Final Review - In Progress

Telegraph

Technology for writing at a distance using signals; enabled rapid long‑distance

communication without physical transport.

Optical vs. Electrical Telegraphs

Optical systems used visual signals (flags, towers); electric telegraphs used electrical currents to transmit coded messages.

Samuel Morse

Inventor of a simplified electric telegraph system and Morse code; helped standardize telegraphy.

Morse Code

System of dots and dashes representing letters; adopted internationally in 1865.

Transatlantic Cable

Undersea cable completed in 1866 linking Europe and North America; collapsed distance in global communication.

Effects of the Telegraph

Standardized language, accelerated news, centralized markets, and reshaped journalism into concise prose.

Telegraph, Love, and Gender

Telegraph offices enabled social interaction; many operators were women, challenging gender norms.

The Birth of a Nation

1915 film by D.W. Griffith; revolutionary in technique but violently racist and influential.

Studio System

Vertically integrated system where studios controlled production, distribution, and exhibition.

Paramount Decision (1948)

Supreme Court ruling ending studio monopolies and block booking; studios forced to sell theaters.

Production Code (Hays Code)

Moral guidelines enforcing censorship in Hollywood from 1934–1968.

Mae West

Actress symbolizing sexual independence; frequent target of censorship.

Miracle Decision (1952)

Supreme Court ruling granting films First Amendment protection.

HUAC

Congressional committee investigating alleged communist influence.

Hollywood Ten

Screenwriters/directors jailed and blacklisted for refusing HUAC testimony.

Dalton Trumbo

Blacklisted screenwriter who continued working under pseudonyms.

Guglielmo Marconi

Made radio telegraphy practical using spark transmission

Reginald Fressenden

Developed radio telephony using continuous wave signals.

Titanic and radio

Disaster revealed limitations of early radio systems and need for regulation.

Radio Act of 1927

Established federal control of airwaves and strengthened networks.

Golden Age of Radio

1920s–1950s era of mass radio entertainment.

Electronic hearth

McLuhan’s term describing radio as a center of family life.

Amos ‘n’ Andy

Popular but racist radio show featuring white actors portraying Black characters.

Orson Welles - War of the Worlds

1938 broadcast dramatizing a Martian invasion; caused public panic.

Fireside Chats

FDR’s informal radio addresses to the American public.

Fairness Doctrine

Policy requiring balanced coverage of controversial issues; repealed in 1987.

TV and Domestic Life

Television reorganized family space and routines around shared viewing.

I Love Lucy

Influential sitcom with unprecedented ratings and cross‑cultural themes.

The twilight zone

Anthology series using sci‑fi to address political and moral issues.

All in the Family

Sitcom confronting racism and conservatism through satire.

Network Model

Centralized control of programming by major broadcasters.

Political Ads on TV

Emerged prominently during Eisenhower and Kennedy campaigns.

Kennedy-Nixon Debates

First televised presidential debates; emphasized visual politics.

The Living room War

Vietnam War as the first televised war.

Ellen “The Puppy Episode”

Landmark episode for LGBTQ+ representation on TV.

Postman’s Definition of Medium

A technology plus the social practices surrounding its use.

DC v Marvel

DC pioneered superheroes; Marvel later added psychological depth.

Comics code Authroity

Industry self‑censorship body created in 1954.

Underground Comix

Countercultural comics rejecting censorship.

Icon (McCloud)

Any image representing a person, place, or idea.

The Gutter

Space between panels where readers infer action.

Time in Comics

Time is fluid; panels imply duration and movement.

Idea v Form

Meaning comes from both concept and visual execution.

Charles Babbage

Designed the Difference Engine.

Ada Lovelace

First computer programmer.

Bletchley Park

WWII codebreaking center; birthplace of modern computing.

Alan Turing

Computing pioneer; proposed the Turing Test.

Macy Conferences

Interdisciplinary meetings shaping cybernetics.

ENIAC

First large‑scale electronic computer.

Manovich’s Five Principles

Numerical representation, modularity, automation, variability, transcoding.

Geo cities

Early platform for user‑generated web pages.

Mark Zuckerberg

Founder of Facebook.

Facebook & Activism

Played key role in global protest movements.

Tolentino’s Five Critiques

Identity distortion, overvalued opinions, opposition, weakened solidarity, loss of scale.

Public Shaming

Online punishment through mass attention.

Use Value

Practical function of a product.

Exchange Value

Market worth shaped by culture and symbolism.

Karl Marx

Theorist emphasizing material conditions.

Thomas J. Barratt

Early advertising pioneer using lifestyle imagery.

Ivy Lee

PR innovator; created first press release.

Edward Bernays

Applied psychology to manipulate public opinion.

Press release

Official announcement to generate media coverage.

Media Events

Staged events designed for publicity.

Spin

Manipulative framing of information.

Media Literacy

Ability to critically analyze and interpret media messages.