Communication is the foundation for pretty much everything in society. From Facebook to our new smart phones there are new ways of communicating popping up everywhere, it’s inescapable. The current book, which we will be examining in my First Year Seminar, is none other than Tim Wu’s “The Master Switch.” Through this thrilling tale navigating through the rise and the fall of the phone, entertainment and Cable Company’s we see just how messed up the line of communications are.
“I can do more today in communications than any conqueror ever could have done,” He proclaimed, “I want to be the hero of my country.” Pg 209 The Master Switch by Tim Wu
This powerful quote, which is from, Ted Turner, a man who revolutionized the cable industry, is in essence equating himself to God or “the hero of my country.” This shows the self-obsessed view these media moguls had through out the century in the communications era. It amazes me to hear them say something like this, but through out my reading I have found that in a way its completely true. While these media empires don’t necessarily save the world and they certainly aren’t the heroes of our country, they do shape and mold our world as they see fit. How many of us have cable television, Ted Turners claim to fame, or go see movies on a regular basis. I’m going to guess pretty much everyone. These huge moguls control what we see on the news, what is displayed on our favorite shows, and control what is placed in newspapers and magazines. Our lives revolve around all of these media outlets. Ted Turner changed the world. He created a prototype of the cable network one, which we still have today. Where would we be with out The Real House Wives of Beverly hills or Family Guy running in continuous loops on BRAVO and Spike? That’s something we’ll never really know. These entertainment founders had these massive egos because they knew how powerful communication is in our society, as seen in this online article about face book and the Presidential elections.
This article talks of how the recent presidential campaigns are targeting online media through face book and other online sources. But the question that arises, is this for the best? Is our society turning into one huge popularity contest where all it takes to join a campaign is to log onto your face book and like it? So Ted Turner hero to the world, he would like to think so, however in my opinion just one of the many players that shaped our world we live in today, good or bad.
It is interesting to think where American society would be today if not for moguls like Ted Turner. I agree with your claim that these powerful men were able to shape the nation as they saw fit. But can we say that ALL of these moguls were not heroes of the country? They may have been greedy, yes, but some of their corporations did revolutionize and advance the way that we as Americans live today. I definitely agree with you that these men were not necessarily "good" people, but I think that they are an important part of American history and that we must give credit where credit is due.
ReplyDeleteClaire,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more that our lives revolve around newspapers, television, magazines and other media outlets. Ted Turner did change the world when he created a prototype of the cable network. However, even though I know you enjoy reality television shows like The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and the Bachelor, somehow I think we would survive without trashy TV. Also, based on your interest in Ted Turner and his advancement of cable, I recommend his book "Call Me Ted." (A fun fact: the book was written with my dad's friend, Bill Burke, who is from Cape Elizabeth, ME..I know you love my home state & lobster!)
http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/features/callmeted/index.asp
Maddie in response to your comment although yes I do like reality television in my post I wasn't so much saying our society couldn't live without reality TV, there is no doubt in my mind we could. However the question I was presenting is more a generality of where would society as a whole be with out the kardashians and other trashy TV shows. Seeing as a huge portion of our society today consists of the media empire i.e celebrities it would be interesting to see what it might be like if the huge communication empires had developed in the way they did and it was such a huge part of our culture. Thanks for your input though! Definitely some food for thought!
ReplyDeleteAn irony of Turner's status as a mogul is that he made a terrible investment (one only a few far-sighted geeks understood at the time) in AOL. As Wu shows us, the AOL "walled garden" model did not thrive as the Internet evolved. With AOL went Turner's personal fortune.
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's cosmic justice for Ted's bringing the likes of Paris Hilton into our homes on the technology he pioneered? I'm not sure; we'd have other trash entertainment if we still only had CBS, NBC, and ABC presenting TV. There's little doubt, however, the Turner opened a floodgate we have never closed.
As much as I hate most television and miss the best of the Big Three Networks (especially their news bureaus and the Fairness Doctrine--Google that) Turner did his nation a favor. At its best, cable can bring some excellent entertainment our way, some of it though-provoking, even haunting.
And it also brings us disposable and brainless celebrities. But you have to put up with Paris Hilton to learn about Paris, France with your cable package.
I've personally opted to have NO cable service. If I want to see television, I'll buy a DVD or download what I want.