Introduction
A telegraph is defined as a system that passes over encoded information through a signal from one point to another. Although this term normally refers to passing messages through an electrical current, the term was initially used to describe a visual system for passing over implied messages.
Up to the time when the telephone began being a practical system, the telegraph was a standard method for passing over messages. However, the advent of the telephone in the communication industry did not render the telegraph obsolete, but rather the two worked for hand in hand for several years.
Soon, telexes and telegrams made use of telegraphy, but their place was gradually taken up by fax transmissions through telephone lines. International telegraphy, which makes use of satellite transmission, has been improved and has led, in modern times, to the internet (Anon 1).
Relationship between the telegraph and the modern-day internet
Communication devices have been undergoing improvement over time, from the primitive means to the telegraph, and eventually to the present-day internet. The initial efforts to conduct communication between long distances involved the use of such means as fire signals, waving flags, and smoke signals, among others. These were among primitive ways was conducting communication.
As time went on, more inventions were developed, the non-electric telegraph being set up in 1794. Since this kind of communication depended merely on a line of sight for communication, this was deemed to be a shortcoming and later the electric telegraph was invented to overcome this deficiency.
After electricity was discovered and developed into a usable system, the electric telegraph was invented, making it possible for people to carry out quick communication, almost instantly, over great distances which would otherwise have necessitated a very long period of time, up to a month or even more, for the message to be conveyed.
In general terms, it is believed that the discovery of the electric telegraph was the greatest invention of the nineteenth century. More interestingly, as the nineteenth century was coming to an end, further inventions introduced more improvements to the electric telegraph. At this time, it was possible for people to carry out communication by the use of the telegraph without necessarily using wires, as had earlier been the case. As time moved on, more discoveries and improvements were made in the communication system, and currently, communication has been made even easier by more complex systems such as the internet (Perera 4).
The features that were included in the telegraph were similar to those of the modern-day internet. Contemporary high-tech gadgets, such as the internet and mobile phones, are actually extensions of telegraphy. The setting up of the telegraph saw the introduction of such concepts as the “chat room” and, even more so, of special codes which are similar to the emotions that are seen on certain internet communication in modern days. A telegraph is indeed a primitive form of the internet.
The invention of the telegraph was of great importance in enabling people to communicate with each other more efficiently despite the increasing population; in fact, it was this population explosion that led to the invention of the telegraph (Norman 38). From the time the telegraph was invented up to the current time, the world population has continued to increase, triggering improvements in communication technology and leading to the invention of the current-day internet. Such technological developments are considered quite necessary since people rely on information for business, social interaction, and education.
In summary, the internet is seen to be the advancement of the telegraph and they are closely related in a way that they both play a role in facilitating effective communication among people around the world. The communication problems that were solved by the telegraph are now solved by the internet but only at a level that is more advanced. However, the invention of the internet was intended to solve the communication problems of the increased population of the people which could not be solved by the telegraph.
The telegraph and the new journalism
The telegraph played a very big role in the new journalism. It facilitated big improvements in this field. Most of the problems that were encountered in the field of journalism were done away with. The discovery of the telegraph could be viewed in one way or the other as marking the commencement of modern society. At the point of its invention, it was now possible to convey messages all over the globe. Coincidentally, the telegraph was introduced at the same time as a new kind of journalism, one that relied on spreading information that was very much up to date. Events started to be reported as they occurred, a practice that started to take priority over a newspaper’s usual editorial position (Anon 14).
With the advent of the telegraph, news reporters, as well as correspondents, used this technology to instantly send collected information from the original point where the incident would have occurred. For instance, with the invention of the telegraph, information about an ongoing war in a particular location could be conveyed to the public in a matter of just minutes. Before the age of the telegraph, this information moved at a very slow speed before it could reach the interested parties. At times, delayed information caused more damage and suffering in cases where a quick response was needed.
At this point, information was turning out to be more and more important. It was not just a simple act to convey a message through the telegraph: the message was seen as significant information. For instance, if a news reporter had just witnessed a particular event and sent the message about the event, in the form of a story, back to the newspaper editor, such a message was significant information. Other people, probably even rival newspapers, may have wanted access to this information. Ultimately, information itself would turn out to be a product that could be bought and sold just like any other product in the market. This commercialization of information effectively came about through the use of the telegraph.
Conclusion
In summary, as communication technology advances from the mechanical one to the electrical form, it becomes an advancement in mass media. The invention of the telegraph made it possible to convey messages at high speeds from one place to the other all over the world. Over time, as the world population has gone up, this technology has been improved to make communication much easier through the invention of such communication technologies like the internet. These technologies will continue to offer opportunities to a society that has become increasingly networked.
References
Anon. “The telegraph.” Advameg, Inc., 2010. Web.
Norman, Jeremy, M., From Gutenberg to the Internet: a sourcebook on the history of information technology. Volume 2. Norman Publishing, 2005. Print.
Perera, Tom. “History, theory, and construction of the electric the telegraph.” Montclair State University, 2010. Web.