AMERICA
The Rise of Media
THE BASICS
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Today's average college student was born between 1996 and 2000. Many of us were only toddlers when the September 11th attacks happened, and instead of living in the early 2000s as teenagers and adults, we lived them as toddlers and little kids. The rise of media in America took place in our early childhood, leaving us with some memories of the changes taking place, but not all of it. Here is a timeline of information about the rise of media from the early 2000's through 2006.
THE EARLY 2000s
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2000’s: The Age of Media Convergence
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Before the early 2000's, America was primarily a country that thrived off of print media. Newspapers, books, and magazines were common objects in every household, and most of the news was shared via print methods. Of course, new inventions began to replace print media over time: the radio became a source of household entertainment and a reliable news source, the television did the same, but added a visual element that the radio lacked, and now computers and smart phones have made entertainment, information, and breaking news instantly accessible with the click of a button.
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In the early 2000's, inventions were coming out every other minute: the current college generation likely remembers the age of VHS tapes and bulky computers, but has grown up to watch older methods of technology fall by the wayside.
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2000’s: Rise of Cell Phones and Cellular Technology
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The first ever cell phone was invented in the late 1970's. Since then, there have been a few generations of what we know to be the cell phone: the analogue cellular of the late 70's and early 80's, the digital cellular of the 90's, and mobile broadband cellular from the early 2000's.
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The mobile broadband cellular was the first phone to have full access to the internet, and the idea for a smart phone emerged from this wave of cell phones.
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The early 2000's saw a rapid amount of constantly changing and evolving technology, and cell phones were no exception. The first cell phone with full access to the internet was invented in Japan in 1999. By the end of 2007, there were 295 million subscribers on 3G networks worldwide.
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2001
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2001: The Broadcasting of 9/11
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Although other events had been broadcast before, the attacks on September 11th, 2001 were broadcast far and wide. People across the country knew what was happening because of the onslaught of media reports following every moment of the day. Many people remember exactly where they were when the attacks happened; they remember hearing about it on the radio or watching it happen on the television if they weren't there to see it in person. News spread quickly because of the progress made in technology, making 9/11 an event many remember clearly.
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2001: iPod and MP3 Format Compressed Digital Files Debut
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For the first time, the music files many people are familiar with today were introduced to the public. Soon, these formats would be used widely and would open doors for new kinds of music devices (say goodbye to the Walkmans of years past).
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Music sharing was also revolutionized. Writer Yanto Browning points out, “Early MP3s didn’t sound great and were generally disliked by audiophiles and record producers alike. But they allowed consumers to stockpile music to an extent that had not been possible before, heralding a new relationship between digital information and ownership. A market model based on scarcity had been turned on its head. While copying music had been around for decades, each copy was physically coupled to the medium – a vinyl record or magnetic tape cassette, for instance. The rise of peer-to-peer file sharing networks, most famously Napster, meant that now anyone with a computer and internet connection could access another person’s entire music collection. A single file could by copied by thousands, all at the same time. This changed listening patterns: instead of buying perhaps one album per month (depending on what you could afford), and then listening to it several times, music fans could constantly scour the internet for new music. Some would even stockpile music that they would never even listen to.”
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2001: Newspaper Chains and Media Conglomerates Dominate the Business World
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Although technology was rapidly evolving, newspaper chains and "old fashioned" sources of media were still going strong. Some people were reluctant to change with the times, thus the need for more print media. Others couldn't afford the newest and greatest technologies, and needed to rely on perfectly useful sources of print media based on necessity.
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2001: Instant Message Services Debut
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Long distance communication has been part of human history since the dawn of time, and in 2001, the speed at which we began to send messages got even faster. Before Instant Messaging (IM) became a huge hit, email was the fastest way of communicating with others digitally. Cell phones and home phones were the most useful aural form of communication.
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2002
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2002: TV Standard Changes to Digital
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Previously, televisions required satellite dishes to work: television sets used the satellite dishes to receive signals being broadcast to anyone with said dishes in order to watch the TV. TVs that require the satellite dishes are known as analog TVs, and as of 2002, are a thing of the past. America began making the switch to digital televisions, and eventually the signals being broadcast nationwide stopped, and the use of the analog television set along with it.
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2002: Satellite Radio is Launched
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Although signals were no longer being sent to TVs via satellite, radio systems began using the same system for increased distance and increased music options. Satellite radios are popular in many cars today (think Sirius XM systems instead of your typical AM/FM radio).
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2005
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2005: The Google Library Book Project
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The Google Library Book Project worked to digitize books for quicker, easier access. Although libraries and paperback books were still thriving, many people wished to be able to access their books without carrying around all the weight or without having to stop by the library. This would lead to the invention of the Amazon Kindle and other eBooks.
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2003
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2003: iTunes Online Music Store Debut
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The birth of iTunes continued the new world of music sharing and downloading. The first iPod was invented in 2001, and the iTunes Online Music Store would lead to the surge of iPod sales over other MP3 players.
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2003: Video On Demand Debuts
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The first ever video on demand debuts in 2003, and would eventually lead to popular streaming sites such as Netflix and Hulu.
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2004
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2004: Broadband is In a Majority of American Homes.
2006
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2006: The Google Video Pilot Project
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Much like the Google Library Book Project, the Google Video Pilot Project worked to make National Archive videos accesible online for digital access.
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"DON'T WANNA BE AN AMERICAN IDIOT,
DON'T WANT A NATION UNDER THE NEW MEDIA,
AND CAN YOU HEAR THE SOUND OF HYSTERIA?
THE SUBLIMINAL MIND-FUCK AMERICA."