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30,000 BCE
First rock carvings
These were the first ever forms of physical media. -
15,000 BCE
cave paintings
These were slightly different to cave paintings, but served the same purpose. -
3100 BCE
first written language
this changed society, because now media could be understood instead of just interpreted. -
2000 BCE
first pen and paper
This made it easier to write, because pens were quicker than carvings. -
800 BCE
mass media
mass media was the transmission of media to the people. -
60 BCE
first postal service
This made it easier to pass on messages, as the writing would come to you, instead of vice versa. -
Jan 1, 1440
first printing press
This revolutionised books, as they could be made cheaper and much faster in higher amounts. it automated copywriting. -
first newspaper
This created a means of delivering news to the general public. -
typewriter
This invention made writing faster and easier to feed into printing presses. It was the first keyboard-style method of writing. -
first telephone
now people could transmit their voice over long distances to specific numbers. -
first film
This allowed moving images to be sent to new places in the world. -
first radio
This allowed a global broadcasting system of sounds and voices. -
first television
This brought the entertainment of cinema and broadcasting of radio in a visual form for every household. -
first (electronic) computer
This allowed calculations to be made by a machine. It could not yet be used for media. -
mobile phone
the first mobile phone allowed you to call from anywhere close to a cell tower with an outstanding battery life of 20 minutes and the sound quality of a dying robot, all while being so small it could fit in your schoolbag! It's really weird why no one would want that... -
internet
The internet was a revolutionary invention that allowed computers to send and receive files across the world in real time. The first modems operated on phone lines, so if you picked up the phone, your internet would cut out and the nerd upstairs would get angry about his low quality image failing to download at its usual 10 hour speed. -
first smartphone
technically, the iPhone was not the first, because 'smart' phones were around in the 90's. they could only do a few extra things like take photos, call, text and maybe show the weather, if you owned a newer one. If you were lucky, you could record a video at 144p with a smooth 12 frames per second! The photos will look like they were taken on your grandpa's frying pan. -
social media
social media technically started in 1987 with NSFNET, but it was not successful enough to be global. later, companies like myspace and Facebook made it become popular. -
iPhone
The iPhone revolutionised smartphones forever. They added new technology for anyone to create apps and download them on their phones. They also set a new standard for quality and companies like android were soon to follow and improve. -
fast consumable content
I refuse to say TikTok invented this. VINE WAS FIRST AND IT WAS BETTER. Anyway, vine started around 2012, and introduced the system of scrolling quickly through content with a maximum of 6 seconds to entertain you. It formed the foundation of TikTok, which now dominates social media and how it works. examples of its influence include YouTube shorts, Instagram reels and reddit's video player.