Chapter 2 Main points:

Origins of the Internet:
This chapter begins by discussing the evolution of a new mass medium: the internet. It talks about how it originated as a military-government project with national security goals. It continues by outlining the beginnings of email, world wide web, html, ISP's, web browsers, Search engines, and instant messaging.

Digital Technology and Converging Media:
This section talks about technological breakthroughs throughout the early years of internet, microprocessors and fiber-optic cable. It also discusses how media convergence created new markets and practices for the way information is shared.

Ownership Issues on the Internet:
This section talks about the development of open-source software, and how it protected software from amateur hackers. It goes on to discuss the development of online encyclopedias, social networking websites and blogs.

Free Expression, Security, and Access:
This section outlines the fine line between freedom of expression ad objectional material, and how pornography has continued to flourish despite repeated attempts to censor it. It also talks about the problem of keeping personal information private accross the internet. It goes on to discuss the widening access of the internet, specifically wireless interenet and the growing market that is.

Two Chapter Ones

Professor Breedlove -

Chapter 1 is summarized twice due to an organizational mistake I made (Sorry Jeff...). Just a heads up.

~Carrie

Chapter 9 Main Points

The Early History of Magazines:
The first section of this chapter outlines the early history of magazines from colonial magazines to the arival of national magazines and pictorial pioneers.

The Development of Modern American Magazines:
This section explores how magazines in America came to be what they are today. It talks about the social reform magazine era, as well as the rise of special interest magazines. It highlights some of the longest running and most successful magazines of the last 50 or so years.

The Domination of Specialization:
This section talks about how magazines began to focus and specialize on certain niches, in order to reach a certain demographic. Mens magazines, sports, cooking, do-it-yourself, celebrity, and travel are just a few of the different types of these specialization magazines.

Chapter summaries

Chapter 1 “Mass communication”

• Mass media consist of cultural industries “channels of communication,” that are distributed trough different ways. The ways of distributing information today is the same as historical ways; the underlying difference is, today we have such advancement in technology, information can be distributed to mass amounts of people much faster.

• The media has the power to alter society perception of events and attitudes. Media is in the storytelling business. This has a great impact on everyday life.

• Critiquing media and culture requires a working knowledge of the particular information and way it is being presented. It is important to understand how where the information is coming from and who is it being presented to.

Chapter 8 “Newspapers”

• Historically news and stories have been passed down from generation to generation orally. The first written news was by Julius Caesar, it informed his people what was going on in and around his area.

• “Objectivity,” The more a newspaper didn’t take sides, the more readers is had. This is true today in a sense, the newspaper that covers a wide variety, is most likely to have more readers.

• There is newspapers that cover a wide Varity of ethnic groups, most of them are weekly or monthly. They are usually published outside the public mainstream and contain viewpoints that are not targeted towards the white upper-class.

Chapter 12 “Public Relations”

• At the beginning of the chapter, there is a really good example about blue jeans PR. In the early 50’s denim jeans sales dropped drastically because it was thought it represented delinquency in kids. The biggest denim maker hired a PR firm to change the image of jeans. The PR firm got denim sales to skyrocket in the early 60’s. There is a big difference between advertising and public relations.

• These days, there are a lot of PR firms, most in the United States. Their job is to help an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.

• PR has made reporters jobs easier, they can just wait for a PR handout or a tip instead of going out and getting the story to an extent

Chapter 14: Culture of Journalism

1. A large part of journalism is attempting to balance a story. The difficulty comes in when it becomes impossible to represent all sides or opinions of a story. The other difficulty is trying to eliminate personal bias in journalistic writing, which (if done correctly) can create an authoritative, neutral voice that the reader can depend on.

2. Another common trait in journalism is an adversarial attitude towards the authority figures or large institutions that a reporter is covering. This can lead to the classic reporter persona most of us carry around with us; a hard questioning, tenacious, and often rude reporter that never seems satisfied with the information they're getting. When a reporter uses hard questioning all the time, they often ignore the fact that the quality of their political stories can take a hit.

3. Among news anchors, it has become the norm to be young, attractive and read off scripted witty banter between stories. Anchors that have not adhered to these requirements have often been let go. The reason for this "happy-talk" was to distract from all the bad news being hurled at t.v. watchers.

Chapter 10: Books

1.) The first books were produced in Ancient Egypt on papyrus, which was derived from a species of river reed. Eventually, parchment (treated animal skin) replaced papyrus because of its strength and durability. The Roman codex was the first book that was cut into sheets and sewn together down the side in a format that closely resembles the books of today. In the Middle Ages, manuscripts were meticulously lettered, decorated and bound by hand. Some of these manuscripts were illuminated (i.e., illustrated and beautifully decorated on each page.)

2.) The Gutenberg printing press totally revolutionized book production. They first printed Bibles but then moved on to other works. This process was the forerunner to mass production. The availability of books also increased education across the board. By the 1830's, paperbacks and dime novels were introduced.

3.) There are seven categories of books today: Trade books, professional books, text books, mass market paper backs, religious books, reference books and university press books.

Chapter 4: Sounds and Images

1.) The radio originally began as Morse code via the telegraph. Later, radio waves were discovered and utilized to create the earliest forms of the radio we have today. The wireless versions of the early telegraph were designed to help ships at sea communicate with each other and with the people on land. By 1910 via the Wireless Ship Act, many vessels were required to be equipped with wireless telegraphs for safety reasons.

2.) The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) monopolized radio by 1919 in order to make sure that America had control over transmitter and receiver manufacturing. Pretty soon, RCA was able to give the U.S. almost complete control over the new medium of broadcasting. Eventually, the RCA/NBC monopoly was disbanded by the Federal Trade Commission in 1932.

3.) The radio gained popularity in the average American home and was the source for news and entertainment. News shows, speeches, music, and evening programs. One evening program caused a brief bout of hysteria; Orson Wells' reading of War of the Worlds. Unfortunately, many listeners tuned in after the disclaimer had been aired and thought that the news of an alien invasion was the real deal.