Digital Media and Information in Society/Discussions/6-Telegraph, Phonograph, Photograph, Telephone

Innovation in Information Technology in the 19th Century: The Telegraph, The Phonograph, The Photograph, and The Telephone

Introduction: The Evolutionary Spectrum

• Recap of history:
  • Orality and its communal nature. Orality
  • Early literacy's rise with the alphabet. History of the Alphabet
  • The transformation brought by printing. History of Printing

19th Century Technologies: A Brief Overview

• Telegraphy:
  • Samuel Morse's invention. Samuel Morse
  • The first transcontinental line. First Transcontinental Telegraph
  • Social and economic implications. Telegraphy Impact
• Photography:
  • The daguerreotype process. Daguerreotype
  • Expansion into journalism. Photojournalism
  • Photography's democratization. History of Photography
• Telephony:
  • Alexander Graham Bell's innovation. Alexander Graham Bell
  • Spread of telephone networks. History of the Telephone
  • Social transformations. Social Aspects of the Telephone
• Phonography:
  • Edison’s phonograph. Phonograph
  • Music distribution and consumption changes:
    • Rise of recording studios. Recording Studio
    • Changes in music sales. Music Industry History
    • Cultural shifts in music appreciation. Music Appreciation
  • Preservation of oral history. Oral History

Late 19th Century Cultural Shifts

• Rise of Urbanization Amplified by Communications:
  • Impact of the Telegraph:
    • Revolutionized long-distance communication, fostering faster urban growth and inter-city connections. Telegraphy
    • Financial districts and stock exchanges thrived due to instant communication, elevating cities as economic hubs.
    • The telegraph network laid the groundwork for future communication infrastructures

• Social Restructuring
  • Role of the Telephone:
    • Transformed personal communication, allowing urban dwellers to maintain broader social networks. Telephone History
    • The rise of telephone exchanges and operators added new urban job roles and influenced city dynamics.
  • Phonograph's Cultural Influence:
    • Changed entertainment landscapes by enabling recorded music and performances. Phonograph
    • Birth of the music industry and the shift from live to recorded entertainment.
  • Cultural Hubs and the Lenses of Technology
    • Impact of Photography:
      • Allowed for the capture and sharing of urban life, influencing societal perceptions and memory. Photography's History
      • Magazines and newspapers incorporated photographs, enhancing storytelling and documentation.
      • Artists and social reformers used photography to highlight urban realities, from high society events to social issues.

Economic Transitions

• Emergence of Consumer Culture:
  • Popularity of novel products. Consumer Culture
  • Shifts in retail and buying habits. Retail
    • Advent of department stores. Department Store
    • Changing dynamics of the marketplace. Marketplace
    • Growth of mail-order businesses. Mail Order
  • Advertising's growth and strategies. History of Advertising
    • Rise of ad agencies. Ad Agency
    • New mediums for advertising: magazines, newspapers, etc. Advertising Medium
    • Influence of branding and brand loyalty. Brand Loyalty

• Branding and Trademarks:
  • Concept and need for branding. Branding
  • Emergence of trademarks. Trademarks
    • Legal implications and battles. Trademark Law
    • The birth of iconic brands in the 19th century. History of Brands
    • Importance in differentiating products. Product Differentiation

• Shifts in Employment and Labor:
  • Move from agrarian to industrial employment. Industrial Revolution
  • Rise of factory work and related conditions. Factory Work
    • Labor movements and their impact. Labor Movement
    • The growth of specialized trades and professions. Trades and Professions
    • Urban migration for job opportunities. Urban Migration

Government as a Balancing Force against Big Business

• Universal Service:
  • Commitment to providing services to all citizens. Universal Service
    • Telecommunication as an essential utility.
    • Vision of the US Mail, and later telephony, for comprehensive service. US Mail

• Public Interest and Common Carrier:
  • The principle that certain businesses serving societal needs must operate fairly. Common Carrier
    • Early instances in medieval royal charters granting exclusive business rights with attached duties for fairness. Royal Charter
    • Evolution into the "common carrier" doctrine in English common law, emphasizing nondiscrimination in essential services.
    • The telegraph and telephony's roles as crucial infrastructures reflecting this principle.

• Anti-Trust:
  • Addressing monopolistic behaviors in the age of industrialization. U.S. Anti-Trust History
    • Government efforts to dismantle monopolies and encourage competitive markets. Sherman Antitrust Act

Cognitive and Perceptual Transformations

• Redefinition of Time and Space:
  • Accelerated pace of communication due to telegraphy. Telegraphy
    • Alteration of traditional notions of distance and time. Time-space Compression
    • Rapid dissemination of news and events, creating a more "immediate" world. History of Telecommunication

• Reality and its Reproductions:
  • Photography's influence on perceptions of reality. Photography
    • Challenging authenticity and originality. Authenticity in Art
    • The phonograph's capture of sound and its implications on memory and experience. Phonograph

• Shifts in Literacy and Learning:
  • Increased accessibility and democratization of information. Democratization of Information
    • Evolution from purely textual to visual information mediums. Visual Literacy
    • Emphasis on rapid information consumption and processing. Information Processing

• Multisensory Engagement and Early Multimedia:
  • The intertwining of auditory and visual experiences. Multimedia
    • Emergence of new forms of entertainment and consumption. Media Consumption
    • Interplay between different sensory experiences redefining cultural engagements. Culture Industry