Comparing The Television and The Printing Press

577 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Technological advancements and its impact on society

Comparing The Television and The Printing Press

The television and the printing press are two very essential and widely used media products. In order to determine which one could be named the superior of the two I have researched and studied both topics extensively .In this essay I will explain why I have come to the conclusion that the printing press is more influential, vital, and educational to society than the television.

How can a five hundred-year-old printer be influential? I can answer this question in one word, literacy. What do literacy and influence have in common? The printed material produced by Johannes Gutenberg sparked a curiosity that actually motivated people to be educated. The availability of printed material was very low. Reproduction of words and

(The first important book made in the west with moveable type, the forty-two lined bible, the most influential book in the world) images had been so expensive and time consuming to create that only a minute percent of the population could even get their hands on it, let alone understand it. By bringing together the basic concepts of printing, Gutenberg started a world revolution. With moveable type that could be reused and a press for impressions that could be used a plethora of times, the printing press made it possible for publications and reading material to be more abundant and quickly produced. So, the effects of Gutenberg's cause are the spread of ideas and news and information, which shaped the world's thinking. The influential outcome of the printing press is the words and images it produces. They influence our thoughts, actions and our lives.

The reason I believe the printing press is vital to our society is the simple fact that we use it so much. ...

... middle of paper ...

... products are more affordable, easily distributed and copied for the convenience of all people, not just those who can afford television sets and cable, and homes to put them in, but everyone. The bible and school textbooks are used and read everyday millions of times by millions of people, you can't do that with a television. John F. Kennedy called television "a vast wasteland". I can't help but think that he would he would grin and agree with my opinion stated in this essay.

Bibliography:

Bibliography

1. Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia Deluxe. 1994-1997

2. The Encyclopedia Americana, International Edition volume 22 .1996

3. World Book Encyclopedia volume 15. 1993

4. A Short History of the Printed Word by Warren Chappell. 1980

5. The Book Before Printing by David Diringer. 1983

6. Books: From Writer to Reader by Howard Greenfeld. 1978

Show More
Related

  • The Short-Term Consequences Of Gutenberg's Printing Press

    989 Words  | 2 Pages

    Books today are everywhere. We find them in many households, libraries and schools all around the globe. We find many different types of books; from stories to educational textbooks, we regard them today as sources of knowledge and amusement. But it wasn’t the case before 1455. That year, one of the greatest inventions in human history was revealed to the world; Gutenberg’s printing press. This press allowed printing in massive quantity, spreading books all around Europe and the rest of the world at a fast rate. The printing press had many positive consequences on society. At first, it standardized grammar and spelling, and then introduced the mass production of books. It finally inspired future printing technologies around the world.

    Read More

  • What Was The Most Important Consequence of the Printing Press?

    584 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin, Johannes Gutenberg was born 1395, in Mainz, Germany. He started experimenting with printing by 1438. He obtained backing in 1450 from the financier Johann Fust, whose impatience and other factors led to Gutenberg's loss of his establishment to Fust in 1455. Gutenberg's masterpiece, and the first book ever printed from movable type, is the “Forty-Two-Line” Bible, completed no later than 1455" (http://www.biography.com)". The first most important consequence of the printing press is that it chang...

    Read More

  • Printing Press Dbq

    662 Words  | 2 Pages

    (Hook) Throughout the history of man, there has been numerous achievements in human communication that have changed lives greatly. (Bridge) One of the milestones in communication was the printing press. (Background Info) In 1450, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in Germany. By 1600, more than 200 million books had come off the presses. Therefore, an average person living in Europe at the time could own a book, such as a copy of the Bible. As the number of books being produced increased, the literacy rate increased as well. As a result, people started to read and explore topics such as science, religion, and geography. The printing press led to a major price drop in books, more knowledge learned, and many significant events in history, such as the Age of Exploration and the Reformation. (Thesis) I believe that the most crucial consequence of the printing press was the Age of Exploration.

    Read More

  • Printing Press Dbq Essay

    731 Words  | 2 Pages

    The printing press was, arguably, the most impactful invention in history. Created by Johannes Gutenberg, the printing press are sets of metal letters set in a frame that could be inked, papered and pressed. The printing press affected the fast and wide spread of new ideas changing everyday life. The Protestant Reformation was a movement that changed people’s mind about Catholic belief and created new sects of Christianity. The Exploration Era led to many discoveries of the Americas and opened up the curiosity of many. Both of these historical events were important consequences of the printing press. The Exploration Era was the more important consequence of the printing press than the Protestant Reformation.

    Read More

  • Why Is Gun Violence Important

    568 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first printing press was created to make books (Mostly bibles in the day) cheaper and more accessible. At this time only nobles and scribes new how to read and write. In result of this press, written pieces became commonplace making the common people needing to know how to read and write. This literacy spread and spread as the printing press became more common and caused the majority of the world’s people to be as literate as it is today which helped to revolutionize the work

    Read More

  • Postwar America: The Golden Age of Television

    1253 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ay, it has not stopped television from being one of the most successful mediums for the dissemination of information.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Factors That Changed The Period Of 1450-1700

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    The printing press allowed anything to be spread throughout the world with relative ease, and for cheap. Prior to the 1436 invention by Johannes Gutenberg, books were written BY HAND, by the priests and scholars of the time which meant knowledge was limited, and the spreading of news would take much longer. Without the printing press Martin Luther would never had been able to spread his ideals throughout the world. The printing press made it easier for males, and sometimes women to get educated, this still did

    Read More

  • Consequences of the Printing Press on Exploration and Reformation

    628 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ever wanted to find out what consequences the printing press had on exploration and reformation? Well, you can find out right here. To start off with, the printing press was invented in the 1450’s by Johannes Gutenberg. The idea was not new because in 600 CE the Chinese introduced woodblock printing. They even did a little experimenting with movable wooden blocks but with 50,000 characters it was impossible to carve. One of the reasons Gutenberg was so successful was that the alphabet at the time was much less than 50,000, which was much more realistic when carving. In about 1455 Gutenberg had about 180 bibles that were over 1800 pages long printed, by the year 1500 more than 20 million books had been printed, and by 1600 over 200 million books were in existence. The big question is though, which was the more important consequence of the printing press the reformation or exploration? Reformation was an important consequence of the printing press. However, an even more important consequence was exploration.

    Read More

  • Advantages And Disadvantages Of Watching Too Much Tv

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before television existed people had to depend on Radio stations to receive their little bit of entertainment and news. But in 1878, the invention of TV began. The first TV made didn’t look anything like the way TV’s look today. It was a mechanical camera with a large spinning disc attached to it (Kids Work). But as over the years, of course, inventions of different TV’s progressed and by the 20th century about 90 percent of our population had a TV in their household (MGHR). Television today is mainly used for people take a break from their life by relaxing and enjoying some entertainment.

    Read More

  • Johannes Gutenberg's Invention Of The Printing Press

    830 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press enabled the mass production of newspapers and books throughout Europe. The “print media played a key role in the acquisition and development of skills that were valuable to merchants” (Dittmar, 1137). The printing press helped individuals obtain knowledge. Trade played a huge role in the spread of printing culture. “Transport costs in early modern Europe were sufficiently high that print media often spread through reprinting rather than intercity trade” (Dittmar, 1140). Through the printing press, it was cheaper to reprint which helped improve the

    Read More

  • William Caxton: Printing Process And Standardization In The 21st Century

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    PRINTING PRESS AND STANDARDISATION In 1476, William Caxton introduced England to the printing press. This significant introduction to one of the world’s greatest technological innovations, at the time, helped to increase the spread of literacy and knowledge amongst the British people as the mass production of books became cheaper and more commonly available. According to Mastin (2011), the first book ever printed, although Caxton’s own interpretation was ‘The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye’ in 1473. Furthermore, Mastin (2011) states that in the following 150 years after the introduction of printing, up to 20000 books were printed.

    Read More

  • Technology And Its Effects On Society

    1843 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... Gutenberg revolution and its relevance to the current mode of electronic publishing is relevant only if there are certain pre-existing conditions in the society. In conclusion one would like to point out that electronic publishing would only shape the course of history and contribute to the understanding and change of one’s environment if these publications are not mere clones of the available hard copies. The medium’s independent existence as way of providing information is the only way real change can be brought about.

    Read More

  • The Effects of Violence in Children Cartoons

    2392 Words  | 5 Pages

    Television is everywhere these days, not just in our living rooms but in bathrooms, kitchens, doctor's offices, grocery stores, airplanes, and classrooms. We have access to TV virtually anywhere and as American's we are taking advantaged of it. Adults aren't the only ones watching TV; children today are watching more TV than ever before. TV has even become known as "America's baby-sitter." (Krieg). Meaning that parents are now using the television as a way of entertaining their children while they attempt to accomplish other things such as cooking and cleaning.

    Read More

  • Reasons to Why Print Media is on The Decline

    1464 Words  | 3 Pages

    Why is this topic of interest important? It has been suggested and viewed that print media is on the decline while digital media is on the rise - which leads to a possible assumption that digital media is a better medium and print may eventually be replaced someday. To address these conflicting views, the aid of relevant sources will help us find out the reasons why print media is on the decline and digital media on the rise, the advantages of print media as compared to digital media and the demographic differences between users of print and digital media respectively. All these questions will be answered in the following literature review.

    Read More

  • Johann Gutenberg and the Printing Press

    1067 Words  | 3 Pages

    Johannes Gutenberg is an inventor born in Mainz and created the printing press. The printing press was the invention of moveable metal type paper and was able to print books, newspapers, bibles and much more. It was the start of something new and evolved throughout the entire world. Gutenberg’s creation was known to be the most significant invention in history. It is the most prompted creation that people could ever ask for and for many extraordinary reasons. The reason why the printing press was so useful than just any other invention is because it spread everywhere. It was the most useful achievement in history because without it today, where would we be? How could you or any of us be writing or, typing? Where and how would our relgion expand to or how would we express our thoughts and opinions? The printing press helped us achieve these monumental experiments and helped us develop together as a whole new generation. The news about the printing press created more and more competition with businesses and soon became the talk of every business. The printing press created future chances for bigger and more power inventions to advance. The prin...

    Read More

More about Comparing The Television and The Printing Press

Open Document