Post-symbolic communication
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Post-symbolic communication refers to various speculative scenarios of future human communication methods that bypass the standard symbolic communication used today, as exemplified by spoken languages, the written word, and other non-standard symbolic languages such as Braille (tactile symbols) and American Sign Language. Post-symbolic communication has been most vociferously supported and written about by Jaron Lanier, Marshall McLuhan, Terence McKenna and others.
A telling example of what PSC may be like is found in Lanier's recent Discover magazine column on cephalopods (i.e. the various species of octopus). Cephalopods are able to morph their bodies in remarkable ways, including changing in exquisite detail the pigmentation and texture of their skin, as well as forming complex shape imitations with their eight intrepid limbs. Lanier sees this behavior, especially as exchanged between two octopii, as a direct behavioral expression of thought. The same idea was touched upon by Terence McKenna in his book "Food of the Gods," when he predicted that all human communication in the future will follow similar principles, i.e. "our thoughts will become our bodies, and our bodies will become our thoughts." The concept of post-symbolic communication is also expounded by Marshall McLuhan in his predictions of a global telecommunications network allowing direct brain-brain interfacing throughout the planet's population.
Lanier more specifically anticipates that full-immersion virtual reality environments in which people's avatars have complete and dynamic control of their surroundings will allow more direct and three-dimensional expression of thought. Interestingly, the idea of 3D, spatial expression of thought seems to be presaged by the early experiments of lucid dreaming researchers, in which a person becomes awake in their dream and aware that they are 'in' their own minds. The more disciplined and accomplished lucid dreamers claim near-complete to absolute control over their environments of self, which might be deemed perfect intrapersonal communication.
