The history of ideas and the history of communication: some lessons for researchers of a mobile information society

During the past 50 years, insights from the history of communication have been an inspiring force behind research in the history of ideas broadly understood, from the history of science to the history of philosophy. The lessons drawn from the studies published in this area support the conclusion that significant changes in communication technologies induce, both directly and by triggering social changes, certain cognitive consequences. This historically plausible influence of technology on cognition inspired some theoreticians to explore the influence mobile communication exerts on our cognitive capacities. The author of this paper argues that the history of communication, if treated properly, could not provide support for current research on the connection between mobile communication and cognition. The core of his argument is a distinction between two concepts of communication, i.e. significant communication, meaning the kind of communication that is relevant in the process of knowledge preservation and transmission, and non-significant communication, lacking the crucial role in these processes. According to his position, at the present stage of development mobile communication is far from being part of significant communication.