Raymond Williams: Technology & Society

Raymond Williams 'The Technology & The Society'

• Mass media will be redefined by systems for transmitting and receiving personalized information and entertainment, according to the MIT Media Lab
• Schools are changing to become museums and playgrounds for children to assemble ideas and socialize

Technological Determinism

• A popular view of technology where social and cultural change happens because of technological change
• This view is considered insufficient and incomplete
• Technology operates independently from society
• An example is the Atom Bomb creating the Cold War
• "Don't blame me, I was just working on splitting the atom"
• Silicon chip = unemployment
• Nation state is obsolete (outdated) because of information revolution

Invention of TV

• The invention of TV was not a singular event but the result of complex series of changes and developments in different countries at different times
• At first, TV sets were thought to only be installed in a small number of public places
• Nazis put loudspeakers in public to force people to listen to propaganda
• TV and radio sets became available as private goods in homes

Intent

• Technology is developed in a certain direction according to intent of paymasters & developers
• Cultural priorities (i.e., values, beliefs, & preferences) shape direction of technological development
• The needs of the market influence development
• Smartphone manufacturers respond to market demands for features
• There is intent on providing products that cater to consumer desires & needs
• Societal factors like economic conditions, political decisions, and social trends also have influence
• Growing concern about climate change = renewable energy technologies

Private Household

• Private households became more private due to new availability of consumer goods
• I.e: bike, car, camera, washing machine, radio, tv...
• This transformed private households into a more secluded space

Key Trends

• Greater mobility between towns & increased migration
• Advances in transport
• Industrialization = people moved from rural to urban areas in search of employment & better living conditions
• Growth of 'nuclear family' as independent unit
• Parents + kids need for smaller living spaces & privacy
• Mobile privatization = as people became more mobile, private lives became secluded
• Technological developments include TV sets, radios, personal computers were designed to cater to individual households
• Private households became a hub for leisure & communication
• Mobile privatization denotes a lifestyle centered around private household
• This resulted in people looking for new forms of entertainment & new ways of accessing info in our own homes
• Television went from a means of broadcasting news & entertainment to a household appliance

Telephone

• It is for point to point communication
• Direct connection between two parties
• Broadcasting medium is core designed for this, ability to transmit information or voice to group of people simultaneously i.e: conference calls or party lines
• Public service announcements (i.e: weather updates)
• Distributed news rapidly and broadcasted cultural events
• Reports of sporting events & religious services
• Those who developed the telephone had a restricted view on its use
• Primarily seen as a means for one-on-one communication
• Broadcasting was met with skepticism and viewed as something vulgar & unsophisticated
• Broadcasting became a powerful tool for mass communication
• Exposition Internationale d'Electricité (Paris, 1881)

Theatrophone/Electrophone

• An audio device showcased at the exposition
• Allowed people to listen to live audio feeds of events
• Ten headphones were connected to Theatrophones & you could hear audio transmissions from different venues which stirred great astonishment among visitors
• London, 1891: Fifty telephones installed in Royal Italian Opera House, Covent Gardens
• New York Magna phone & Music Co., 1912: Installed motor driven phonographs for music transmissions
• Telefon Hirmondó, Budapest, 1893-1918: Most influential broadcasting enterprise globally
• Conducted telephonic broadcasts, spreading diverse content to subscribers
• The program included news, sports, entertainment, music, stocks, & religion

Brent McGregor

• He is the author of 'Making Television News in the Satellite Age'
• He is a former TV producer and Professor of Visual Communication, Edinburgh
• The article is based off interviews of TV news crews

Pre-Satellite News Era

• TV news relied on physically transported film reels
• There was limited live coverage and reports were delayed, global coverage was expensive & difficult

Rise of Satellite Communication

• Rise in the 1960s with the intro to communication satellites (i.e: Telstar, Intelsat)
• Real time transmissions became worldwide
• Live broadcasts from remote locations

Impact on News Production

• Faster news cycles & breaking news culture
• Reduced reliance on pre-recorded segments
• Shift to live, unedited coverage

Roles of Journalists

• They were required to report in real time
• There was an emphasis on immediacy over in depth analysis
• It was challenging to verify information on tight deadlines

Political & Social Implications

• Governments lost control over news narratives
• Global audiences witnessed live political events & crises like the Gulf War (1991) and 9/11 attacks
• 24-hour news networks: CNN's growth as 1st 24-hour news channel (1980)
• Competition led to more news coverage
• Satellite journalism shaped modern news consumption

Challenges

• Bias & sensationalism due to need for constant content
• Pressure to fill airtime with speculation
• Ethical concerns over live crisis reporting

Impact of Satellites

• Increased speed & frequency
• Expanded news gathering range
• Challenge in contextualizing & understanding
• Reduced in depth analysis
• Emphasis on immediacy, at expense of content comprehension (adequately explored?)

Satellite Links

• Live, recorded satellite links integral to TV news enable real time reporting & sharing events as they unfold
• Enhances storytelling bringing viewers closer to action
• May hinder comprehension immediacy over analysis, controversial opinion

Costs

• Sending journalists to report in other countries is expensive
• Can lead to journalists to be utilized extensively information may not enhance overall understanding
• Common during war time

RTE News

• On March 25, 2003, the news reported significant development in ongoing conflict in Iraq
• The report detailed a major battle that allegedly took place outside city of Karbala
• The report said many USA news stations were also covering the event
• Karbala was a strategically important area for Iraq War
• Iraqi casualties ranged from 300-500, underscoring intensity
• There was a challenge in gathering accurate & verified information
• Charlie Bird featured, stationed in Kuwait
• Reported that Allies admitted the fight for Basra (major city in Iraq) was more challenging than thought
• Note: Kuwait to Basra = 2 hrs driving

Global Influence

• News values from US to networks have been adopted & disseminated internationally
• There was a widespread adoption of US news values
• This effects how people are represented & seen