Will modern digital communications permanently affect human behavior?
Thousands of years ago, humans communicated only through spoken languages. Communities were small and mobile. Gradually, people developed writing, creating a more permanent form of communication. As a result, folklore and oral tradition transitioned into literature. At the same time, humans stopped roving as hunter-gatherers and began settling in towns and cities. The invention of written language helped people keep a record of their culture and history even as their society became more complex. Today, we have more ways to communicate than in any other period in history. We can dash off an electronic message to people living on the other side of the planet — or even out in space! Communication is practically instantaneous as if you were speaking to someone in person. But has digital communication changed how we behave? In some superficial ways, the answer is clearly yes. Just a few decades ago people didn’t carry phones with them wherever they traveled. Today, owning a
