How Will We Communicate In The Future?

Since mankind has uttered its first words, we have been developing ever more
advanced ways to communicate with each other. The American Indians devised a
long range communications system using smoke signals and fire beacons were
used across the world in ancient times to warn of impending danger. As we
developed technologies we went in search of ever more effective forms of
communicating and the mid 1800’s saw mankind develop the first telephone,
something that helped change the world forever.

Of course, it didn’t stop there and in the 1980’s telephones were made
commercially available that didn’t need to be attached to any wires to work. From
telephone technology we also found new ways to communicate such as the
internet and the internet also become something that we could access without the
need for wires. Although we have already come so far in terms of how we are able
to communicate with each other, it looks as though our advancements show no
sign of slowing down any time soon.

Are Telephones On The Way Out?

Because the internet allows us to send and receive so much more data than
telephones, it looks as though the telephone line could well be on its way out. VOIP
systems are replacing standard lines across the world and even
modern mobile phones can use VOIP based systems rather than traditional
telephone services. With smart phones and gadgets also able to use the internet in
so many other ways, it is hard to see how telephones will be around for much
longer.
Even though the internet is already superior to telephones in many ways, the
internet is only going to get faster eventually reaching speeds that will make it
possible to share even enormous files almost instantly. It may not be long before
you can order a new movie, for example, and the internet can have the whole
movie with you in a matter of seconds.

Virtual Reality
Virtual reality is something that mankind has been researching and developing for
some time, although it is not quite yet commercially viable. Production costs and
functionality mean that it is not yet something that is a household item, although
having virtual reality in everyday life is just around the corner. Increasing internet
speeds and more efficient production techniques mean that one day, and before
long, virtual reality will be both useful and affordable to all of us.

Having virtual reality systems that are practical and affordable could mean
significant changes to how we live our lives. The need to travel long distances to
attend meetings, for example, could be all but eliminated as we could instead
attend virtual meetings from the comfort of our own offices.

Maybe one day we can even find ourselves going on virtual holidays instead of the
real thing.Computers could take us to virtual representations of faraway parts of
the universe, or maybe take us to fantasy lands that we have though up ourselves.
Some people may even spend their entire lives in a virtual reality rather than facing
the real world we live in.
Communicate In The Future

Although in this day and age the internet is king, it will almost certainly be replaced
by something even more effective somewhere in the future. It is likely that the
internet and all other forms of communication will be replaced by something that
we haven’t even conceived of yet, something that can achieve things we haven’t
even imagined.

Technology is already being developed that helps us to use the power of our
thoughts alone to undertake actions so perhaps one day we will be able to
communicate with each other only by thinking. It may be possible that all you need
to speak with another person on the other side of the planet is to think their name
and then think your message. With space exploration also high on the agenda, we
could also find ourselves communicating by though with people in orbit and maybe
even with people on other planets.
Enhanced communication systems are making it easier to complete many tasks
and are also making it easier for us to play poker at www.pokerstars.co.uk
Internet satellites, virtual reality, even real working AI: It all pales in comparison to
the future that Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has in mind.

In a Q&A session with site users on Tuesday, the 31-year-old said he envisions a
world where people — presumably Facebook users — don’t need these types of
communication intermediaries. Instead, they’ll communicate brain-to-brain, using
telepathy.
“One day, I believe we’ll be able to send full rich thoughts to each other directly
using technology,” Zuckerberg wrote in response to a question about what’s next
for Facebook. “You’ll just be able to think of something and your friends will
immediately be able to experience it too.”

But hold up: Is that even possible? And is that something anyone actually wants?
TL;DR: Theoretically, yes; and, er — maybe not.

How to read a mind

To understand how Zuckerberg’s vision would theoretically work, you have to
understand how the brain works, too.
In a nutshell, your nervous system is composed of cells called neurons, which
communicate with each other using chemical signals called neurotransmitters.
When a neuron receives one of these signals, it generates a tiny electrical spike.
And because millions of these signals are required for everything your brain does
— clicking your mouse, reading this text, remembering breakfast, you name it —
your brain is basically sending off pinpricks of electrical energy all the time.

The cool thing about this, of course, is that scientists can measure and map this
electrical activity using existing technologies like EEG and fMRI machines. And
once they have enough maps, they can begin to read them — a point that
neuroscientists and researchers are just now approaching.