Communication of information & its role in our society: A Historical perspective.
The objective of identifying important information with the widest possible impact, utility and acceptance, is fundamental to the process of decisions-making activities of a society.
Note: This newsletter has been revised with new writing for easily readability and comprehension.
Humans talk, to communicate. It ensures our survival in this world. The question then, is how?
The activity of observing, comprehending, memorising, recording and communicating details about ourselves and our surroundings is how information is generated and propagated.
This practice of collecting, disseminating and consuming information about ourselves and our surroundings, is an essential enabler of the process of making decisions which affects our lives and our surroundings.
In other words, our ability to observe, comprehend, memorise, record, communicate and consume information about ourselves and our surroundings, is essential for making decisions which ensures our survival as a species, by enabling us to cooperate with each other on various matters of importance in a society.
We have possessed these abilities of observing, comprehending, memorising, recording, communicating and consuming information about ourselves and our surroundings since we started evolving as humans and living in groups.
All the people who came before us gathered, recorded, communicated and consumed information about themselves and their surroundings using very rudimentary communication tools, to make decisions which ensured their survival.
Although we use very advanced communication tools to gather, record, communicate and consume information about ourselves and our surroundings, all of us present today also make those decisions necessary for survival.
Therefore, it becomes paramount that we analyse the historical practices of gathering, recording, communicating and consuming information, its underlying processes and the communication tools used in the process before more efficient communication tools were developed, to understand the role it played in decision-making activities necessary for ensuring the survival and development of individuals and society.
The analysis of past practices of collecting, recording, communicating and consuming information along with its role in decision-making activities, also acts as a reference point for us to evaluate and understand how individuals and societies collect, record, communicate and consume information using digital communication tools now and how this change has impacted our decision-making activities as individuals and as societies.
Communication of information on the scale possible today was not always like this. It has evolved a lot since the time our ancestors started collecting, recording, communicating and consuming information using very rudimentary communication tools, about themselves and their surroundings, in the things they saw, felt, thought, did or wanted to do.
The records of information created by people of past generations, about their thoughts, ideas, actions, events, observations, conversations, society, community and the world, survive today as epic literature or treatises on various subjects around the world.
The knowledge contained within these records of information, reflect the foundations of their thoughts, ideas, actions, events, values, beliefs, morals, ethics, culture, traditions, religion, science, politics, economy, community and society.
In present time too, we derive the essence of our values, beliefs, morals, ethics, culture, traditions, religion, politics, economy, society and community from the knowledge preserved and codified in the information collected, distilled and recorded by people who came before us.
The rich collection of recorded information from our past, despite containing distilled knowledge of past conversations, observations, thoughts, ideas, decisions, activities and events, hides important facets of how the information about those thoughts, ideas, decisions, actions, events, conversations or observations was collected, verified and recorded or why all this information was collected, recorded or communicated by people in the past.
To understand how people in the past, collected, recorded, communicated and consumed information, we need to understand the underlying process of arriving at something worthwhile to record or communicate.
The process includes (not exclusively), gathering information from everyday thoughts, ideas, decisions, activities, events, observations and conversations, then engaging in debate and discussion about the gathered information, while inviting feedback, criticism and different perspectives around it, that any chronicler must engage in before recording or communicating it, which remains hidden behind a veil of time in these records.
For example, in the past, only a few people from the general population took up the task of gathering, disseminating and recording important information as a vocation, since the process of replicating and disseminating information among the general population was possible, only through very rudimentary communication tools.
The people who engaged in these vocations were considered learned and knowledgeable, since they gathered and understood more information about the world they lived in, than the general population. We know these people today as the leaders, sages, monks, philosophers, historians and educators among others of past generations.
The primary focus of their responsibility as leaders, sages, monks, philosophers, historians and educators was the task of gathering, identifying, recording and disseminating important information, necessary for making decisions which ensured the survival and development of individuals and society, among the general population.
Their responsibilities involved a process of first observing and understanding the world around them, its constituent structures, institutions, societies, communities, individuals, their decisions and how they communicated and interacted with each other to survive.
These learned and knowledgeable people then engaged in conversations with their peers about their observations and understanding of the world, expressing it in the form of a thought, an idea, an action, an event, a conversation or an observation.
This was followed by communicating and recording the crux of the information they identified from the activity of observing, understanding, listening, talking and collating, among a wider audience i.e., the general population.
In this activity of observing, understanding, listening, talking, collating, recording and communicating, the information regarding any thought, idea, action, event, conversation, observation or decision, went through a rigorous process of debate, discussion, feedback and criticism before it was recorded or communicated as an accurate understanding, observation or reflection of the world, to a wider audience.
The rigorous process of debate, discussion, feedback and criticism, embedded in the activity of observing, understanding, talking, listening, collating, recording and communicating, ensured that every aspect, perspective, context and impact of the information, regarding any thought, idea, action, event, conversation, observation or decision under scrutiny, was identified and analysed threadbare by the participants before being recorded or communicated among the general population.
The process helped the participants of these activities of observing, understanding, talking, listening, collating, recording and communicating, to accurately identify and communicate the information with the widest possible impact, utility and acceptance among the general population, which was necessary in building a consensus around divisive perspectives of any thought, idea, decisions, action, event, conversation or observation.
The objective of identifying important information with the widest possible impact, utility and acceptance among the general population, was fundamental to the process of decisions-making activities in a society.
As leaders, sages, monks, philosophers, historians and educators, it was their primary responsibility and objective to identify this important information, then decipher, interpret, record and communicate this important information with all its differing aspects, perspectives and context, gleaned from the activity of observing, understanding, listening, talking, collating and recording.
Only after going through these essential aspects of a robust conversation was this important information recorded and communicated among the general population, to enable individuals and societies to make decisions conducive for living a life of prosperity, dignity and security for everyone.
Due to the underlying process of debate, discussion, feedback and criticism embedded in the communication and decision-making activities of a society, individuals were not only able to find common ground on divisive issues, to make decisions which would be beneficial for themselves as well as their communities, rather they were also able to infer the right and wrong of any significant issue concerning their lives and surroundings.
Apart from improving the decision-making activities of societies and individuals, the activity of collecting, recording and communicating important information also helped the leaders, sages, monks, philosophers, historians and educators shape people’s views about culture, traditions, values, ethics, morals, religion, politics, society, community and economy among various other aspect of an individual’s lives, with an objective of encouraging cooperation between disparate and large groups of people towards common goals.
The power to shape people’s views, re-enforced learned and knowledgeable people’s capacity to shape their communities’ future since they could minimise conflict and foster cooperation in people’s lives and the society, by prioritizing, moderating, curating and presenting important information in a manner which inspired people to aim for good governance, empowering politics, a fruitful economy, an inclusive religion, a peaceful society and a caring community.
It was in the depths of these communication and decisions-making activities of a society that people who knew a little less about the world than the sages, monks, philosophers, educators, historians and leaders of their time, saw their aspirations, experiences, thoughts, ideas, values, beliefs, emotions, opinions, cultures, traditions and religion reflected.
The knowledge gleaned by people from these communication and decision-making activities in a society, not only served as a yardstick for them to measure and understand their decisions, experiences, aspirations, thoughts, ideas, actions, emotions, values, beliefs, opinions and perceptions of reality.
Rather the information they consumed from these activities also gave them an inkling of the possibilities of human life, which inspired them to strive for a life of prosperity, dignity and security, by making informed decisions which would ensure good governance, empowering politics, a fruitful economy, an inclusive religion, a peaceful society and a caring community.
Consequently, the general population took its cues about trade, commerce, war, education, politics, religion, values, morals, beliefs, ethics, culture, traditions, society and community among other aspects of their lives, from the information available from these communication and decision-making activities.
What we need to understand from all this recorded history of humanity is not only the activity of collecting, recording, communicating and consuming information which identified and codified past generations’ values, beliefs, morals, ethics, traditions, culture, religion, community and society; rather also the fact that communication of important information played the catalysing role behind decisions of individuals and societies which led to revolutions and wars, of people becoming leaders, followers or agents of change or the establishment of governments and the organisation of people into a society, community or country.
In other words, throughout history, it was this practice of collecting, recording, communicating and consuming important information with its embedded processes which enabled robust decision-making activities within a society, regarding everyday matters like leadership, governance, politics, economy, religion, society, community, traditions, culture, values, beliefs, morals and ethics, which in turn spurred growth and development of human society and its constituent components.
Whether it was the era of tribal, nomadic, pastoralists, agriculturalist or industrialised communities, the necessity of a framework within which generations of individuals enquired and communicated about significant issues impacting their lives, like leadership, governance, politics, economy, religion, traditions, culture, values, beliefs, society and community, to infer their own views about culture, traditions, values, ethics, morals, religion, leadership, governance, politics, society, community and economy among various other aspect of their lives and make their own decisions, were vital for sustaining a society where every individual could live a life of prosperity, dignity and security.
As societies kept growing in size, more efficient tools of communication were developed to serve its needs, which exponentially increased the amount of information collected, recorded and communicated within a society, further complicating the decision-making activities of individuals and societies.
Consequently, basic communicational and decision-making necessities of human society were developed into an ecosystem of information communication and decision-making with distinct institutions, structures, systems, processes, roles and responsibilities, with the clear purpose of making better decisions based on the information collected, recorded and communicated.
In other words, the increased flow of information as a result of growth in human population invariably resulted in more complex decision-making structures, due to the complexities associated with taking decisions which ensured a life of prosperity, dignity and security for every individual in a society.
Consequently, the need for ensuring accountability and integrity in the decision-making process along with maintaining transparency in the communication of information disclosed among the general population, was always present.
As a result of this need, the rules, roles, responsibilities, structures, systems and processes intrinsic to the ecosystem of information communication and decision-making activities of a society continuously evolved, to maintain transparency in the process of information communication while ensuring accountability on part of the people, processes and institutions engaged in the decision-making activities of societies.
The leaders, sages, monks, philosophers, historians and educators of past generations were vital participants of this ecosystem of information communication and decision-making activities underpinning the optimal functioning of societies, responsible for gathering, identifying, recording and communicating accurate and important information necessary for making better decisions by other members of a society, while maintaining the integrity of the information disclosed and ensuring accountability of the people, processes and institutions involved in these activities.
This ecosystem was further developed, to include processes and systems which ensured that every member of a society participated in these communication and decision-making activities, so that common ground could be found for opposing views to co-exist with the understanding and agreement of all stakeholders.
As this ecosystem of information communication and decision-making evolved with the development of more efficient communication tools and accumulation of more information over time, the nature of the institutions, roles, responsibilities, structures, systems and processes essential for maintaining transparency in the information communicated and ensuring accountability and integrity of the people, processes and institutions involved in the ecosystem of information communication and decision-making activities, also changed drastically.
This change in the nature of the institutions, roles, responsibilities, structures, systems and processes inherent in an ecosystem of transparent information communication and accountable decision-making activities of societies, which evolved to ensure a life of prosperity, dignity and security for people, generation-by-generation, has caused untold miseries in people’s lives and societies, over the centuries.
The causes and effects of this change in the nature of institutions, roles, responsibilities, structures, systems and processes designed to ensure a life of prosperity, dignity and security for people, generation-by-generation, are blatantly visible in the 21st century ecosystem of information communication and decision-making activities of individuals and societies.
Throughout the vast expanse of human history till the time digital communication tools were invented, the primary purpose of communication was not to generate wealth, build a following or sow discord between individuals and communities for nefarious reasons. Although various people throughout history have utilised the principles of good communication despite an absence of digital communication tools, for these very reasons, with disastrous results for society.
Rather, the primary purpose of communication since people started talking, was to engage in the creation of a body of knowledge which equipped and enabled individuals within a society with knowledge, information and tools to understand themselves, their surroundings and consequently, make decisions which enabled them to live a life of prosperity, dignity and security within their surroundings.
Which brings us to a number of questions I will explore in the upcoming newsletter.
How has the ecosystem of information evolved in a world dominated by digital communication tools?
How has the objective of ensuring accountability of people, processes and institutions involved in the decision-making activities of a society, along with maintaining transparency of information communicated among the general population, coped with the development of digital communication tools?
How are people’s views about thoughts, ideas, actions, events, values, beliefs, morals, ethics, culture, traditions, religion, science, politics, economy, community and society influenced in a world of digital communication tools?
Do the rules, roles, responsibilities, structures, systems and processes intrinsic to an ecosystem of transparent information communication and accountable decision-making activities of a society still ensure a life of prosperity, dignity and security for people in a world dominated by digital communication tools?
On that note, Cheers for now!