Printing Volti Chapter 11 Printing l l l

Printing Volti Chapter 11

Printing l l l Of all technologies, perhaps none have had the greatest impact as printing The development of a written language is one of the hallmarks of civilization Spoken language characteristic of all societies, yet not all have written language Many cultures that have written language have only developed this recently often because of the influence of other societies (missionaries, etc. ) A written language is an essential technology - keeping accounts, recording history, transmission of ideas and culture "Much that red men know, they forget; they have no way to preserve it. White men make what they know fast on paper like catching a wild animal and taming it. " Sequoyah

The Printing Revolution l l l Effects of written language were minimal when it was understood only by a few people Before written language, humans developed astonishing memories to record events Introduction of printing with moveable type - originated in the Orient l l l l 4 th Cent. A. D. - Chinese copying stone inscriptions with paper rubbings 7 th Cent. A. D. - Chinese used carved wood blocks Printing moved much slower through Europe 1400 - Italy: playing cards and pictures of saints made from wooden blocks Johann Gutenberg - developed workable system of printing with separate pieces of type Printing books required more advanced technology than just printing a single page More advanced inks and binding methods emerged Books printed from moveable type were harbingers to the age of mass production

Printing and the Expansion of Knowledge Printing, in particular, books, did much to transform European society l Allowed for the transmission of ideas l Allowed for more accurate map making and navigation l Allowed for the advance of science - data could be recorded more accurately l Literacy spread l

Printing and the Rise of Protestantism l l l The circulation of books allowed for people to collective challenge the dominant Catholic order The Protestant Reformation resulted The printed bible allowed worshipers to seek God’s word directly rather than through the Church which was the traditional intercessor l "God’s highest and extremest act of grace, whereby the business of the Gospel is driven forward" (Martin Luther on the invention of printing) l Catholic Church also used the printed word to transmit its message but not to the extent of the Protestant Church

Printing, Literacy, and Social Change l l l Protestants, motivated by biblical reading, became quite literate The people, however, most driven to read were the clergy Books still very expensive and somewhat rare A more literate society could begin to ponder new ideas, especially those relating to social change The relationship between printing and social change is reciprocal - one does not cause the other, but rather, both influence the other

Psychological Effects of Printing l Printing resulted in a greater sense of one’s separateness from the rest of society - reading is a solitary activity l Marshall Mc. Luhan - Printed books fundamentally altered societies not solely from the ideas transmitted, but the medium itself altered the way we look at the world. Reading requires us to think in a sequential manner, just as a sentence is read from left to right.

Newspapers l l l For centuries, the book was the end product of the printing press First newspaper appeared in the 17 th century in Europe First newspapers - poor type, hard to read, contained more sensational news than actual news Again, one technology is often driven by the development of other technologies Steam power. . . l l steam ships and railroads. . . transports report to various locations. . . news is transmitted back through the use of telegraphs. . . Newspapers gain relevance as worthy news becomes available.

Circulation Wars and The Shaping of Public Opinion l l l Mass production of newspapers made them more affordable Newspaper readership increases as cost decreases Newspapers become important vehicle for shaping public opinion New York Journal (William Randolph Hearst) favored involvement in Spanish American War 1898 Newspapers did not cause war, but sensational stories reported did not help avert war Other factors contributing to the rise of newspaper readers: "Also, Urbanization and immigration produced large concentrations of population from which a mass readership could be drawn. Finally, a more democratic social order generated an environment in which the ‘common man’ gained in political and economic importance; as the first of the mass media, newspapers were a natural outgrowth of ‘mass society’"