“The era of physical print has had a lasting effect on human culture, but with the advent of digital text, some scholars believe the printed work is becoming obsolete.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/print_culture
“Numerous eras throughout history have been defined through the use of print culture.”
This quote was referring to the Civil War but it holds true throughout history. Although we rely on the internet and television to keep us up to date on current events such as the conflicts our country is involved it, it hasn’t always been that way. The newspaper and magazines covered WWI and WWII. This was how people kept up on what was happening.
“and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter.”
I love that Thomas Jefferson said this. It shows that I have something in common with a famous American. The recorded word of the newspaper holds more worth than the government in his opinion.
I agree with your second quote. History is defined through print culture. During early times people lived to far apart to know what was happening everywhere. For us know what happened in Morgantown is just a phone or text away, but for early settlers that 20 miles was months away from people knowing or maybe never hearing about. But we also have to be careful, because everything we read is not always the truth.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with your feelings about the third quote you chose! I also chose this quote for my blog. If only every politician in the US would take in to consideration the feelings of the people, what a better country and society it would be! After all, the people are why this country was formed, not the government!!!!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post!!!:)
I think the power of digital media to transform civic engagement is fascinating! Did you know that the Arab spring was partial created by an organization that brought students from Egypt and Tunisia to the U.S. and showed them how to use social media to promote democratic processes in their countries? There is also a study that shows a positive correlation between young people who play Online Role Playing Games and civic engagement. Consider this quote:
ReplyDeleteA crucial lesson, he said, is the power of nonviolence: “If somebody is beating you, don’t attack him. Don’t use any violence against them. Just take photos of them and put them on the Internet.”Do you think social media will help hold politicians more accountable to the people or will it be another way to distribute propaganda?