Online Blog #1: The Printing Press- The Start of an Evolution

Is the Printing Press the Most Important Innovation Throughout History?

I can easily admit that I am quite bias towards this question as I certainly think the literary outcomes of the printing press are near vital in today’s world as books and other written works are things that are important to me. The printing press brought along a new age of literature and societal revolution which is why I am fascinated with it. It created a new type of communication between different classes of people that was not there before: a connection formed through mass media.

The 1st structure of the Printing Press
Illustration of a printing press and a composing stick from the first edition (1768-71) of the Encyclopeadia Britannica, vol. 3, plate CXLVII, figure 1.

As kids we are taught to read through mass-produced books, so we can also question how literate the population would be without the invention of the printing press. According to the class lecture, the printing press came about during the Industrial Society stage of communication technology and began the need for an increase in literacy amongst the people to meet the demand for jobs. But would this literacy have increased without the printing press? Furthermore, would people have been able to complete these new jobs without being literate enough to understand? Even if these people were able to work through watching those who were more literate, it does not mean that the sheer number of people would be able to complete those tasks as efficiently. This means that society would not be as advanced without the printing press. The printing press was a technological turning point in society. 

"Where would YOU be without the Printing Press?"

The newspaper: one of the most significant mass media forms throughout history. It combined entertainment and information to send to the masses of people, no longer restricted to the elite classes. Today, most of us get our news online, much of this news coming from newspapers that no longer print but posts online. This makes you think, if we never had newspapers, we would not have the content we get online today. And without the information we get today, our lives would be vastly different. So, without the printing press, where would the world really be? Where would you really be?