What were the major developments in the evolution of mass media during the 20th century?
In the 15th century oral traditions passed on by poets, teachers, and tribal storytellers. It was not until the alphabet and written words were developed that the era of the written culture began. This brought on he era of printing where publications of books made their way onto the market. Thus brought us the first ...view middle of the document...
It made four key contributions to communication. Firstly, the telegraph along with the mass-marketed newspapers is what transformed “information into a commodity, a ‘thing’ that could be bought or sold irrespective of its uses or meaning.” Secondly, the telegraph allowed messages to be sent instantly by using dash dot electronic signals. Thirdly, the telegraph was a main source of communication for the military, business, and political leaders to coordinate commercial and military operations. Finally, the telegraph led to the radio, the fax machine, and cell phone. This eventually led to the ironic demise of the telegraph in 2006 when Western Union sent out their last telegraph message. The electronic boom really hit us in the 1950’s and 1960’s when we had he arrival of television; this had a huge impact on everyday life. At the end of the century, following the development of television came personal computers, cable television, DVD’s, DVR’s, direct broadcast satellites, cell phones, smart phones, PDA’s, and email.
