How Has the Telephone Changed and Improved Our Lives?
The telephone changed society for the better by making it easier for people to communicate. This invention also revolutionized the business world and created thousands of jobs for women.
Prior to the invention of the telephone, people had to communicate in writing if they could not meet. It was very difficult to make plans in writing; the plans could change by the time the recipient received a letter or telegram. The telephone made it possible for two people to communicate directly, making it easier to interpret messages based on the speaker’s tone of voice and overall demeanor.
Business owners were able to use the telephone to place orders for raw materials and solicit new business, making their businesses more profitable. The telephone also helped improve efficiency for many businesses. Workers were able to call each other to discuss projects instead of having to waste time walking from one office to another. Employees did not have to travel as much because they could call their customers and colleagues on the telephone.
At one time, phone companies hired boys to serve as switchboard operators. The boys were eventually replaced by women because the women were faster and more polite. In 1910, New York Telephone employed 6,000 female switchboard operators. Without the telephone, thousands of women would not have had the opportunity to work.
