-
100,000 BCE
Gossip / Word of Mouth
As human beings developed the ability to verbally communicate with one another, folks began spreading the information that they had with those around them. Much like the children's game "telephone," news would spread throughout communities and beyond, with no verifiability. -
50,000 BCE
Messengers
Aside from news spreading within the confines a town or village, folks began traveling to other places in order to deliver information. Sometimes they were on foot, sometimes they were assisted by an animal, and sometimes they even used smoke signals, whistles, or drum rhythms. -
200
Manuscripts and Block Printing
In South and Southeast Asia, scribes spent most of their time diligently writing out scripts and books. Unfortunately, these were only available for the wealthiest and most powerful folks. -
Jan 1, 1440
Printing Press
As we all know, the printing press was the most defining invention for mass media. With the ability to produce such a large amount of content in a relatively short amount of time, news began spreading exponentially fast. This is thanks to Johannes Gutenberg -
Jan 1, 1540
Town Crier
Although the printing press and mass publication became popular in the 15th century, it was still not helpful to those without the ability to read and write. For this purpose, in Europe, the use of town criers began being implemented and are still used today in some places. Similar to a messenger, but in a more formal fashion, these people came to a village and listed off important memos for townspeople to know. "Don't Shoot the Messenger" phrase was created -
Propaganda
Although this was not a physical invention or means of spreading information, it was a revolutionary way for mass media outlets to deliver information. Term first started being used in reference to missionary activities of the Catholic Church. -
Radio
On Christmas Eve 1906, Heinrich Hertz became the first person to make a public radio broadcast. This was the most immediate way of spreading information and communicating that we had ever seen in history. -
Broadcast Television
On September 11, 1928, the first television broadcast occurred. Shortly after, giants from the radio began making the shift into television, once again revolutionizing the ways people consume media. -
The Internet
Debatably the largest innovation for mass media since the printing press, the Internet launched to the public in August 1991. Although most people did not have access to it at this time, the strides that would be made in the following years to come would not have happened if it were not for this very day. -
Social Media
Last but not least, the most recent major development in mass media - Social Networking. Since Friendster, which is considered the grandfather of social networks, launched in 2002, tech experts like Mark Zuckerberg have been honing the abilities of these networks. The ultimate goal, it seems, is to have one medium wherein people can both obtain new information and communicate with others seamlessly. For now, this is the ideal pinnacle, but once it is perfected, we will strive for something else.
