The Communications Revolution

The way we communicate with one another is currently going through a dramatic change.

Communication is becoming quicker, easier and cheaper and it is changing the shape of families and societies right across the globe.

In this four part series, Mike Williams looks at the way communication and the associated technology is changing our lives, the way we do business and the way we learn.

Part Four - Communications Technology and Communities

It seems that you can carry your culture with you wherever you go. Online communities are being maintained in around 1500 languages.

Family relations can be maintained across vast geographic distances. There are new ways for culture to make an impact and whole new societies are being formed.

In this programme we look at the concept of web communities, match-making sites, instant messaging, SMS and how modern communications technology can be used in novel ways to keep families together.

Some parents use the web and podasting to read stories to their children from hundreds of miles away. What are the implications of this on the family in a world where due to demands on our time, personal contact is becoming increasingly virtual.