According to Smithsonian magazine, our ancestors’ first speech may have come 27 million years earlier than initially thought. [1] Words allow us to do everything from learning, sharing concepts and debating opinions to understanding instructions, communicating complex ideas, and expressing emotions. Regardless of when it began, humankind communicated with words earlier than suspected.
For those without vision, developing a combination of raised dots to form braille characters shows how essential words are to communication. The Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE) has a brief piece on Louis Braille, covering the tragedy leading to his blindness and how Louis repurposed French Army Officer Charles Barbier’s 12-dot cryptography system in 1824 to help the blind read. [2]
In the modern era, we can use our voice to change channels on televisions, activate alarms or lights in our homes, or complete tasks through voice-activated assistants, like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri or Google Home, to name a few. Technology like text-to-speech allows us to interact directly with a device and have our thoughts captured and transcribed before our eyes. Now, we can finish books without turning a page and craft a speech with our voices.
In marketing, you need insights to deliver campaigns that resonate with the audience. Marketers and advertisers must uncover influential words that speak to the consumer by peeling back layers like the skin of an apple. The more you peel, the closer you get to the core of the idea. For each question you ask, the audience removes layers until you arrive at the insight in its purest form. Once you've found the sweet spot, the idea can entice customers to purchase a product or service. Listen carefully to the target audience's words because the real insight will come from them.
The future doesn’t start tomorrow; it’s already here. Now, the vocals we use to form words flow through our fingers to websites like Gencraft. These generative AI platforms allow everyone to create immaculate works of art, far beyond their capabilities. While the algorithms behind the software may be quite complex, producing stunning images isn’t. All you need is an account, an idea, and an internet connection. Generative AI is exciting because you don’t need artistic talent to reproduce your vision.
Words and technological advancements have been connected for a long time. From telegrams to smartphones, we have all witnessed some technological advancement related to communication in our lifetime. Today, technology allows our voices to be transmitted through emails or text messages to the other side of the planet in real time. Still, one of the most impressive forms of communication might be the one that gives people who are blind the ability to read with their fingertips. Technology has undoubtedly eclipsed traditional forms of communication, but it all began with words.
Footnotes
[1] “Human Ancestors May Have Evolved the Physical Ability to Speak More Than 25 Million Years Ago.” Smithsonian Magazine, 11 December 2019, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/human-ancestors-may-have-evolved-physical-ability-speak-more-25-million-years-ago-180973759/
[2] “The Story of Louis Braille: Inventor of the Braille Code.” Imperial County Office of Education, 3 February 2021, https://www.icoe.org/news/story-louis-braille-inventor-braille-code#:~:text=Louis%20Braille%20was%20a%20French,and%20write%20until%20this%20day.
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