[Air-l] Is all Communication Commercial?

[Cameron Adams]

No.

Just because all known forms of communication can be used for 
commercial activities does not mean all forms of communication are 
commercial in themselves.  As one poster has noted, "commercial" can be 
stretched quite far, but the concept of commercial is rather knew in 
human history.  Another poster noted that writing arose as an aid to 
commercial transactions.  To the best of our knowledge this is true, 
but writing is certainly not the first form of communication.  Further, 
communication is not a human exclusive domain.  One would be hard 
pressed to claim that the calls of chimps are commercially motivated.  
Even broadcasting (an agricultural metaphor) was nearly abandoned as a 
means of communication until someone applied the metaphor and saw the 
potential for commercial needs.

I think that a better question may be "Is there a form of communication 
that can not be used in a commercial context?"  Or something like that.

All IMHO, my good friends.

Cheers,

Cam