PARALLEL ISSUES: THE TELEGRAPH AND THE INTERNET

Joanna MullallyUniversity of Washington – COM 546April 26, 2011

First Impressions of the Public

Americans greeted both the telegraph and the internet in much the same way; with curiosity, excitement and mistrust. What was your first impression of the web?

*Photo by Ann64, 2007

The Changing Conception of News

Like the telegraph sped up the newsgathering process, the Web sped up the news update process.

*Photo by Clara Jordan, 2009

Corporate Monopoly

Much in the same way that Western Union became the primary gatekeeper of telegraphy, Verizon, AT&T and Comcast acquired a virtual monopoly over internet access.

*Photo by Joanna Mullally, 2011

Government Regulation

Just as there was a call to reform the telegraph system and transfer power to the government, there is a current push for net neutrality and to empower the FCC.

*Photo from the Library of Congress, date unknown

Discussion:What are the social parallels between the telegraph and mobile technology?

• First Impressions of the Public• The Changing Conception of News • Corporate Monopoly• Government Regulation

Which is the greater innovation, the telegraph or the internet? Why?

Content Based On:• Czitrom, D. (1982). Lightning Lines and the birth of modern communications, 1838-1900. MEDIA

and the American Mind (pp. 4-28). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, • Winston, B. (1998). Media Technology and Society (pp. 332-34). London & New York: Routledge • Drawbaugh, K. (April 2011). Republicans say FCC should not regulate Internet. Reuters.

Retrieved on April 25, 2011 from http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/08/congress-internet-idUSN0825411720110408

Photo Credits:• Expressions by Ann64, http://www.flickr.com/photos/amckelvie/535146062/• Metronome 4 by Clara Jordan, http://www.flickr.com/photos/czmj/4160014748/• Monopoly by Joanna Mullally • Congress from the Library of Congress, http://www.loc.gov/library/libarch-digital.html

Creative Commons License: • Attribution, Non-Commercial• Joanna Mullally, University of Washington

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