EOTO: The Telephone
The idea for the telephone came long before it was actually created. An Italian innovator, Antonio Meucci is credited with inventing the first basic telephone. He invented this phone in 1849. Following Meucci, a Frenchman, Charles Borseul created another version of the telephone in 1854. A little more than twenty years later Alexander Graham Bell received the first U.S. patent for the telephone in 1876. Graham Bell was only able to fully develop his telephone and bring it to the market, because he had financial backers that invested in him and his device. The first exchange was in operation two years later. By 1908 there were 5.8 million telephones in the system.
Before the invention of the telephone the main form of long distance communication was through written and delivered letters. The process of sending letters back and forth was obviously much slower than using a telephone, and a lot more inconvenient. There was also a level of privacy that the telephone provided, people no longer had to put their thoughts in writing and worry about who else would see it aside from whom it was intended for. This invention connected people around the world and revolutionized the way that we communicate. Distance was no longer an issue and people could deliver urgent messages right away. This made a difference to many fields, especially that of first responders and medical personnel. People could now call the police or an ambulance, people who certainly would have died from their injuries in previous years were now given a greater chance of survival, fires could be put out faster, and criminals could be stopped before they did their worst damage.
The invention changed our world in so many ways, some good, some bad. Socially the telephone brought people together and helped to foster a sense of community world wide. People were less lonely because they could talk to loved ones from far away, and relationships grew stronger due to the increase in contact. The business world was also revolutionized as meetings could now be conducted over the phone, and partnerships or deals could be confirmed without being in the same room, or state, or country for that matter. Along with the great impact to the business world the economy was effected just as much. Economic growth spread throughout the globe. Sales for various products could now be made over the phone. People were also spending money to keep their phone line working. The telephone also improved the access of information for government agencies as well as many other organizations. Those were some of the positive impacts that the telephone had on the world, however there are some negatives. These negatives include dependency on technology, loss of jobs, reduced travel, etc... However as a whole the world wouldn't be the way it is today without the telephone. The level of intelligence amongst individuals would be significantly lower, and communication across the world would be much more limited.
Today the telephone is completely different from what it once was. The telephone was updated to become a cellphone, now landlines are almost obsolete. People bring their cellphones with them everywhere. Texting is now a feature on phones, as well as FaceTime. Now not only can you talk to your loved ones on the phone, but you can also send them short text messages at your convenience, and talk face to face from a different geographical location. We would not have reached the technological age that we are in now without the invention of the telephone.
I am particularly grateful for the invention of the telephone because it means that I can come to school here at High Point University, and still keep close relationships with my friends and family at home. I also would have never chosen to come to school here if I didn't have the ability to call my mom at the drop of a dime. Meaning that I wouldn't be able to experience the things that I have, or met the people here that I love.
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