Writing on the Wall: Social Media: The First 2,000 Years

"Social" media has been the norm for most of history. The modern "mass" media is actually more of an aberration. Companies like Facebook and Twitter help enable social spread of information in a way that is similar to the way communication was spread in Rome.

The Roman empire was one of the first documented cases of mass literacy. Many earlier civilizations had writing. However, there has been limited uses of writing outside of official communications. Writing was a special skill and scribes were keen to limit access to their field. Rome did not have universal literacy, but reading and writing did spread to many more members of society. Elite members of society would pass writings from one to another through various friends and acquaintances. (There was not a modern mail system.) There is also plenty of evidence of graffiti seen in places like the ruins of Pompeii. 

Early Christians communicated through media, with the letters from early leaders making up the bulk of the New Testament. These writings were copied and communicated via social groups.

The printing press enabled additional means of communication. Printing remained decentralized with limited production from individual printing presses. Popular works would be passed along and printed by many different printers. This led to the rise of "pamphlets" and newspapers. These represented the beliefs of the printer and would be more closely related to blogs than modern newspapers. Governments had tried to control printing. However, the success was limited. The pamphleteering and the defense of the press helped lead to the American revolution.

Industrial printing enabled a single printing press to print many more copies. This lead to the start of mass media. Prices of media could become much cheaper with revenue made up by large circulation and advertising. Radio and telegraphy were primarily "social" communications. However, they were superseded by broadcast radio and television. The "golden age" of broadcast media took place after world war 2.

The internet was spawned to support better communication among scientists. Email allowed private communication. The World Wide Web allowed for easy communication with web sites. Even this shifted to "browsing". However, blogs and social media sites came in to fill the gap. Friendster and Myspace have come and gone. The book mentions many other social media sites that have already been shut down. Facebook and Twitter continue to exist, but they have their own struggles. They are still "social" sites controlled by large corporations that depend on advertising. What will the future of social media hold?