Technologies of Journalism and the Information Age

The world as we know it is becoming more and more dependant on technology. It makes work easier, leisure more accessible, and communications that were once thought impossible now simple. So is it now fair to say that we live in an information age?

Technology within the world of Journalism has almost certainly raised newspapers to the status it is today. The enhancement of paper mills in the 1880’s meant factories could churn out large amounts of paper to print on. When coupled with the printing press, this allowed faster print cycles and more copies to be dispersed, therefore increasing readership. This was only furthered in the same decade with the production of the Linotype, which simplified the process even more.

The media embraced the web more than any other group in the late 90’s, which allowed for up to date news to be accessed by anyone anywhere at anytime, and furthered readership even more. However, the reliance on the internet can be seen in the international panic caused with the Millennium Bug scare in 1999. The panic led to people predicting the end of the world, and all due to a technology. So if people believe the fall of technology could lead to the end of the world, then does this not foreground the idea that society is dependant on these technologies, therefore living in an information age?

There seems to be no escape from technology even on an individual level. The majority of people sleep with their mobile phones on whilst they sleep, so are never far away from news that may not effect them in the slightest. The explosion of networking sights on the internet such as Facebook and Myspace has led to measures in the workplace to reduce their usage in certain companies. The arrival of Email has led to the postal service being known now as snail mail due to the speed at which travels being almost static when compared its new rival.

All the above examples are examples of information transfer, which shows that society almost has a craving for up to date news and info. But it perhaps could not be said to have evolved into reliance…yet.