- But one has come to mind. During the early 20th century, there was a revival in the role of art as a communication method to the masses. With the rise of graphic design, the oldest mean of communication became a new, powerful way of communicating important ideas with the masses.
- Another tie-in could come in the form of industrialization. With the rise of industrialization, mass production began to enter every aspect of life. Entertainment began to be mass produced as well. The popularity and rise of TV is part of this. But we are edging out of this era. We are again entering an era of specialization as technology improves. We can once again apply specialization to our media consumption.
As for other tie-ins, I'm rather stumped. But I'll keep brainstorming.
The parallel of mass production to mass media is an important one I think. The public sphere became much more accessible than it ever had been I think, as it used to be reserved for your individual class. Obviously I am most familiar with America here, but I feel that mass media became more palatable as trends moved from almost exclusively familial ties to community ones. Maybe I am generalizing too widely here, but I would say both contributed to each other.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ashley, and emphasizing the role of mass media communications on politics can be a gold-mine. Think about the incredibly influential rhetoric wielded by talk-show hosts (Rush, Glenn Beck, etc.) on the radio today. Who were their predecessors? What topics were they "addressing" in the key periods we've talked about in class (post Enlightenment)?
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