Chapter 4; Friday, January 29th

1.)Why was the development of the telegraph important in media history? What were some of the disadvantages of telegraph technology?

(response to question #1) 

 The "Telegraph"was invented in the 1840s by Samuel Morse; an American artist who also developed the first practical system,sending electrical impulses from a transmitter through a cable to a reception point; Using what became known as "the morris code". The morris code is a series of dots and dashes that stood for letters in the alphabet. Telegraph operators would transmitted news and messages simply by interrupting the electrical current along a wire cable. By 1844, Morse had set up the first telegraph line between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland. By 1861, telegraph lines ran coast to coast. By 1866, the first transatlantic cable. However, along with the major rise in communication,  the telegraph also had some disadvantages. For instance, while it dispatched complicated language codes. The telegraph was also unable to transmit the human voice. Also, ships that may have been lost at sea had no contact with the rest of the world. Because of this, the naval ships dependent on this telegraph communication system, could not find out that wars had ceased on land and sometimes continued fighting for months. Commercial shipping interests also lacked an efficient way to coordinate and relay information from land and between ships. A new invention was needed, one that was able to send a message without the wires; one capable of transmitting about six words a minute, that would run between Newfoundland and Ireland along the ocean floor.

11.)What is the significance of the Radio Act of 1927 and the Federal Communications Act of 1934?

(response to question #11) 

In order to better restore order to the airwaves, Congress passed the Radio Act of 1927; This act stated as an extremely important principle because the radio stations did not own their channels, but could only license them as long as they operated to serve the “public interest, convenience, or necessity"; to oversee licenses and negotiate channel problems, the 1927 act created the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) whose members were appointed by the president. Although the (FRC) was intended as a temporary committee, it grew into a powerful regulatory agency. In 1934, with passage of the Federal Communications Act of 1934, the FRC became the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Its jurisdiction covered not only radio but also the telephone and the telegraph (and later television, cable, and the Internet). More significantly, by this time Congress and the president had sided with the already-powerful radio networks and acceded to a system of advertising-supported commercial broadcasting as best serving “public interest, convenience or necessity,” overriding the concerns of educational, labor, and citizen broadcasting advocates. 

12.)How did radio adapt to the arrival of television?

(response to question #12) 

A key development in radio’s adaptation to television occurred with the invention of the transistor by Bell Laboratories in 1947. Transistors were small electrical devices that, like vacuum tubes, could receive and amplify radio signals. However, they used less power and heat than vacuum tubes, and they were more durable and less expensive. Transistors, constituted the first step in replacing bulky and delicate tubes, leading eventually to today’s integrated circuits.By the time the broadcast industry launched commercial television in the 1950s, many people, including David Sarnoff of RCA, were predicting radio’s demise. To fund television’s development and protect his radio holdings, Sarnoff had even delayed a dramatic breakthrough in broadcast sound, what he himself called a “revolution”. This revolution was; FM radio. Edwin Armstrong first discovered and developed FM radio in the 1920s and early 1930s; he is often considered the most "prolific and influential" inventor in the history of radio. He understood the impact of De Forest’s vacuum tube, and he used it to invent an amplifying system that enabled radio receivers to pick up distant signals.

Chapter 3; Friday, January 22nd; Sound Recording and Popular Music

3.)How did rock and roll significantly influence two mass media industries?

(response to question #3) 

The rise of Rock & Roll not only introduced amazing musicians to american culture, but it bridges a gap between races. Rock & Roll music was the glue that held together a nation after it had been broken for so long. By influencing producers "at the turn of the twentieth century, with the newfound ability of song publishers to mass-produce sheet music for a growing middle class, popular songs moved from being a novelty to being a major business enterprise. With the emergence of the phonograph, song publishers also discovered that recorded tunes boosted interest in and sales of sheet music. Although the popularity of sheet music would decline rapidly with the introduction of radio in the 1920s, songwriting along Tin Pan Alley played a key role in transforming popular music into a mass medium." Radio and movies began to come onto the scene after the great depression. Rock & Roll began to take its stand in the 50's and influenced the country by bringing hope back to the people. After such a depression the need for entertainment was a must and the people were ready for a change. The integration of r&b and jazz into rock music began to bring about that change. While discussing the rise of Rock & Roll from a cultural and economic standpoint, Rock & Roll single handedly transformed the structure of two mass media industries: sound recording and radio. "Many social, cultural, economic, and political factors leading up to the 1950s contributed to the growth of rock and roll, including black migration, the growth of youth culture, and the beginnings of racial integration." 

7.)Explain the British invasion. What was its impact on the recording industry?

(response to question #7) 

In the early 1960s rock and roll had become calmer and more accepted by the parents of teenagers and young people. This change in style was reflected in the "surf and road" music of the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean while all along, still growing.  Also, rock and roll music and other popular styles went through cultural reformations. These changes impacted the industry greatly. These changes include the international appeal of the “British invasion”; the development of soul and Motown; the political impact of folk-rock; the experimentalism of psychedelic music; the rejection of music’s mainstream by punk, grunge, and alternative rock movements; and the reassertion of black urban style in hip-hop. In 1964, the arrival of The Beatles brought about a great change in the acceptance of Rock & Roll groups. With their classy dress, and impeccable attention to manners and poise The Beatles truly changed the world of Rock & Roll. 

5.)What moral and cultural boundaries were blurred by rock and roll in the 1950s?

(response to question #5) 

Rock And Roll challenged the rules of how musicians behaved, it confused the issue of sexuality and androgynous appearance; This new music blurred both, geographical and racial lines (this includes its nickname; "rockability", combined gospel, delta blues, and hillbilly music). Rock and Roll combined both southern and northern culture and raised questions in the church. In the 1950s, legal integration accompanied a cultural shift, and the music industry’s race and pop charts blurred.White deejay Alan Freed had been playing black music for his young audiences in Cleveland and New York since the early 1950s, and such white performers as Johnnie Ray and Bill Haley had crossed over to the race charts to score R&B hits. Meanwhile, black artists like Chuck Berry were performing country songs, and for a time Ray Charles even played in an otherwise all-white country band. Although continuing the work of breaking down racial borders was one of rock and roll’s most important contributions, it also blurred other long-standing boundaries. Rock and roll exploded old distinctions between high and low culture,masculinity and femininity and the country and the city. 

Chapter 2 Friday, January 21st (The Internet and New Technologies: The Media Converge

2.)How did the Internet originate? What does its development have in common with earlier mass media?

(response to question #2) 

"The Internet originated as a military-government project, with national security as one of its goals." The creation of the internet, "Begun in the late 1960s by the Defense Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA)." It was nicknamed the "Net" and it enabled military and academic researchers to communicate on a distributed network system. The distributed network system was different than the "centralized telephone system of the time, the internet offered two security advantages. First, because multiple paths linked computers to each other, communications “traffic” would be less likely to get clogged at a single point. Second, because the network was distributed across so many paths, it offered a communication system that was more impervious to technical problems, natural disasters, or military attacks than a centralized system."  The development of the internet follows the pattern of any rising mass-media. In 2007, over 1.15 billion people used the internet regularly. The internet has "stuck", if you will, to our culture as it continues to be the leading form of commerce. This form of communication is instant and is the most wide ranging mass-media in history. 

1.)When did the Internet reach the novelty (development), entrepreneurial, and mass medium stages?

(response to question #1) 

The internet first reached the "novelty" stage in 1971; "with the introduction of microprocessors", which "were miniature circuits that could process and store electronic signals." This new invention began "the integration of thousands of transistors and related circuitry into thin strands of silicon along which binary codes traveled." With the use of microprocessors, manufacturers were then able to introduce the very first "personal computers" (PCs). these computers "were smaller, cheaper,and more powerful than the bulky computer systems that occupied entire floors of buildings during the 1960s."  Along with this new invention of personal computers, came "a second opportunity for marketing the "Net" in 1986. The National Science Foundation developed a high-speed communications network(NSFNET) designed to link university research computer centers around the country and also encourage private investment in the "Net"." The (NSFNET) led to the increase in Internet use and continued to open the door to the future commercial possibilities of the Internet.

8.)Who are the major players Trying for control of the Internet?

(response to question #8) 

The major players trying to gain control of the internet are: Yahoo!, Microsoft, AOL, and Google. These companies emerged as the leading forces on the Internet in the 90's, each with a different business angle. Yahoo!’s method has been to make itself an "all-purpose" entry to the internet. Microsoft’s approach began by integrating its Windows software with its Internet Explorer Web browser, making their site and other Microsoft applications appear more user friendly. AOL has managed to connect millions of users to its proprietary Web system through dial-up access. And Google has succeeded in becoming the world's most used search engine. Google has even now, adopted Verizon as a carrier and backed up its newest phone; the "Droid". With the Droid's latest edition style and fast acting internet, Google appears to be taking the internet by storm. 

"In order to stay relevant in the fast-moving era of Web 2.0, these four major Internet companies have transformed themselves by buying promising Internet start-ups and changing their business model in hopes of gaining more leverage over their competitors."  In my opinion, Google is on its way to becoming the king of the internet. Maybe there will never be a rightful owner...

Telecommunications Act of 1996: the sweeping update of telecommunications law that led to a wave of media consolidation.

Response to: "The Sleeper Curve"

In interviewing my mother, I discovered that her interests in television as well as novels are indeed very similar to my own. Her as well as my grandmother enjoy murder mystery novels such as those crafted by Michael Connelly. As far as TV shows, the values that were instilled in her as a youngster with good cop catches criminal are still an interest; Shows such as CSI and, Criminal Minds spark such an interest. These "black and white" type values reflect still in her choice of story. The "grey" area she then described, would lie within the numerous reality series that have become a fixed interest for me over the years. This reference to the black, white and grey coloring is indeed the difference of preference on our generations. I believe that my generation calls for a "grey" simply because we have learned from the "black and white" and grow from the evolution Steven Johnson writes about. While the values of my mothers generation are still present today, my generation installs a "grey" area for change and acceptance. This change can only come with time. While television continues to become more controversial I believe generations after will become more accepting and "todays popular culture..." will indeed make "us smarter"!! 

Friday January 15th (Chapter 1)

1.)Define culture, mass communication, and mass media, and explain their interrelationships. 

(response to question #1) 

While Culture embodies a society's values, the mass media distributes them to the public. Culture (big C) is associated with art; this includes both "high" and "low" culture. Culture (little c) refers to a broad category identifying ways that people live during certain eras; the idea of culture is to symbolize a society's values as a whole. Mass communication is the process of designing and delivering cultural messages to large and diverse audiences through media channels. Mass media are the "channels of communication" that are used to produce and distribute information; this information can be distributed through songs, novels, movies and newspapers. The relationships between these can be found within the definition of mass media. Culture is reflected through mass media and shared with the public through mass communication. 

2.)What are the key technological breakthroughs that accompanied the transition to the print and electronic eras? Why were these changes significant?

(response to question #2) 

The transition from written to print and electronic technology were accompanied by Johannas Gutenburg and his invention of the printing press and movable type writer in the 15th century. This invention brought higher learning to the masses, and encouraged people to strive for higher positions in their communities. His idea introduced a method of mass production, which was later followed by Henry Ford's assembly line and the first great american automobile. The book became the first mass marketed product in history; this product also encouraged the rise of the middle class. Literacy rates began to rise among the working classes and their ideas of individuality and opinion making rose with them. 

7.)What are the chief differences between modern and postmodern values?

(response to question # 7) 

I believe that the main differences between modern and post modern values are the roles of women in the work force. During the second world war while the men were away, the women obtained jobs with positions that would have usually belonged to men. Women began to educate themselves in other areas besides household chores and child baring. The values of America began to change with them. There was then a greater need for women's education and that was made known through the media. Newspapers all over began picking up on the phenomena and the hunger for education and job security of their own rose in women ever since.