Media History Exam Study Notes PDF

Exam Study Notes 25 November 2024 12:41 Comprehensive Study Notes: Media History and the Concept of Medium Introduction Media Interdisciplinary study (sociology, history, philosophy, etc.). Focuses on how media History: shapes perception and societal structures....

Exam Study Notes 25 November 2024 12:41 Comprehensive Study Notes: Media History and the Concept of Medium Introduction Media Interdisciplinary study (sociology, history, philosophy, etc.). Focuses on how media History: shapes perception and societal structures. Medium: Anything mediating between individuals, society, and the world. Combines technical (tools) and cultural (practices) components, often becoming social institutions. Key Concepts 1. The Medium ○ Origin: Latin medius (in-between). ○ Media as tools (e.g., cables) and institutions (e.g., press, TV) facilitating communication. ○ Shapes perception and reality. 2. Marshall McLuhan ○ Media = extensions of human senses (The Medium is the Message). 3. Media Evolution ○ New media coexist with and redefine old ones (Mediascape). ○ Shaped by technical and cultural changes, often asynchronously. Historical Framework 1. Eras in Media History Language (~70,000 Emerged during the Cognitive Revolution; enabled symbolic realities BCE): (myths, art, religion). Orality: Acoustic, situational communication using tone and gestures. Writing (~3000 BCE): Began with Sumerian alphanumeric codes, evolving to full writing systems (e.g., cuneiform, hieroglyphs). ○ Print Media Gutenberg’s press revolutionized knowledge dissemination. (1450–1836): Mass Media Press, radio, TV shaped modernity. (1836–2000): Network Era (2000– Social and digital media dominate communication. Present): 2. Micro-Eras: Subdivisions (e.g., radio and TV in the mass media era). Media Foundations 1. Cave Paintings (~30,000 BCE) ○ Early symbolic communication through visual storytelling. 2. Language as the "Zero Point" ○ Enabled infinite expressions from finite grammar and lexicon. ○ Created a dual reality: natural (physical) and cultural (linguistic). ○ Built on symbols (material + meaning), fostering shared myths and societal collaboration. 3. Writing (~3000 BCE) Essential for administration and societal organization. Media_History_Exam_Notes Page 1  ○ Essential for administration and societal organization. ○ Key systems: ▪ Sumerian pictograms ➡ Phonetic alphabets (Phoenician, Greek, Roman). ○ Shifted memory structures from ritual (orality) to archival (writing). The Printing Revolution 1. Gutenberg’s Press (15th Century) ○ Mass book production (~20M by 1500). ○ Standardized knowledge, democratized literacy. 2. Social Impact ○ Fostered the Renaissance, Reformation, and Scientific Revolution. ○ Shifted reading: Intensive (15th-18th Century): Deep study of few texts (e.g., Bible). ▪ Extensive (18th Century Onward): Diverse, critical consumption of many texts. Modernity and Media 1. Public Sphere (Habermas) ○ Spaces (physical, press) for debate, criticism, and public opinion. 2. 19th Century Information Revolution ○ Innovations: Railways, telegraph, global news networks (Reuters, Havas, AP). ○ Mass press defined social reality, shifting from direct experience to media-mediated perception. 3. Modernity ○ Constant societal change (self, society, communication redefined). ○ Mass media became dominant in shaping social norms and reducing complexity. Key Figures and Innovations Marshall McLuhan: Media as sensory extensions. Johannes Gutenberg: Printing revolution. Early Media Examples: Cave paintings, moral weeklies, and party press. Media_History_Exam_Notes Page 2