innovative communication technology can help cater to all students and has proven to be helpful. For example, let’s take reading and see how communication innovations have positively helped in this subject area.
In one study, researcher Lei Song explains how children's interactive literature books based on augmented reality (AR) form a virtual combination effect by integrating virtual information and real scenes and can display virtual three-dimensional scenes and play sounds while reading children's literature books. This technology helps transform the single reading method of traditional literary books into an immersive experience. The combination of dynamic and static is of great significance for improving children's reading interest and promoting perceptual ability.3
The current generation of students, be it in the K-12 system or in postsecondary education, require more than the chalk and talk approach of teaching. They want to be engaged, to see videos and to involve themselves in the learning process. Examples of in-class technology can include using apps to help students answer questions anonymously or submitting assignments via a student portal.
Another example is the success of online learning at the college level. Without advancements in communication, many working adults and non-traditional students would not have the flexibility or convenience needed to pursue a degree. At Grand Canyon University, nearly 90,000 online students were enrolled in Fall 2022, and the number of students learning through a digital online platform continues to grow.4
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been both a boon and a bane. Used accurately and ethically it can help someone start a project, assignment or prepare for a meeting. This, coupled with the education received in college, can help boost confidence and mental state of mind as well. It provides a wide array of possibilities that we may not have considered before. Creativity can blossom!
The positive aspects of AI is prevalent in many industries. For example, a group at Mount Sinai used deep learning-based AI algorithms to predict the development of diseases with 94% accuracy, including cancers of liver, rectum and prostate. Thanks to published cancer research, clinical trials and drug development, there's a plethora of data that AI can help to review and then guide healthcare decision-making.5
Other examples of successful, positive use of communication innovations can be found in Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Facebook. They all use innovative communication technologies, such as Amazon Go, Siri and Face ID features, in their business to help their customers. Customer satisfaction can only improve if businesses know how to shift their business model based on innovative communications technology.
Innovative communication also provides an opportunity for anyone to bring new ideas and solutions to the table. Anonymous communication can help bring people and their input to the forefront. In the classroom, for example, a teacher can use a program such as Slido.com, which allows students to respond anonymously. This can help the shy or anxious student be engaged with the lesson.
Does anyone remember aerogrammes? That was how people communicated to their family and friends in other countries many years ago. International telephone calls were costly, and we had to watch how many minutes we spoke because it was billed by the minute.
Today, thanks to the innovations in communication, we can communicate instantly to nearly anyone around the world. Digital platforms like FaceTime, Facebook and WhatsApp allow us to video call our friends around the globe at no cost. All you need is a smart device and internet access. Employees can work easily with colleagues from another city, state or country. Children can talk to their parents anytime, anywhere. We can check on our front door from miles away through a security camera. These are just a few examples of how communication innovations and achievement in communication help the world stay connected.
Innovative communication technology can help us innovate more. During COVID, we were all required to seek other methods of staying connected. We innovated improved platforms, such as better file-sharing methods and online meeting platforms.
Information overload, anyone? With innovative communication, we are thrust even more into a fast-paced world that demands our instant response to a message, tweet or post. We get information on our phones and social media accounts sometimes even when we are not seeking it. Gone are the days of the 24-hour lead time before something becomes news.
For example, in the field of public relations, when a crisis occurs now, we see it unfold live. This is due, in no small part, to innovative communication technologies and our interconnected world. PR professionals do not have hours to plan and prepare a response anymore. The journalists do not have the extra time to write detailed copy. The news cycle isn’t 24 hours anymore. It could even be minutes! Journalists write and publish what they know in real time, and update constantly, especially in online media. The print media may publish a special edition just to be current.
We are instantly able to know what’s going on in another part of the country or even in another country. We can learn the results of an election in Indonesia instantly or learn the new TikTok dances by following the current influencers. On a more serious note, we can get updates on the latest medical news, world events and political climates. With drones showing us live feeds of forest fires, for example, we are better able to manage them. Innovative communication can help us be current and being current can help save lives. We cannot be left behind when the world is moving ahead.
One can argue that innovation has its limitation, but doesn’t everything? The positives far outweigh the negatives. If we are resistant to change and to the ever-growing advancement in communications, we will surely remain stagnant. We need to move with and embrace the innovations in communication. Use it ethically, use it for good and use it to improve our lives.
