Media & Society: 02

A History of Mass Media through Technology

This session will be a very quick look at the history of the mass media; I choose to do this by looking at the developments in technology and how each of the main ‘traditional’ mass media types has contributed to the way the mass media works today and has shaped our expectations of it.

Tasks

Prepare for class by reading the Thussu chapter (below).

Slides

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Reading

Thussu, D. K. (2000). International Communication: Continuity and Change. Arnold, London.

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Other material

NASA JPL podcast from 2 Oct 2007 on Sputnik

Highly scientific “Morse Code v SMS” race

CNET Article and video on the net’s undersea cables