The history of the Media
Introduction
The media that we see today has a long and deep history with various events across the world. Generally, the media refers to the print and digital media that broadcasts news to the public and informs the community. The modern or contemporary media that we see has transformed in various ways and technologies to attain the current status. It has taken great innovation, passion, and professionals to create the modern image of media that we experience. In addition to that, technical, social and intellectual transformations have contributed to the historical development and advancement in the media (Andrews, 2016). An essential thing is that the media has maintained its power in the community by influencing the social, economic and political systems through the distribution of truth. The public consumes what is written or presented by the media personalities.
Media first originated from the concept of writing about 2,500 years ago. The history is traced when the major writers included Plato and Socrates who published philosophical teachings which are used up to date. It was the era where philosophers were seeking knowledge and teaching the community. Most of the information was distributed in the written form to readers. In relation to that, Socrates later emerged as one of the most influential people of the time. In a similar way like what we have today, the writings communicated about the issues faced by the society and fought for the rights of the people (Briggs & Burke, 2009). In several occasions, Socrates conflicted with the government and political institutions which accused him of disrupting the social structure of the community through his writings. However, that did not kill his dream of working for the community and the weak. It is also amazing to see how his writings are still relevant up to date.
The media emerged as a way of representing the entire generation of humanity which needed communication on what happens in local and international scenarios. The human beings were in need for a way to unite different nations and tribes through communication in the most effective ways (Horgan, 2001). It was difficult to know what happens in other communities which are far from others. Moreover, the media also developed to occupy the thoughts of the people in the society. Other than the writings, the communication of events in the ancient world was also done through paintings which expressed the ideas of the source even more than the magazines and televisions that are used today. For example, the Paleolithic cave paintings in Lascaux. The biggest difference between the ancient and the modern media is the fact that modern media can reach every part of the world while ancient media was purely limited.
In the nineteenth century, major ideological changes occurred in the history of the media. The printing press was introduced in a way which invented the modern media. That totally destroyed the feudalism and started building the modern world that we witness and experience. The public highly demanded the print press and also created a business opportunity for the major companies (Park & Pooley, 2008). The print press could be read by many people in comparison to the previous forms of writing. In addition to that, it also emerged at a time when most scientific developments were occurring. Moreover, there seemed to be a lot of activities such as chaos and science that the media covered throughout the whole century. For instance, the media reported the theory of evolution by Darwin which triggered mixed reactions from the community through political, moral and spiritual perspectives.
The 19th century also saw the development and use of the term “media”. Moreover, the age also involved a lot of activities that sought to create an understanding of the media and its impacts in the community. That motivated the development of more media companies in the print press that reported events in the community such as the world wars among other events. Most importantly, the community realized that the media served an essential role in the community (Horgan, 2001). Moreover, journalists also learned that the society is dependent on them. That led to the growth of competition in the industry as journalists continued to perfect their reporting skills. Furthermore, a lot of people in the society had knowledge about reading and writing. In other words, the development and success of the media in the 1800s was due to the developments literary among the members. Therefore, it was easier to distribute and sell printed information.
The Gutenberg Press
The Gutenberg Press was first reported in 1436 where a machine was designed. The equipment had the capability to print pages at an incredible speed. The Gutenberg Press established itself with the first printing of the famous 42 line Bible for a church. Within ten years, the company was established as one of the best discoveries and inventions that contributed a lot in the press and mass media. The printing machine or press was created around a traditional screw press that could cast symbols and letters in an arranged way to attain the desired arrangement. It used the block printing method to arrange letters into text and meaningful information that could be distributed to the readers (Briggs & Burke, 2009). In addition to that, Gutenberg was also central to the invention of the unique oil-based ink which was capable of producing text and replicating papers quickly for distribution to large audiences who followed the press.
That marked the onset of a printing revolution where knowledge was developed based on the concept used in the Gutenberg Press. The development and popularity of the Gutenberg Press led to the development of the interest from politicians, philosophers, religious leaders, and scientists to replicate their ideas and attain massive communication. Public figures took advantage of the invention to communicate to more people in the region. The development was totally based on the technical development of the Gutenberg Press which was new and unique (Fourie, 2008). During the times, the ability of the press was amazing. The machine was not only capable of producing written text but also pictures. It was the best technology of the time in Europe.
In 1640, the development of the modern era newspapers began with the London Gazette being the first commercial newspaper to make history (Andrews, 2016). That was an advancement of the development of the Gutenberg Press concept that had fascinated many people. In this period, journalists could report printed information and distribute to the readers to make sales. The concept of newspapers has faced various transformations to the modern stage which incorporates the print media and the internet. Based on the first concept of the Gutenberg Press technology, the mass media has seen improvements in ways that improve communication.
The next major invention occurred in 1877 where Thomas Edison invented the Phonograph home audio. The invention was new and unique. It brought a concept where recorded voice could be stored, retrieved and transmitted. The machine had two needles: one for recording and the other for playing the audio. When the inventor spoke to the mouthpiece needle, the playback was transmitted to the cylinder where his voice could be heard. However, it is worth notable that the main purpose of the intention was to help blind people who had the ability to hear dictations in learning (Park & Pooley, 2008). Later, the concept was used to develop audio records in journalism as well as the telephone system for communication. Moreover, the phonograph was also used in the World War 1 to cheer soldiers through recorded music. Photographs
The next invention and development in the media was boosted in 1892 when Kodak launched the first camera. The camera was able to not only take photos but also print images which clearly illustrated the subjected object. The invention was a major boost to journalism and the sale of newspapers where the images were printed alongside explanations of the text (Horgan, 2001). Kodak developed the first photograph camera with the aim of promoting their business which lasted for decades before the emergence of the digital cameras. However, journalist took advantage of the invention to cover issues in what appeared to be the best photographs of the time. The mass media had the privilege to take pictures and print them in the print press which was gaining popularity.
Radio
Still in the development of the media, 1894 marked a major improvement through the invention of the radio. This was based on the previous invention of the audio recorder in the past years. The invention of the radio-enhanced the effectiveness of journalism and media by bringing the concept of paperless transmission of information. The technology was received with joy by relieving the community from buying newspapers and magazines on a daily basis. However, the radio invention was very expensive to the target consumers. There were very few radios in the 19th century (Horgan, 2001). In relation to that, the later improvements of the original concept led to the popularity and increment of radios among the members of the community. In addition to that, the distance of transmission of voice through the radio also improved with time. It later became an essential method of communication and journalism. The radio was successful in the mass communication and facilitation of real-time information to the listeners.
Movie theatres
The first public movie theater was first developed in 1896. It involved a film which lasted 12 minutes. It was the first video transmission that proved that the invention of video recording, storing and transmission of video playback was successful. The video started a series of the development of movies and art. Later on, the next development was shown in 1903 which involved a great improvement of the first concept (Horgan, 2001). People could now view drama and art through a screen instead of attending live shows. The business people who owned the movie theaters used media to advertise and communicate the date of shows in the society through the radio and posters.
The invention of the movie theaters and screens enhanced the development of the concept of television broadcasting. That was mainly linked to the live television actions in black and white graphics which attracted many followers. Although it started as drama and art in the movie industry, journalists used creativity to start presenting news to the viewers technically. In other words, the news was not only transmitted in voice but also black and white video presentation. The few people who were privileged to afford a television set enjoyed the live television coverage (Andrews, 2016). However, the television live news broadcasting has been subject to many innovations to the best quality of news presentation seen today. In addition to that, the technology has been enhanced into professional journalism that is taught in colleges. Although it started as a simple concept, to be a news anchor needs several qualities which most media houses take the most qualified.
In the contemporary society, the television broadcasting has been a major element of communication, entertainment, sports, and business among other issues. In the beginning, live television broadcasting was for drama and news presentation only. However, throughout history, many elements are being covered such as sports and business news. It also increases the geographical distance of transmission of signals to global. Moreover, the internet is also a major boost to journalism in both written, audio and video (Andrews, 2016). In the contemporary society, live television broadcasting can be streamed live through the internet or through Netflix. That shows how the first concept can be developed technologically to amount to better quality and coverage.
Computers
Computers were first developed in 1964. The first aim was to enhance the development of the print media which was more popular. It is important to note that despite being available at the times, the television and radio broadcasting were very expensive to be used by all people in the community. Therefore, the computers enhanced the efficiency of printing news by clearly having to view the text on the screen. Journalists took advantage of the computers to enhance the appearance of the newspapers and other print press products. It is worth notable that although the computers were also used for business activities, the users also managed to type better and presentable text for the readers (Andrews, 2016). In addition to that, the computers were also used to produce better-printed posters and other documents for official and public use.
Video Players and cassettes
The cassettes and video players entered the market in 1971 after Sony made the first device. That was a great boost in the media where people could buy and watch movies among other videos at home. However, that was available for the high social class in the community as the one video player manufactured by Sony cost $1400 (Briggs & Burke, 2009)The innovation came at an expense where only the elites could access and use the devices. It is worth notable that the video tapes and cassettes were played in black and white graphics through the television. The technology was later subject to improvements which amount to the CD players that are used in the contemporary world.
Walkman
The next invention focused on the portable media where the Walkman was invented in 1979. The Walkman was manufactured and sold by Sony with the aim of enhancing the musical attraction among people. Instead of listening to music on at home only, the Walkman increased the flexibility where access to media was not limited to location. In addition to that, journalism was boosted by the emergence of the Walkman through transmission of news in different places. It was referred to as the Walkman because an individual could listen to audio playback while walking around (Park & Pooley, 2008). For journalists, the Walkman ensured that audio recorded news was distributed to listeners. It ensured that the listeners could receive audio messages while walking around instead of listening or watching the news in a fixed location.
CD players
The CD players emerged in a period around the 1980s where the CD player and CD-ROM were manufactured. The technology lasted for decades and is still available to the present day. They are mostly used to retrieve video and audio records such as music, movies, and even news. However, there is a threat of the internet through the YouTube and Netflix (Andrews, 2016). The technological innovation has contributed to effectiveness in the notion of accessing movies. It involves streaming live instead of buying CDs. The internet has led to the efficiency of the media.
Digital Cameras
The digital cameras came to disrupt the dominance of the Kodak films in the media industry. That enhanced the quality of photographs and videos recorded on personal of journalism issues. The cameras have also been used in the technological evolution of mobile phones that can access the social media. It is worth notable that the social media has enhanced the effective of the electronic and print media through the internet (Briggs & Burke, 2009). Journalists can not only take and post pictures but also accompany the posts with text through computers and the smartphones.
Conclusion
The history of media has taken decades with different approaches and inventions. Various technologies in the print and electronic media have been developed to the modern media that we experience. It started with the print media, newspapers, magazines, radio, CD players and the digital cameras. The internet has brought breakthrough by increasing the efficiency and availability of both the print media and even television and radio. Powerful personalities have contributed to the innovation and advancement of the media.
References
Andrews, M. (2016). Tropes and Trench Cakes: The Home Front in the Media and Community History. Twentieth Century British History, 506-512.
Briggs, A., & Burke, P. (2009). A Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet. Cambirdge: Polity Press.
Fourie, P. J. (2008). Media Studies: Media History, Media and Society. Cape Town: Juta & Co.
Horgan, J. (2001). Irish Media: A Critical History Since 1922. London: Routledge.
Park, D. W., & Pooley, J. (2008). The History of Media and Communication Research: Contested Memories. New York: Peter Lang Publishing Inc.