Alphabet to Internet Media in Our Lives [Paperback]

What Greek philosopher thought writing would harm a students memory? Was the poet Byrons daughter the first computer programmer? Who plays more video games, women over 18 or teenage boys?

In Alphabet to Internet: Media in Our Lives, Irving Fang looks at each medium of communication through the centuries, asking not only, What happened? but also, How did society change because of this new communication medium? and, How are we different as a result?

Examining the impact of different media on a broad, historical scaleamong them mass printing, the telegraph, film, the internet, and advertisingAlphabet to Internettakes us from the first scratches of writing and the origins of mail to today's video games, the widespread and daily use of smartphones, and the impact of social media in political uprisings across the globe. A timeline at the end of each chapter places events in perspective and allows students to pinpoint key moments in media history.

Now in its third edition, Alphabet to Internet presents a lively, thoughtful, and accessible introduction to media history.

Introduction   1. Writing: Gathering Knowledge  2. Printing: Reaching More of Us  3. Mail: The Snail that Could  4. Telegraph: Uniting the United States  5. Telephone: Reaching Without Touching  6. Recording: Beyonce Sings Better Than Our Sister  7. Photography: Personal and So Much More  8. Movies: Made by More of Us  9. Radio: Helping Us Through the Rough Years  10. Television: Pictures in Our Parlors  11. Computers: Beyond Calculation  12. The Internet: The World at Our Fingertips  13. Video Games: Leaning Forward  14. Persuasion: The Push Never Stops  15. We Are Different: Living in a World of Social Change

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