In the Victorian Era: Revolutionizing Networking with the Telegraph
In the Victorian era, the telegraph revolutionized networking in the same way as the internet did several decades later. Prior to the invention of the telegraph, correspondence was extremely slow and unreliable. People were able to transmit messages and news quicker than ever before thanks to this new innovation. As a result, the advent of the telegraph in the mid-nineteenth century revolutionized civilization. During this time period, trains, horses, and boats were used to disseminate material. As a result, evidence took longer to reach its destination and was often corrupted. Nonetheless, the invention of the telegraph changed everything. Telegraph was a miraculous instantaneous communication that would use electrical cables hence taking the role of messengers. Samuel Morse himself was surprised by what he had created in terms of the magic of the information dissemination that he had created. Telegraph was the first communication channel that used electromagnetic principles. The cables would be set to a very long distance to expand the reach of the information. Just like the internet today, this mode of communication was instantaneous and simultaneous. As the sender typed the information, the person on the other end of the line would be waiting to receive the same.
The Impact on Communication and Trade
The telegraph used the electromagnetic principles that had been invented by Michael Faraday. Faraday had conducted a series of experiments with a magnetic needle and electric current hence creating the principle of electromagnetism. The communication cables used in the dispatch of the telegraph can be likened to the fiber optic cables used in the internet today. This creates a similarity in the functionality of the telegraph and the internet. The telegraph opened up the right of the public to free flow of information. For instance, in 1945 in the US, the government was having trouble allowing the operation of the telegraph since it had taken away the exclusive right of transmission of intelligence (Winston 10).
Moreover, telegraph revolutionized the global trade and expansion of business. The simultaneous global participation in the commodity and money market that has characterized the world trade today was first introduced by the telegraph communication systems. The US stock markets were coordinated by the same communication channels despite the distance and the difference in the origins of the great business men at this time. Telegraph impacted on the print media that was used at the time. Newspapers for instance adopted the technology and used it for promotional purposes.
A Level Playing Field and Shared Information
In the 18th century, some media houses had the monopoly of the information through a superior intelligence on the ground. However, the 19th century's invention of the telegraph changed all these by providing a level playing field through the free flow of information. The newspaper producers began to use the telegraph as an intelligence medium for collecting information that would capture the attention of the readers. Similarly, the print media today has adopted the internet technology to reach out to its audience.
Similarly, the arrival of the internet saw the invention of products like e-books, online articles and online newspaper. In Europe, this communication channel was easily accepted and adopted. It immediately replaced the imperial semaphore and was used for official state communication services. The decision in Europe to use telegraph as an extension of the Posta services brought about a public-private ownership phenomenon which had not been there before (Castels 67). This new information technology was necessary for this age because it changed the way people shared information. On the other hand, it had great impact on the government monopoly on intelligence. This forced the authorities to find a way to use the platform to enhance its communication while at the same time involve the investors in the system maintenance.
The Impact on Culture and Identity
Telegraph had great impact on the culture of communication in Britain. The medium used metaphorical and figurative language to communicate. The codes that were used in the telegraph would later be used even in the public speaking in Britain. This created a unique national identity for the Britons which was evident in the way they communicated with one another. These metaphorical elements were evident in the presentation of information in the British press. The political turbulence in the UK in the late 18th century was attributed to the metaphors created by the telegraph communication (Fairclough 5). The internet today has influenced the lifestyle of people across the world today hence creating a unique identity. There are certain global terms that have become household items all over the world today thanks to the internet revolution.
The Universal Language of Communication
The invention of telegraph expanded the scope of communication to unimaginable distance or speech. This new technology was being adopted by nations across Europe and the US. The users of the medium had a specific mode of communication based on the metaphors that they had picked from the same (Downey 1870). The figurative language became the universal mode of communication. The same communication style used in Britain was the same in America, France and all the other European nations that had adopted this system. This created a universal communication code.
A Platform for Interaction and Global Influence
The impact of this new system was that it made it difficult for the government to order political and economic repression of those who were considered as political dissidents. The governments were finding it hard to control the communication and trade routes that had been established by the railroads. Information was easily passed by the new media without requiring the use of the trade routes (Carrey, 15-22). Similar to internet today, the 19th century telegraph had revolutionized the culture of the people by allowing them to freely communicate and share ideas. As more and more nations across Europe adopted the use of the medium, they were able to influence one another’s political, economic and social systems hence resulting in the revolution in the way people perceived things or how they behaved. Thus, the telegraph acted as a new platform for people’s interaction.
A Medium for Global Exchange and Culture
The social interaction was expanded to the continental shapers and beyond. The use of this new communication system opened up the world to civilization. Even though the geographical distances separated one group from the other, there was the development of the new aspects of communisms and through the development of the global culture (Kern 6; Batty 760). People began to behave like civilized communities because of the awareness of the shared information system.
The Creation of a Global Village
The global meeting on the Green Winch which set the world timing and clock system was influenced by the telegraph communication system. This was the first medium to create the aspect of a global village. The meeting was followed by the adjustment to the world timing system. For example, the telegraph companies in China used the same timing as those in Shanghai (Kern 6). The advent of telegraph created the separation between transport and communication. This medium broke the geographical barriers and made it easy for symbols to move freely through the global frontiers. It became faster to send information beyond the global borders.
The transportation system had initially been used for communication. The information took time to reach the destination due to the challenges of transport. Telegraph now created a distinct communication route hence enhancing the department of communication as a distinct entity from transportation (Crowly & Heyer 7; Taylor 1840). When Morse and his partner began working on telegraph, they envisioned the idea of a communication system that will break the geographical and social barriers and create a flexible communication network. They created the product for the European market but did not imagine that their creation would transcend the global continents. Morse and Cook ended up revolutionizing the world in terms of communication (Standage 7). For this reason, they influenced the social and political system of the world.
A Global Impact on Social Interaction and Cultural Awareness
The invention of the telegraph changed the way the people from different corners of the world interacted with one another. It came with a quicker and efficient system of sharing information that revolutionized the social order. Other than the communication and political system, the social interaction and sense of global community civilization was influenced by this new communication medium (Mayer-Schönberger & Cukier 50). This new system had the capacity to enhance the social interaction platform and to enable people share culture as well as ideas. The outcome of this was the increased cultural interaction and enhancement of social awareness that helped to shape the global culture.
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