#moderninternet

In our modern world, there are a lot of things that we take for granted. Especially in the younger generations, instant communication via the internet, such as Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, and iMessage are all means of bridging the distance between us, allowing for quick conversation. However, it wasn’t always this easy. The first step towards communication as we know it today was the telegraph, but it wasn’t always an easy road to get there.

 In the past, before the dawn of electricity, the main way of instant communication over distances was noise - such as bells or horns, signaling those within hearing distance about attacks or important events. Even with loud noises however, it was hard for any complex messages to travel any great distance. Other forms of communication were primarily relayed by men on horseback or on ships, however, it took anywhere from days to months for those messages to be conveyed, and often they were mis-communicated or even lost. With the recent celebration of the Fourth of July, it brings to mind one of the most famous horseback messengers -  Paul Revere, with his iconic cry, “the British are coming!”

 As the world and our knowledge of it grew, with it came the need for faster, more complex communications. While it would be a long time before this need was met, a monk did an experiment that paved the way for future researchers. Jean-Antoine Nollet shocked a line of monks holding connecting wires that was about a mild long. This experiment was critical to the development of the telegraph as it showed that in theory, it could be possible to transmit signals with electricity over a great distance, far faster than a rider on horseback or ship could carry them. For more information about the experiment and early electricity, check out this interesting article: "The First Shock of Electricity."

After Nollet’s experiment, the next major development was the optical / visual Telegraph, created by a pair of French inventors named Claude and Rene Chappe. They were some of the many people that failed to capture electricity for the purpose of sending messages.  His very early idea was sending different “clang” messages by striking a casserole dish, which could only go about a quarter mile away. They would synchronize their clocks, and based on the timing of the “clang,” a number dictionary and a code book they translated these numbers into letters, words, and phrases. The main problem with this system was the short distance that messages were able to be sent over. On March 2, 1791, using black and white panels, clocks, telescopes and code books they sent a message through town, reaching a building 10 miles away. Later, they created a new design that did not need clocks, consisting of two small rotating arms on the end of a long rotating bar. That bar could be aligned horizontally or vertically and the smaller arms could be rotated in seven different positions, with a total of 98 different combinations. This was the very first Visual Telegraph.

Samuel F.B. Morse And Dr. Charles Jackson, took the next step in developing the telegraph by using the clicking of an electromagnets to send numbers, but this system took nine times longer to send a message. Then he came up with using a bi-signal that involved dots and dashes of what we know today as Morse code. This was then put into electrical signal so it could be translated from dots and dashes back into the original message. To watch and listen to what Morse code telegraphs sounded like, you can watch this video.

It wasn't until 1871 all the Telegraph wires of the United States were connected to a single Morse Key. Eventually, automatic telegraph machines sent messages without operators. David Hughes later invented a keyboard with alternating black and white keys, one for each letter, that was able to print characters a paper tape and it could be operated by anyone. This invention was perfected by Charles Wheatstone and later became the Wheatstone Automatic Transmitter. Later on was the harmonic telegraph invented by Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell. On March 3rd 1876, he succeeded in transmitting speech for the first time, an invention that is now known as the telephone. Four years later, in 1880 there were 30,000 phones in use.

The telegraph was a revolutionary invention that created many new businesses and jobs for people. This boom in jobs and businesses is mirrored by the modern telecommunication industry. Today many telephone companies also offer internet, one of the bigger ones being the AT&T company. Even today the internet redefines the way people work and the way businesses work today. Like any new communication invention there's usually many benefits, not only through the communication aspect, but such inventions were expected to improve education, reduce social isolation and overall enhance communication.

Although other resources were implemented in developing stages, these are the resources that were vital for the final versions of the commercial telegraph and similar technological devices. Many physical resources were needed, including wire for transmission, magnetic needles for human detection of electrical changes, and galvanometers for measuring electrical currents. Earlier devices used other, often more difficult to obtain, supplies, including mercury and silk. The use of such materials in the final products supported the iron industry in terms of finances and demand, as well as other industries that the advancements depended on.

Limitations on knowledge hinder technological development, so the technical information available to the engineers was a critical aspect of these inventions. For example, according to Harvard professor R.Victor Jones, without the knowledge of frequency-division multiplexing, the telegraph technology would have lacked the ability to send more than one message per wire in the same way, using varying frequencies. Additionally, fiber optic transmission eventually allowed for sending thousands of telegraph signals simultaneously down a line using laser light signals through fiber optic cables. Pavel Schilling even implemented the binary system.

Early slang and code was implemented in lists to make communication easier. For example, from The Victorian Internet, “However, one listing of common abbreviations compiled in 1859 includes ‘1 1’ (dot dot, dot dot) for ‘I AM READY’; ‘G A’ (dash dash dot, dot dash) for ‘GO AHEAD’, ‘S F D’ for ‘STOP FOR DINNER’; ‘G M’ for ‘GOOD MORNING.’” However, all of this knowledge was never gained in the first place or rendered useless without outside support. The development process was heavily dependent on public support and funding because without enough interest and financing, projects or versions of projects are hindered or altogether rejected. Francis Ronalds and André-Marie Ampère, both developers of the telegraph around the same time period, experienced this fact when told their creations were not useful. This is not a rare experience even for engineers in the contemporary world, and can be positive or negative in extremes.

The Victorian Internet had many factors that lead to having a positive impact on society. These impacts increased socialization through cultural exchange, education, and romance. Being able to talk through Morse code to another person was much faster than relating a message from a horse. The electronic telegram allows people to speak to one another from around the world. By this new source of communication, it has resulted in an increased of social activity. These activities, explained in the Victorian Internet was where “love across the wires originated” through the romance people had from this form of communication.  

From the electronic telegram, new technology evolves and became better. Industries formed and people had a greater increase in socialization. Verizon Wireless was one of those industries that allowed people to have these abilities. The chance to send messages within seconds to someone. Having the capability to talk to someone else across the world. Being able to use the interest such as Facebook to chat with friends, families, and colleagues. Lowell McAdam, Version Chairman and CEO reported, “Explosive demand for mobile data is arguably the biggest driver of growth in the technology industry today. By launching our 4G LTE wireless network, which delivers the speed and capacity required for wireless data and video, and covering 89% of the U.S. population allowed people to have the communication they need within seconds.” 

However, even back in the era of the Victorian Internet there was theft and fraud, as stated in a line from The Victorian Internet “The educated criminal skims the cream from every new invention. The telegraph was no exception. It provided unscrupulous individuals with novel opportunities for fraud, theft, and deception.” (Standage 105). A key example of these mentioned in the book is horse racing. With the results of a winning race, person A could send person B the winning horse, and then person B could then put a surefire bet on the horse, winning money almost every time. This ultimately would have a negative effect on society due to the telegraph being misused for what it was intended for, thus gaining a negative reputation as people would be afraid to use it being afraid of theft or other negative things.

Similarly, to the negative effects of the Victorian Internet on society, the invention of new technologies today also has negative effects. One of the most prevalent issues with technology today is how it is affecting the day to day lives of children. According to: Americans and Technology: The Good and The Bad, American children spend about 40 hours a week using some sort of technological device. If you consider in a child going to school for six hours, sleep for about 8 hours, and then the average 6-8 hours they spend on a device, that takes up about 20-22 hours of their day. It is no wonder American kids and America as a whole are becoming more and more obese, as you can see from the image, America has the most obese children. We spend so much time with technology that doesn’t leave much time to have an active life.

Despite the negatives, there are endless possibilities thanks to our modern technology. Even with all of the progress we’ve made, technology slows no sign of slowing down. Communication is something that connects us all, and the instruments that connect us are still an essential part of our lives. What do you think will come next? And what, like the pony express or telegraph, will be outdated before we know it?

           Sources

http://americancensorship.org/americans-technology-good-bad/

https://www.verizon.com/about/sites/default/files/vz_ar_2012.pdf

https://aehistory.wordpress.com/1837/10/08/1837-first-commercial-telegraph/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/4750776/The-first-shock-of-electricity.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWKsgDqa9T8

https://www.famousscientists.org/andre-marie-ampere/

http://uudb.org/articles/francisronalds.html