Mass Media Timeline

By outrightlib
  • 5000 BCE

    Oral Traditions

    Oral Traditions
    Oral traditions such as storytelling which are as old as man himself allowed people to exchange information when they were face to face. This was the only means of clear communication for many centuries.
  • 500 BCE

    Letters

    Letters
    Letters allowed people to exchange information such as news and events with anyone, but because of distance though sometimes letters would take a long time maybe even a year or more to be received depending on the distance between the sender and the receiver.

  • Telegraph

    Telegraph
    The first working electrical telegraph was made in 1816. Electrical telegraphs allowed people to send and receive messages instantly instead of waiting weeks or months for a letter to be sent or received.

  • Radio

    Radio
    The introduction of radio in 1920 forever changed the way people got their news. They for the first time got news that was fresh.

  • TV

    TV
    The first TV was introduced in 1923 and in the 1940's TVs were being mass produced. TVs allowed people to see what was happening anytime and anywhere.

  • Desktop

    Desktop
    The First desktop was made in 1964 and has since allowed people to find information out for themselves in the comfort of their homes.

  • Digital Audio

    Digital Audio
    The First digital audio recordings were done in 1971. Digital audio allowed a massive saving of space both in a studio and how people listen to music. This in turn led recorded audio to be more accessible.

  • Smartphones

    Smartphones
    The first smartphone came out in 1994 and the improvements made on them have drastically changed peoples everyday lives especially in the areas of getting news, social interaction, weather, and navigation.