Abstract
The history of human communication dates back to the ancient palaeolithic age (roughly 2.5 million years ago to 10,000 B.C.) marking the first major information revolution that shaped the way humans conveyed messages. The progression continues to different phases from oral communication (homo loquens) to writing (homo scriptors), reading (homo lector), mass media audio-visual entertainment (homo videns) and ultimately, the internet age (homo sonminas). Historical studies indicate that the emergence of the “push theory”- where information was disseminated rather than actively sought – can be traced back to the homo loquens phase in which natural ecology and sound played a crucial role in communication. The study adopts qualitative methods using the semiotics approach and highlights the development of push based communication (PBC) through the evolution of media – from oral traditions and early visual representations, such as cave paintings to the inventions of alphabets. PBC played a significant role in shaping ideologies and spreading knowledge. Over time, technological advancements in PBC have revolutionized modern communication (AI, AR, VR, etc). The study primarily focuses on the homo loquens phase in the pre-printing era, beginning with cave paintings 40,000 years ago to Phoenician alphabets. It highlights the Sumerians’ cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphs and how the Phoenicians refined the Proto-Sinaitic alphabet, later enhanced by the Greeks with vowels. The study concludes by tracing the communication revolution from pictographs to the invention of alphabets.
