Telegraph
The first telegraph system was invented by
Claude Chappe. His telegraph system was a line of sight system which used semaphore
to transmit messages. Semaphore is a flag based alphabet and numeric system.
Flags are held by an individual or placed on towers and waved into positions to
represent letters and numbers. Chappe’s system is known as the non-electric or
optical telegraph. (Bellis, 2012)
The
first electric telegraph was invented by Samuel Soemmering. There would be
several similar versions that followed Soemmering’s. Samuel Morse, with the use
of the electromagnet, would revolutionize the electric telegraph. His telegraph
produced strips of paper with printed dots and dashes. The arrangement of these
dots and dashes represented letters and numbers. These coded letters and
numbers would become known as Morse code. (Bellis, 2012)
The telegraph became synonymous with the
railroad. The telegraph lines were laid, among other place, along the same
routes as the train tracks. This would keep the railroad companies informed
about their trains as they began to travel from coast to coast. Telegraph
operators were posted at train stations and other checkpoints along train
routes to receive and deliver messages.
The invention of the telephone in the late
1800’s would eventually deem the telegraph obsolete.
Radio
1885 Heinrich Hertz-
first to transmit electricity through electromagnetic waves
1892 Nikola Tesla-
wirelessly transmitted electromagnetic energy
1906 Reginald
Fessenden- 1st to transmit a program of music and speech
1906 Lee DeForest- produced
the Audion, a tube that amplifies radio waves
1918 Edwin Armstrong-
created the sperheterodyne circuit, this device made it possible to amplify,
receive, and convert weak, high-frequency electromagnetic waves.
Because of these
inventions and discoveries, there are now thousands of radio stations worldwide.
They are a source for news and entertainment to be delivered to millions of
people.
Texting
Texting may not be the first to come to
mind when we think of mass communication, but it is a method of delivering
information to multiple people at one time. For an individual, texting is
limited to stored numbers on a cellular phone that are able to receive text
messages.
Originally, texting was designed as a
mobile method of communicating for the hearing impaired. Today, texting is one
of the most widely used methods of communicating. In fact, texting has been
proven to be addictive. From texting, a new form of language or short hand
communication has also developed.
Wiki
The most popular wiki is Wikipedia. This
form of mass communication allows an individual to share information through
the use of the Internet. Wikispaces.com defined a wiki as “a space on the Web
where you can share work and ideas, pictures and links, videos and media — and
anything else you can think of.” (wikispaces.com)
References
A
short history of radio. (2004). Retrieved from. http://transition.fcc.gov/omd/history/radio/documents/short_history.pdf
Bellis,
M. (2012). The history of the electric telegraph and telegraphy: the
beginning of electric
communications. Retrieved from.
History of text messaging. (2012). Retrieved from.
Timeline: History of radio and
politics. (2012).
Retrieved from.
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