A Perfectly Practical Pinterest Perspective

Megan Carroll + Rebekah Magill 

In a world of endless transition, communication remains a solid constant. From technology to cultural trends, the progression of media is largely responsible for shaping life as we know it. Using one of today's emerging revolutions, Pinterest, we are able to visually represent these effects, and modernly catalog the milestones of history. 

View Project Here: http://pinterest.com/mediaculture/

Notes

1900s:  The decade where the first transatlantic radio signal was sent.  The audion was invented allowing for live radio broadcasting, improving radio signals amplification and enhancing signal reception. Radio communications, or wireless telegraphy, were put into use by the world's military and naval forces.  This decade also introduced the Ford Model T, the beginning of aviation, color photography, the subway, air conditioning, vacuum cleaners that suck (instead of blow), and neon lights to name a few things.

           

1910s:  By 1910, many suburban homes had been wired up with power (telephones) and many new electric gadgets were being patented.  The Titanic sinks, U.S. enters World War I.  Thomas Edison introduces the Kinetophone designed to merge the motion picture camera with the phonograph. The first cross continental phone call was made.  Electric starters, stainless steel, the tank, gas mask, and bra were invented. Superhetrodyne tuners allowed radios to tune into different radio stations and led to the official implementation of radio tuners.  Motorized movie cameras replace hand cranked movie cameras.

1920s: The Roaring Twenties were a time of radical change caused by the many changes happening in technology with new advancements, discoveries, and inventions.  The new technology of movies with sound and color led to the fast growth of Hollywood and Cinemas.  Prohibition laws were passed, making the consumption and possession of alcohol illegal.  Prohibition led to some of the most well known gangsters who opened illegal bars called speakeasies. The most well known gangster of the time was possibly Al Capone.  This period also saw the growth of the Ku Klux Klan and the growth of the Vigilante groups who took the law into their own hands and lynched victims most often black without any trial.  Beginning of the Great Depression in 1929.

1930:  The 1930’s started out with the Nation facing the Great Depression and the dust bowl. Franklin D. Roosevelt became president and his “New Deal” helped heal our country. Thanks to inventions such as the FM radio, and tape recorder, the possibility of radio advertisements grew. The decade also learned how the media could affect the people, thanks to Orsen Welles dramatic “War of the Worlds” broadcast. The photocopier, the jet engine, the ballpoint pen, and drive-in movie theater were all inventions that changed our nation. The decade also saw advertisements directed towards women’s perception of their figures.

1940s:  During this decade there was much advancement in technology, mostly thanks to World War II efforts. The Atomic bomb was created, the first nuclear reactor was developed, and the speed of sound was broken. Both synthetic Cortisone and synthetic rubber were created because cost for the natural substances rose drastically due to the War. Other important inventions were the computer, the microwave, and the Polaroid camera. Because of the Second World War, popularity in political advertisements grew; the nation was trying to get support for its cause by asking people to buy war bonds and support the troops. Another development in advertising was the encouragement of women working outside of their traditional jobs.

1950s: During the 1950s communication was rapidly improved by several highly technical innovations. Advancements in electronics made television available to almost everyone. Then electronic engineers developed systems of broadcasting and receiving broadcast signals in color.  Television brought the moving picture into people's homes and transformed the way people received information.  Television transmitted ideas faster than ever before. Television exposed people to other cultures and worldviews and provided information that would play a major role in shaping popular public opinion.  Martin Luther King, segregation ruling, Fortran computer language, diet pops, credit cards, solar power.

1960s: The 1960s were a time of political, social, cultural and psychological change. Social movements, civil rights issues, student protests and the Vietnam War gained notoriety through national publication, specifically via television. TV's effect on politics, advertising and public perception continued to grow during this time, via national broadcasting. Also dubbed the “Swinging Sixties,” the decade experienced the fall/relaxation of social taboos like sexism and racism that had grown in previous years. The “Psychadelic” counter-culture of the 1960s popularized boisterous style, drug use and the creative expansions of film, art and music.

1970s: The 1970s saw the rise of political scandal through media’s growing reach. Amid Richard Nixon and The Watergate Scandal, social culture became disillusioned and less optimistic than in the decade before. The availability of cable TV allowed trends like the women’s movement and social consciousness to became more accurately depicted in living room programs.  Minority entertainment also emerged among televised broadcasts and disco/soul entertainment to combat racism and the fall of segregation. The 1970s became a time of trust in the media as more people were able to see, first-hand the political and social happenings of the generation.

1980s: Society of the 1980s embraced a new conservatism in social, economic and political life characterized by the policies of President Ronald Reagan. Scandals, sex and violence were abundant in movies, as well as in the radio, television and print news. Consolidated media became a growing trend with major networks, like CNN, emerging, and advertising glorified notions of wealth, beauty and success, that few could actually attain. “Yuppies” also emerged with an explosion of blockbuster movies and cable entertainment networks like MTV, which introduced the music video and launched the careers of many iconic artists.

1990s: The birth of the Internet. The 1990s is widely regarded as the Information Age, characterized by the ability of individuals to transfer and access information freely—bridging past and future decades. Digital technologies like pagers and cell phones emerged to aid in personal communication. The rise of the sitcom in television reflected society’s real-life values and issues, and influenced many of the era’s fashion trends. President Bill Clinton’s affair scandal inspired a media blitz and Y2K left many skeptical that the century’s conclusion would be the last of technology.

2000s: The 2000s jumpstarted an era of globalization and networked communication. The rise of the Internet allowed people to interact with others, express their ideas, explore foreign lifestyles, become digital consumers, perform research and experience the world without leaving home home. Social Networks like Facebook and Twitter have contributed to the immediacy of media and changing face of personal identity. Integrated content—Web, music, videos—has also grown with the real world becoming synergized with the online world.