Chapter 5: Telegraphy & Chapter 6: Telephone

Chapter 5: Telegraphy

1. What are telegraphy's strengths as a medium? How do these compare to the then existing media forms?

Telegraph freed communication from the constraints of geography, changed the gathering of information for news reporting. Led to the gradual disappearance of different forms of speech and styles of journalism and storytelling

2. What are some of the reasons that telegraphy was so distrusted?

 Telegraphy was so distrusted because of their inability to remain in tune during action.

3. Levinson discusses the introduction of “noise” into our various systems media forms. Explain what he means by “noise” in the system and discuss some examples of media systems and the way “noise” is introduced.

4. What roles did the telegraph play in increasing more immediate/instantaneous public awareness of events around the world? How did the press evolve with the use of the telegraph?

It changed the gathering of information for news reporting. Media language had to be standardized, which led to the gradual disappearance of different forms of speech and styles of journalism and storytelling.

Chapter 6: Telephone

5. In your own words, Explain and describe Levinson's term “anthropotropic".

Anthropotropism is the principle that technologies work better when they respect the nature of the human body and the human mind. "...media must respect human nature, and satisfy human needs."

6. Why hasn't video phone taken off ? What is Levinson's stance on the video phone? Would/do you use a video phone? Explain your answers fully.

Maybe this is also technological, but it's too much hassle to sit in the right place, have the right lighting etc. to make it worthwhile. I remember when I first used webcams (low res, choppy etc.) the excitement of seeing someone from another part of the world was quickly overcome by constantly wanting to 'place' them such that I could be 'eye to eye' with them, and be able to see their face properly. I don't really like holding the phone up. Video phones would require you to not only hold the phone, but also hold it at a certain distance and in a specific area with a specific angle so as to frame your face in the camera.

7. What is the telephone's main strengths over any other existing forms of media? What power does the telephone have over people?

The telephone is like immediate, either the other person answers or not. Compared to a text where the person has to wait to see if the person will or wont text back. The telephone is such a convenience and when people don't have their phone they feel like they're out of the world and can't communicate.

8. Explain what Levinson means by “remedial media.” Give an example of a remedial media that was developed recently in communication media.

Levinson means is that a new information technology may serve to provide a corrective for an imbalance in the existing communications system. The spread of radio broadcasting restored to the evolving mass societies of the 20th century some of the immediacy and directness of personal and oral communications. Example - TiVo

9. Levinson describes how the telephone promotes a level of intrusion beyond other media. Does this still hold true? In what ways has telephone technology been adapted since Levinson wrote this to reduce or increase this intrusion?

None, the government call listen into your conversation whenever they feel, yes it still holds true