The telegraph, or the Victorian internet as Tom Standage refers to it, helped pave the way for instant communication as we know it today. Both the 19th century invention of the telegraph and the 20th century discovery of the internet had tremendous effects on the societies around them. Though separated by 100 years, both of these technological devices proved to be similar in terms of the communities each impacted and helped build, the speed with which they allowed instant communication to take place, and also through their usage of the English language in order to deliver their messages.
According to Tom Standage, there is “no invention [that] has extended its influence as fast as the electric telegraph,” (1998a, p. 105). This is supplemented
…show more content…
This speed is most clearly shown in the use of email. Bolter and Grusin argue that the internet remediated the telegraph and that the internet “rel[ied] on speed of communication as the only advantage in its remediation,” (2000, p.298). In terms of speed, the internet did no more for society than the telegraph did. Both link communities in a way so that the “perception of space and time become a matter of immediacy,” (Hellemans, 2008, p. 132), meaning that you could instantly relay information to someone with no regard to time. It’s argued that electronic mail, made possible thanks to the internet, was the most popular way that the internet was even used (Bolter & Grusin, 2000, p. 298). Ducheneaut argues that “e-mail also has the potential to transform communication networks by offering anyone the capacity to communicate with everyone,” (2002, p.159). He delves into this by explaining the use of email in organizational structures. Email allows an easier way of members of management to communicate with their employees which means that because there is a way to always communicate with each other, business will always continue, regardless of what time it is. This can be shown as well through our University system where we are all required to create a @ucalgary.ca email account in order to facilitate communication between students and …show more content…
Twitter could be seen as an online and modern telegraph. The reason for that claim is because in order to send a tweet, the message must be less than 140 characters. Just like the telegraphic messages, a tweet cannot be too long and a tweet is not bound by space or time. Abbate argues that the “internet as a medium of instantaneous communication, might overcome geographic distance, but cannot simply erase political or social differences,” (1999, p. 294). The telegraph was limited to usage by the wealthy, an example of the social differences due to class which existed at the time, it can also be said that the internet and by and by, twitter facilitate or create political differences. Selin Gerit, a journalist, was live tweeting on debates taking place in Istanbul. The Mayor of Turkey's capital, Melih Gökçek was not pleased by the things that she was writing and so he created a hashtag, which is a word or phrase preceded by the '#' symbol, so that his followers could rally behind him and expose her for, as they termed it, being “a British spy,” (Genc, 2014, p.108). This shows how the political differences in Turkey has led to politicians wishing to keep their images and reputations pristine and therefore being against free speech and individuals who speak out against them or their methods of control. The power of
In a world that has been overtaken by technological innovations, it is no surprise that the conventional way of communicating has suddenly become outdated and rejected. With the speed of light, a lot can easily get done; many people across the globe now conveniently interact with one another through instant messaging, text messaging, email, and other faster means of communication. Nonetheless, there are people who still reckon with the hoary method of communicating. In her essay “In Praise of a Snail’s Pace”, Ellen Goodman, the author, depicts a picture of a system that has derailed from the old and decent way of doing things into a “world of hyperactive technology” (52). This transition has captivated the majority of people into neglecting the slow but graceful way of living in general. Goodman explains the negative impact which technology, especially the internet, is having on communications, families, businesses, relationships, and the society at large. She calls it “continual partial attention” (52). The author’s rhetorical is not about doing things at the pace of a snail; rather it is about doing certain things at the right pace while paying proper attention to detail. The author convincingly
In fact, the advent of the internet is one of the greatest inventions of the twenty-first century. Ellen Goodman’s “In praise of Snail’s Pace” is a well-written rhetoric that exposes the decadence of over indulgence in technology. Goodman is not totally against technology, instead she makes the claim that the world just need to slow down from hurrying; there are some things that are just natural and trying to use speed to accomplish such things only destroys the purpose which they are meant for. Goodman states, “There are rituals you cannot speed up without destroying them” (52). In all, the article is convincing and well composed, although it could have been better if she had added more statistics to represent her logical standpoint. Goodman’s choice of words- “fast in contrast to slow”, organization structure and simplicity of ideas, prove to be excellent. Also, her effective use of imagery, figurative expression, and logic give the argument the propensity to be accepted by
The Victorian Internet is a book reflects the story of telegraph invention which opened the doors for many technological communications inventions, such as the telephone and consequently the internet. Tom Standage the author who wrote this book born in 1969.He graduated from Oxford University then he persuaded a career as journalist and author (Word Press). Standage wrote the first copy of the Victorian Internet in 1998, which is only few years after the internet invention. The author’s title “the Victorian-era telegraph” was impartial, because he described events happened in the Victorian-era with any exaggeration or degradation, although he was biased in his text towards the telegraph invention. The author in his book described two main reasons
The way that the author forms his article is by first giving a rather exhaustive history of the telegraph, and reviews the impact that it had when it became a major form of fast communication. He then goes over some factors that are essential to understanding the evolution of society. One, that technology is of the nature of a "joint stock of knowledge for humankind"; two, the role institutions and organizations (like the government) play in the development of the technology; three, a so-called ceremonial encapsulation and path dependency; and four, the unpredictability of technological change and it’s impact on society.
The most important thing when interacting with other human beings is being able to communicate one another. People’s first mechanical way of communicating was with the invention of the telegraph, which was at first run by gas. It wasn’t until 1836, when Samuel F.B Morse, Alfred Vail, and Joseph Henry invented Morse code that our civilization had would be able to electronically communicate. Soon after, the first telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell which allowed people to vocally converse electronically from miles away. The invention of the telephone was then modified and eventually converted into a mobile cellular phone by Martin Cooper in...
Consider for example, the radio and television. The radio and television (before the advent of the internet) were monumental in their effects on transmitting culture, products, and ideas accross vast distances of the United States. Suddenly American’s could relate to the horrors of war overseas, as well as they could learn of each other’s culture, or product. Of course, this was not the same as being able to transport them there, though newer, better, faster forms of mass transit would be developed to help facilitate just this. But all of these developments pale in comparison to almost a half-century later, with the rise of the internet, and with the increasing array uses for it, in the modern day. +++====
This is because the effects of the medium on a personal and social scale as the extension of us can result from a new scale that is introduced into our lives by the extension of ourselves and by any kind of new technology (McLuhan, 1964, p. 7). In this case, the medium could be twitter. Created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams, twitter has proven to be the largest source of breaking news and social networking site. Since its beginnings, twitter is the medium
A major milestone in the history of telecommunications was the invention of the electric telegraph. It was the beginning of communication via wire. The computer industry is typically thought of as new, but the essential technology of computer networks was developed when Americans were migrating westward. The Magnetic Telephone Company, as well as dozens of other high tech companies of the nineteenth century, followed the railways with miles and miles of telegraph lines. (Derfler & Freed, 2003).
When the internet was invented, it was a great way of communication in order to keep famili...
From the start of the human history, information traveled as fast as a ship could sail, or a horse could run, or a person could walk. It gradually began to change. At the invention of telegraph, information could be sent quicker. So communication was anticipated, it was more of a waiting period to reach to the second person. Then the second person received the letter or telegraph, sent the answer back, which was very time-consuming. Nevertheless, communication between people face-to-face was fundamental. It was as necessary as breathing, therefore back in the days, there were a lot of gatherings, and it was characterized by simplicity, friendliness, and socialness. But the technology completely changed the daily lives of ordinary people. Now days, people are more immediate.
Communication in today’s world is an extremely important part of our everyday life. Not to mention the multiple forms of communication there now are; emails, texting, phone calls, letters, the list could go on. However, it all had to start somewhere. From cave paintings to copper plate scrolls to the printing press and the telegraph, the evolution of communication is nonstop and will continue in this direction. Developed in the 1830’s and 1840’s by Samuel Morse and other inventors, the telegraph revolutionized long-distance communication.
Communication is important in life. Companies need to communicate with other companies and customers. The managers also need to communicate with the staff. The technology provides us with many means of communication, the most important of which is e-mail.
The internet has influenced, and is still influencing the way society communicates in many different ways. The rise of the internet has caused people to communicate differently in areas never dreamed of before the internet came into existence. Education has been revolutionized through the world of the “Information Super Highway”. Medicine has also seen reform as the internet improves research and communication. Individuals are starting businesses from scratch, while others are selling household items for extra cash. This internet “typhoon” sweeping the globe has become a way of life for many individuals all across the globe.
Media and technology have an ever increasing role in how we as humans communicate with one another as well as help impact our culture. The printed word, once able to be mass produced helped usher in an era where where people could seek the education and reading skills they desired, brought print and knowledge to the masses. Now with the more common use of digital communication and media outlets, our options for information and communication are almost entirely unimpeded. Technology allows us to live through multiple Renaissance type periods filled with ever growing pools of information from which to share, and culture changing happenings coming from every corner of our connected world.
The first area where technology and society relates most is communication. People in a society must pass information from one person to another to maintain order. Traditionally, information dissemination was done using inefficient methods such as the messengers and would take long time before it reached to the intended recipient depending on the distance. Technological advancement that resulted in introduction of more efficient means of communication such as mobile phones and computers led to contextualization of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT). This had a direct impact on the society as now information could be disseminated amongst a larger group and in the contemporary wo...