The ideas and examples referenced below are notes compiled by Robert Keel and Shannon Mayer in their reading of Volti's, Society and Technological Change, 3rd ed., St. Martin's Press, 1995. They are intended for classroom use.
PRINTING
Of all technologies, perhaps none have had the greatest impact as printing
The development of a written language is one of the hallmarks of civilization
Spoken language characteristic of all societies, yet not all have written language
Many cultures that have written language have only developed this recently
often because of the influence of other societies (missionaries, etc.)
A written language is an essential technology
keeping accounts
recording history
transmission of ideas and culture
"Much that red men know, they forget; they have no way to preserve it . White men make what they know fast on paper like catching a wild animal and taming it."
Sequoyah
(Cherokee Indian who developed written language for his tribe)
The Printing Revolution
Effects of written language were minimal when it was understood only by a few people
Before written language, humans developed astonishing memories to record events
Introduction of printing with moveable type — originated in the Orient
4th Cent. A.D. — Chinese copying stone inscriptions with paper rubbings
7th Cent. A.D. — Chinese used carved wood blocks
Printing moved much slower through Europe
1400 — Italy-- playing cards and pictures of saints made from wooden blocks
Johann Gutenberg — developed workable system of printing with separate pieces of type
Printing books required more advanced technology than just printing a single page
More advanced inks and binding methods emerged
Books printed from moveable type were harbingers to the age of mass production
Printing and the Expansion of Knowledge
Printing, in particular, books, did much to transform European society
Allowed for the transmission of ideas
allowed for more accurate map making and navigation
allowed for the advance of science — data could be recorded more accurately
literacy spread
Printing and the Rise of Protestantism
The circulation of books allowed for people to collective challenge the dominant Catholic order
The Protestant Reformation resulted
The printed bible allowed worshipers to seek God’s word directly rather than through the Church
which was the traditional intercessor
"God’s highest and extremest act of grace, whereby the business of the Gospel is driven forward"
Martin Luther on the invention of printing
Catholic Church also used the printed word to transmit its message
but not to the extent of the Protestant Church
Printing, Literacy, and Social Change
Protestants, motivated by biblical reading, became quite literate.
The people, however, most driven to read were the clergy.
Books still very expensive and somewhat rare
A more literate society could begin to ponder new ideas, especially those relating to social change
The relationship between printing and social change is reciprocal
one does not cause the other, but rather, both influence the other
Psychological Effects of Printing
Printing resulted in a greater sense of one’s separateness from the rest of society
reading is a solitary activity
Marshall McLuhan --
Printed books fundamentally altered societies not solely from the ideas transmitted,
but the medium itself altered the way we look at the world. Reading requires us to
think in a sequential manner, just as a sentence is read from left to right.
Newspapers
For centuries, the book was the end product of the printing press
First newspaper appeared in the 17th cent. in Europe
First newspapers — poor type, hard to read, contained more sensational news than actual news
Again, one technology is often driven by the development of other technologies
Steam power...
steam ships and railroads...
transports report to various locations...
news is transmitted back through the use of telegraphs...
Newspapers gain relevance as worthy news becomes available.
Circulation Wars and The Shaping of Public Opinion
Mass production of newspapers made them more affordable
Newspaper Readership increases as cost decreases
Newspapers become important vehicle for shaping public opinion
New York Journal (William Randolph Hearst) favored involvement
in Spanish American War 1898
Newspapers did not cause war, but sensational stories reported did not help avert war
Other factors contributing to the rise of newspaper readers:
"Also, Urbanization and immigration produced large concentrations of population from which a mass readership could be drawn. Finally, a more democratic social order generated an environment in which the ‘common man’ gained in political and economic importance; as the first of the mass media, newspapers were a natural outgrowth of ‘mass society’" (186)