Week 4 Discussion Questions

Chapter 5: Telegraphy

1.    What are telegraphy's strengths as a medium? How do these compare to the then existing media forms?

The telegraphy was strong in many ways from being able to finally send messages anywhere globally in the world with ease. Telegraphy compared to the newspapers and storytellers of the time but sharing information as a whole from sources but this form was more direct to the person on the other side.

2.    What are some of the reasons that telegraphy was so distrusted?

Telegraphy was distrusted due to the sheer fact that it communicated so fast with code that one could lose even a bit of the message and have a miscommunication within receiving the message.

3.    Levinson discusses the introduction of “noise” into our various systems media forms. Explain what he means by “noise” in the system and discuss some examples of media systems and the way “noise” is introduced.

Levinson mentions noise in a system as how we communicate in media. Some examples are sound systems that made for more clear listening.

4.    What roles did the telegraph play in increasing more immediate/instantaneous public awareness of events around the world? How did the press evolve with the use of the telegraph?

Telegraph raised awareness of events by getting the most up to date news about events around the world. No longer did you have to wait for the press to print things out, you knew when the media provided their responses about the events from the source. The press evolved with using the telegraph by becoming more established and trusted faster.

Chapter 6: Telephone

5.    In your own words, Explain and describe Levinson's term “anthropotropic”.

Anthropotropic in Levinson’s term is described as technology working more sound if it is conformed to have aspects of human nature from mind to body characteristics.

6.    Why hasn't video phone taken off ? What is Levinson's stance on the video phone? Would/do you use a video phone? Explain your answers fully.

Video phone has not gone far because there is not much demand for it, too much hassle from lighting to signals. Levinson’s stance on it is that it has not reached further needs from a telephone, you just need communication not the picture.  I have never used a video phone, never found the need to go out and buy one when there are other better alternatives out there that don’t have the hassle.

7. What is the telephone's main strengths over any other existing forms of media? What power does the telephone have over people?

The telephone is powerful form over any other media due to the fact it is direct to the person you are trying to communicate to since you can hear their tone and characteristics over a line that is already set up across the world. The telephone helps people stay connected.

8.    Explain what Levinson means by “remedial media.” Give an example of a remedial media that was developed recently in communication media.

Remedial media in Levinson terms is using newer technology to fix already established technology problems that may have occurred. Example of that would be a radio to spread the message as oppose to word of mouth.

9.    Levinson describes how the telephone promotes a level of intrusion beyond other media. Does this still hold true? In what ways has telephone technology been adapted since Levinson wrote this to reduce or increase this intrusion?

Yes this is still somewhat true since it is used to connect to people through signals that most do not know of linking to companies or government if they needed information on a person. You can never trust the connection fully.