The Importance Of Technical Communication

Technical communication became prominent in the twentieth century, during the Industrial Revolution. As one can imagine, this lead to a specific set of ideals and characteristics. Technical communication reflects a time known for industrialization and increase in productivity. However, this time is also known for its gross abuse of human rights. There is a call for researchers to replace the focus that is currently on technology and the bare process of events and theories. Instead, it is being argued, that these scholars must begin directing their attention to the importance of humanity and analyzing previous abuses to human rights in order to create a more humanitarian environment. Those who specialize in technical communication have begun

Jones summarizes the problem of the current major issue in technical communication, a lack of human rights vocabulary and focus in the field, by stating that professional and technical communication is rooted in "industrial practices, beliefs, and ideals of the early 20th century [and] do not naturally have a focus on social justice and human rights" (p. 344). In general, the standards and principles in technical communication have been accepted and enforced since the 1900s with little reassessment or analysis on the ideals themselves. For a field that prides itself on analysis and research, there is a disturbing lack of self-awareness. When the class was discussing technical communication in general, and the varying characteristics and definitions, there was a conversation about the need for adaptability. Technical communication, as a whole, has a bias towards the scientific and mathematic community, which is amplified in the specific example of social justice within the field. Many of the running definitions of technical communication require for the focus to be in the STEM fields. An example of this is in the criteria proposed by Mills and Walker in Britton 's "What is Technical Writing" article. They argue that a technical subject has four clear characteristics, the first being a "concern with scientific and technical matters" (Britton, 10). This single characteristic implies that topics in the liberal arts field, which is this case would be social justice,

Because of the importance of social justice, a legitimate backing is imperative. Many voices are not being considered in the current world of technical communication, which in theory can corrupt even scientific and mathematical theories and research. By opening technical communication to human rights and social justice, there will be a more well-rounded community of experts, which will then increase the integrity of the field itself. So, adjusting definitions to be inclusive of social justice movements will in turn benefit technical