Germany’s Communications Past & Present

In Germany, the past and present of communication technology resounds through the cities. Ancient churches feature pre-literacy communication: colorful stained glass windows tell the stories of The Bible. Marienkirche (St. Mary’s church) in the northern town of Lübeck features an old Gutenberg press. In Berlin’s Alexanderplatz, a different St. Mary’s Church stands within the same sightline as the tallest structure in the country, Berliner Fernsehturm: the space-age-esque Berlin Television Tower (photo below).

Mobile technology has a presence with store front shops in historic buildings, offering carrier services from E-Plus and T-Punkt (photo below) the Germanic arm of T-mobile. There seems to be stronger trend of downloadable mobile features in Germany than Seattle. TV advertisements play consecutively to encourage text-based downloads of animated animals and women.

Photos by Andreas Steinhoff and Christy Luther:

Technology mediamorphosis

I enjoyed reading the Technologies of the Third Mediamorphosis chapter of Roger Fidler’s 1997 book, “Mediamorphosis Understanding New Media.”One of his main points is that despite common perception, the catalytic events for today’s digital media presence occurred before World War II. The chapter made me question which of these generally comes first: the need for new technology (as Fidler argues) or the emergence of disruptive technology that is dismissed as unnecessary until widely adopted. I have read articles that support each side. Several questions came to mind as I read:

Presentation Experience

After viewing Brian’s presentation, I was inspired to embrace a minimalistic design as well. I enjoyed his presentation because it was more of a conversation aided by interesting visuals that structured his lecture.

As We May Think – Questions

Based on the article “As We May Think”:

1. What kind of civilian-physicist response was there post-war that encouraged Vannevar Bush to publish this article? (ex: were the physicists themselves really THAT impacted? They most likely had physicist-type jobs before the war led them to war-time physics; what prevented them from returning to that type of pre-war work?)

2. What parallels can be drawn between the article and present-day human experience?

This line from 1945 seems to have some relevance today: “The summation of human experience is being expanded at prodigious rate.”

The Failure to Control (PowerPoint incl.)

Centuries of development and improvements to communications technology have revealed fairly predictable production and market trends. The lifecycle of a product has been established, the theories of performance have been addressed and the pros and cons of competition have been identified.

 

In her book, “A Social History of American Technology,” Ruth Schwartz Cowan follows the introduction and displacement of communications technologies. Starting with the development of wireless telegraphy in 1887 and following history through to the 1990s’ popularity of cable television, Cowan uncovers the patterns of technological growth. The focus of her work, however, is the question of “Who should be in charge of all the various technologies of communication?” (p. 273).

 

Mobile for Change

The site PersonalDemocracy.com features a section devoted to Mobile Technology. In a blog posting on September 23, 2008, Justin Oberman writes about a Nokia Mobile Application Contest to Change the World.

 

Oberman reveals some interesting statistics that the average American consumer is probably unaware of:

 

“The Finnish company (Nokia) has 40 percent of the world market. That means 1 in every 4 phones sold in the world is a Nokia phone. In emerging markets it’s almost always the only phone you will find.”

 

Nokia is the number one phone distributor in the world.

 

The importance of mobile technology in the developing world is staggering. The introduction of mobile tools has allowed countries to leap-frog past the technology development cycles and go straight into mobile use. Some countries may have never had “regular phones” and their first introduction is to cell phones. Now that the technology has been improved and the cost relatively low, it is easier for such technologies to be shared with the developing world.

“The Wireless Application Marketplace”

The recent article on the stock market news Web site Seeking Alpha, “The Wireless Application Marketplace: Apple, Google, Microsoft and RIMM” by Option Dragon, offers a look at the emergence of wireless application marketplaces.

 

With the huge success of Apple’s iPhone App Store, other industry leaders are rushing to get a share of the market. Google, T-Mobile, Microsoft and RIMM (Blackberry) are debuting their own versions of application marketplaces. The significance of these new marketplaces is that they support the notion of open software development for cell phones.

Project Proposal: E-nternal Communications

Thesis

 

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of corporate executives realizing the value of well-managed internal communications with employees.

 

How have modern economic changes affected the importance of employer-employee relations? How is new media facilitating open lines of workplace communication? 

 

Statement of Intent

 

I intend to examine the issue with a threefold approach: I will reveal a brief history of corporate internal communications, define the reasons for its present day importance, and identify how electronic media is aiding the internal communications process.

 

In today’s age of information workers – and workplaces that have only human staff members as assets – it is increasingly important to have internal communications plans that keep employees and employers linked.

 

Companies are not just making products anymore – and when they are, the human role is often in the communications field of sales. For these reasons, it is important for businesses to keep staff members happy, informed and productive.

Reflection on “Disruptive Technologies”

The Harvard Business Review article “Disruptive Technologies: Catching the Wave” by Joseph L. Bower and Clayton M. Christensen is one of the most useful articles I’ve read pertaining to the rise of successful new technologies. Despite being written in 1995, the material is just as relevant today as it was 14 years ago.

 

Several take-aways can be gained from the article. One key learning is the overall importance of technology executives knowing how their market operates. The most successful response to new technology is not an inherent one. While it is safe to stay close to a company’s tried and true products, this is where corporate downfall often happens. Rather than keeping an eye out for emerging trends and technologies, companies often listen to their customers who simply like what they already have. From this, companies believe that customers don’t want new technologies. However, when a new technology is introduced that more efficiently meets market demand, customers will follow.

“The Victorian Internet” Review

“The Victorian Internet” by Tom Standage, business editor at the Economist, offers a concise history of the rise and fall of the telegraph. The well-written history takes into account the parallels that can be drawn between the telegraph and the Internet, as well as the adoption cycle of new technology. Standage intertwines factual statistics with humorous biographical information about the telegraph’s inventors and users. The book offers a fun and informative read.