Research Paper on "Separation of Transportation and Communication Understanding the Wired World That Emerges After the Telegraph"
Research Paper 4 pages (1110 words) Sources: 2
[EXCERPT] . . . .
MediaThe telegraph marked the first time that communication was separated from transportation. Prior to that point, the most significant long-distance communication relied on signals (fire, and later a form of semaphore) broadcast over long distances (Carey, 2010). These forms, however, were limited and thus the bulk of communication relied on transportation of messages. By removing the link between transportation and communication, the telegraph set in motion a new pattern for communication that remains in force today. Communication in our world -- and by extension the way that we view our world -- reflects a direct evolution of the concept of the telegraph.
Technological Evolution
The physical means of communication underwent a strong paradigm shift with the invention of the telegraph. In the early 20th century, two events occurred that provided the impetus for technological evolution. Bell invented the telephone in 1876 but it was only the early 1900s that it became a popular technology as consumers began to see the value in the device. The Titanic disaster in 1912 became the first major media event, and this brought to the public's attention the value of rapid communication. Had the boat that sunk not been the Titanic, a highly publicized vessel, the event may not have resulted in such a profound shift in the public's consciousness (Carey, 2010). By this point, the telephone was becoming more popular among consumers and soon superseded the telegraph as the primary means of distance communication. This is a critical shift, because the emergence of the telephone as a consumer item marked a shift from distance communication as a niche market product t
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The next phase of technological evolution was the emergence of radio, which allowed for mass broadcast of ideas. A more rapid form of mass media than newspapers, the radio soon began to serve as a means of entertainment, which to that point had remained connected tightly to transportation. The War of the Worlds broadcast was instrumental in highlighting the power that radio had over the public, illustrating that a convergence between media and reality had begun (Carey, 2010).
Television represented the next phase of technological evolution, being a form of radio with pictures. Visual images are processed more quickly than words (Carey, 2010), so this new medium became even more powerful than the previous ones. Media events became more frequent and over time television would increasingly blend reality and media, to the point where today many take what they see on television as reality even when it is not (Carey, 2010).
The Internet began as an extension of the telephone, but has quickly become merged with both television and radio as a multimedia platform. The speed at which information is transmitted is equally fast, the world of the Internet even more real, and the volume of information and the pace at which new information is even greater. This latter point is due to the fact that for the first time since the invention of the telephone, a new media form has emerged wherein the participant is able to create his or her own media experience. The Internet therefore represents a move away from passive media and back towards the active media forms that the telegraph and telephone were. This convergence of multiple data types with multiple degrees of passivity/activity has lent the Internet… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Separation of Transportation and Communication Understanding the Wired World That Emerges After the Telegraph" Assignment:
“This paper is based on a 1hr lectures which is in .mp3, and accompanying power point. Both are available to send for your resource. However it is the power point that you will need. Only primary sources are necessary, which are in the power point. This is the full question:
5. James Carey, one of the pre-eminent historians of 19th century communications, and a featured author in our textbook and week 5 Powerpoint lecture, opens his article with a statement that is now famous in communications scholarship:
*****The simplest and most important point about the telegraph is that it marked the decisive separation of *****˜transportation***** and *****˜communication*****. Until the telegraph these words were synonymous. The telegraph ended that identity and allowed symbols to move independently of geography and faster than transport***** (p. 150).
In a paper with a thesis and an argument, answer the following question:
How is the separation of *****transportation***** and *****communication***** significant to understanding *****the wired world***** that emerges after the telegraph, and which ultimately includes the telephone, wireless telegraphy, radio, television, and the Internet? In other words, what can we possibly learn from the telegraph ***** a technology that is essentially obsolete and invisible in our lives ***** about the larger electronic world of media in which we are so immersed?
Make use of Carey, Fischer, and the lecture material for week 5 in your answer. I also suggest some reflection on the material in the technology section of the week 5 lecture, specifically the work of Virilio and Gitlin on the problem of technology as an agent of cultural acceleration.
Demonstrate your knowledge of relevant key concepts as you do so.
How to Reference "Separation of Transportation and Communication Understanding the Wired World That Emerges After the Telegraph" Research Paper in a Bibliography
“Separation of Transportation and Communication Understanding the Wired World That Emerges After the Telegraph.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2010, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/media-telegraph-marked/91723. Accessed 5 Oct 2024.
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