Advancement in Humanities and Impact of Invention of Telephone

Humanities/Advancement

Advancement in the Humanities: The Impact of the Invention of the Telephone

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone, a device designed, in part, to facilitate communication for the hearing impaired. Bell advertised the telephone to consumers, predicting that it would not only aid in communication but create new employment and commercial opportunities, thus boosting the economy. (Brooks, 1976; Krupa, 1992).

The telephone revolutionized the way people think about communication. It has made a global impact in ways Bell and his colleagues could never have imagined.

Events That Led to the Advancement of the Telephone

Both Bell's mother and wife were deaf; he hoped to help them, and people like them, with the invention of his device. Bell also hoped to market the device to other consumers but he and his colleagues soon recognized they needed to direct their marketing efforts to the selling of telephone service, which would in turn support the sale of telephones and related equipment (Museum of American Heritage, 2010). Initially phone service was expensive and used primarily by doctors, druggists and businessmen. It was not available in private homes (Krupa, 1992).

III. Effects of Advancement of the Telephone

The concept of the telephone grew (Museum of American Heritage, 2010). There were new job opportunities for women with the growing market for telephone operators. Women also transitioned into customer service roles, forever changing the demographics of the office workplace. Women were able to contribute to the family economy and were newly empowered as wage earners, sometimes providing sole support or self-support. With greater income, their lives were improved. With opportunities to go into the workplace, they broke from limiting traditional roles as merely wives and mothers. Going into the workplace also meant enhanced social connections.

The invention of the phone led to the growth of small, independent businesses into huge office and manufacturing centers. By 1909, twenty-five percent of American homes had installed phones, with many more in businesses and public places (Brooks, 1976). The means to do business was changing as people realized the phone was a quick and convenient way to order goods and services.

The rest of the world was eager to adopt the use of the telephone. Transatlantic cable, first used in the 1940s, was the beginning of the global telephone network. Telephones are now used around the world and have become one of the most fundamental tools of modern society (Hays, 1991).

IV. Evolution of the Advancement of the Telephone

The telephone, as a device, has evolved from Bell's original model into small, handheld devices that people can use anywhere. They no longer have to be tethered by cords to homes or offices. Phones are used worldwide (Museum of American Heritage, 2010).

Hays (1991) pointed out negative effects of phone communication, claiming that the telephone enables war to be waged more easily and human conflict extended along telephone lines. The time-space contiuum seems to be compressed, since people can communicate instantaneously.