The Victorian Internet: A World Wired Together

The author’s study of the Internet’s genesis makes systematic links between the technological development and its organizational, social, and cultural environment. There are many available histories on the Internet, in print and online. Most are well-documented information on technology and its history. Some mention the fundamental concepts of communication, information, and knowledge. Abbate's work, however, goes beyond ordinary facts and her findings are most revealing.

Following years of reconstruction, the U.S. entered a new age. For this new age, Mark

Never has a communications system played so many roles in our lives--or exerted such broad influence over our thoughts--as the Internet does today.

In the 1800s information would take weeks if not months to be sent and delivered in order  to gain small to vital bits of information. In those times obtaining or sending information was tedious and slow, using methods like a letter, pigeons, or messengers. These tactics were unsafe and not secure for vital governmental information. Samuel Morse a graduate of Yale University is credited with the invention of Morse code (a code invented by him and named after him) and the invention of the

The question asked by Louis Watts, “What other era can you think of in which people can reach out so easily to so many others with just the touch of a few buttons?” is what I will be writing about. When I think of this question, the invention of the telegraph in the 19th century by Samuel Morse came to mind and the importance of how it changed our ways of communicating long distance. My position on this topic will be how important the invention of the telegraph was in communicating across the world. It not only opened doors on communication but it also allowed people to wire money. This invention was a huge turning point for businesses. I will be using the argumentative element of argument for my paper. Using GALILEO’s academic journals and

Today, when almost everyone carries a smartphone, information about everything is instantly right at our fingertips. In today’s society that may seem like a significant advantage over the past, however, in Neil Postman’s book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, he presents a different view. Written some twenty years before widespread use of the internet, Postman builds a case for the liabilities of the endless amounts of information. In the fifth chapter, “The Peek-A-Boo World.” He explores the impact on the public discourse of two mid-nineteenth century inventions, the telegraph, and the photograph. The author views the telegraph changed the public discourse by making information and news irrelevant, impotent and incoherent.

Samuel Morse designed the Telegraph in 1835, which was used as a means of communication from Washington DC to Baltimore and later to Maryland. The telegraph was a breakthrough in the communication, and this contributed to economic growth because it transformed the long distance communication. With the introduction of the telegraph, communication was made easy as the traders and the settlers could communicate with other people across the continent. Apart from the Telegraph, the US postal service was used, which enhanced how information was shared among people thus strengthening the growth of the US economy. Moreover, the improvement of communication systems helped in information dispersal in the field of transport and agriculture (Lindert & Williamson, 2016). In addition, farmers moved into large markets where they could exchange their products with manufacturers thus expanding their trade, and advancing the American economy. Therefore, the changes in the communication systems with the use of the telegraph and postal services improved trade throughout the country thus improving the

Imagine a society without instantaneous telecommunication. This is hard to comprehend in a society used to computers, tablets, and smartphones with their ability to enable rapid communication through text messages and emails. Yet, this was the case before Samuel Morse invented the telegraph, along with Morse code. Although it may not be obvious, the telegraph had a major impact on history. By being the first electronic communicator, it paved the path for new technological advances, changed business, politics, and war procedures, and united the nation. Samuel F. B Morse’s invention of the telegraph had a huge impact on society and made America better.

In Where Wizards Stay up Late, the Origins of the Internet, Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon explore the beginnings of the Internet. The authors show us how it was a computer-engineering firm that produced the original prototypes for "Arpanet," and how several very intelligent men made the Internet possible. The book is excellent in that it brings to the limelight many important people that played an important role in devising the Internet. In other words, therefore, this book is a history as well as a work of drama. It tells a very intriguing story of how the computer technology for the Internet was devised. In many respects, it is very much a "behind-the-scenes" kind of documentary.

When analyzing these articles, one must first consider the dates of publication. In relation to the present, Postman was writing pre-internet and Chaffee and Metzger were worried about what high-speed would do to dial-up. Both articles had keen insight into the future, but failed to anticipate the birth and widespread nature of smartphones and artificial intelligence technologies. Their criticisms might address deindividuation, the digital divide, or tailored information based on Big Data rather than entertainment versus enlightenment. The setting of

The 20th century has witnessed dramatic developments in the history of media communications as well as human society. During the first half of the last century, electronic media such as the telegraph, radio and television to name a few were invented and became prevalent. Afterwards, the internet came into being and developed at an unprecedented rate to the point where it is now widely accepted that human history has entered into an information age. As claimed by a number of scholars, the appearance of new types of media can bring about dramatic influences on living conditions. Among them, Harold Innis, pioneer in this area of communication studies, is influential, firstly by employing two dimensions to media, namely time and space, and

Smith (2001) compared the influential power of the telegraph and more modern inventions, stating that “The same phenomena is easily seen in the relatively recent proliferation of computers and electronic communication technology” (p. 279).

The telegraph was the first major advancement in communication technology. In 1838, Samuel Morse perfected and demonstrated the first telegraph machine. His machine used Morse code to send electronic currents along a wire, allowing the first high speed long distance communications. By the 1850s, the telegraph was widespread. In 1861, Western Union installed the first trans-continental line and by 1866, the first trans-Atlantic line was completed. At this time, telegraphs were all keyed by hand and transcribed from Morse code to English by ear. Fredrick Creed invented a way to convert Morse code into text in what became known as the Creed Telegraph System. That was in 1900, and by 1914, these automatic transmissions handled twice what a

Castells, M., 2000. The Rise of the Network Society - The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture Vol. I. Cambridge, MA; Oxford, UK: Blackwell.

The fact that during the beginning of this century many developments occurred both with the internet and with telephony must be considered. The major developments were the availability of the internet on small machines like the mobile, PDA and