Thursday, September 2, 2010

Technology and Cultural Imperialism

I think the concept of cultural imperialism being linked to technological developments in the history of communication is important to note. Its not just luck that the Roman Empire was so successful in its time, and its not just luck that England, the United States, and Germany emerged as global powers.

Technological developments in communication such as the telegraph did for Europe and the United States what a great infrastructure did for the Romans. With the invention of the telegraph, Britain jumped at the opportunity to connect with its colonies. According to Hanson, Britain and India were joined by 1870 and by 1895, British cable linked France to the majority of its colonies but North Africa. The telegraphs also quickened business transactions trans-Atlantic and revolutionized news transmission, leading to the development of the first news agencies-British Reuters, French Havas, and the German Wolff.

Later, broadcast emerged as a crucial outlet to reach the masses. Especially in wartime. As Hanson notes, while the Soviets were the first country to use radio to internationally broadcast government opinion, others followed suit by WWII. Germany became the largest broadcasting network in the world and the Allies had to quickly figure out how to catch up. The power of radio to broadcast propaganda was an integral tool to advance wartime efforts.

As Professor Hayden mentioned in class, communication technologies don't determine historical events, but rather determine our actions. If these global powers hadn't capitalized on the technology, be it the telegraph or later broadcast, who knows where we would be today.

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