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Alphabet to Internet: media in our lives

Alphabet to Internet: media in our lives

Fang, Irving E., author

What Greek philosopher thought writing would harm a student's memory? Was the poet Byron's daughter the first computer programmer? Who plays more video games, women over 18 or teenage boys? In 'Alphabet to Internet', Irving Fang looks at each medium of communication through the centuries, asking not only, 'What happened?' but also, 'How did society change because of this new communication medium?' and, 'How are we different as a result?'

Paperback, Book. English.
Third edition.
Published New York: Routledge, 2015
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Available: Newton Park

  • Newton Park – One available in Main Collection 302.23/FAN

    Barcode Shelfmark Loan type Status
    00335050 Main Collection 302.23/FAN Standard Available

Details

    Statement of responsibility: Irving Fang
    ISBN: 1138805858, 9781138805859
    Intended audience: Specialized.
    Note: Includes bibliographical references and index.
    Note: Previous edition: Saint Paul, MN: Rada Press, 2012.
    Physical Description: viii, 384 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 26 cm
    Subject: Mass media; Mass media History.; Digital media; Media Studies.

    Contents

    1. Introduction
    2. 1. Writing: Gathering Knowledge
    3. 2. Printing: Reaching More of Us
    4. 3. Mail: The Snail that Could
    5. 4. Telegraph: Uniting the United States
    6. 5. Telephone: Reaching Without Touching
    7. 6. Recording: Beyonce Sings Better Than Our Sister
    8. 7. Photography: Personal and So Much More
    9. 8. Movies: Made by More of Us
    10. 9. Radio: Helping Us Through the Rough Years
    11. 10. Television: Pictures in Our Parlors
    12. 11. Computers: Beyond Calculation
    13. 12. The Internet: The World at Our Fingertips
    14. 13. Video Games: Leaning Forward
    15. 14. Persuasion: The Push Never Stops
    16. 15. We Are Different: Living in a World of Social Change

    Author note

    Irving Fanghas been a journalist, teacher, author, and publisher. His career has included the Daily Timesof Nigeria, Reuters, ABC News, and the University of Minnesota. He wrote the first book about television news skills and possibly the first doctoral dissertation ever printed by computer. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

    Reviews

    Praise for previous editions of Alphabet to Internet(whose first edition was named by Choice as one of the "outstanding academic titles for 2008"):

    "This book doesn't plod along. Instead, like a good mystery novel, it hooks readers. Each chapter makes readers eager for the next as Fang brings history to life." -Sue Burzynski Bullard, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly

    "Encompassing a vast amount of terrain and synthesizing a range of scholarly and popular sources, Fang's Alphabet to Internetwill provide readers and instructors with a ready source of information on the historical development of media technologies." -Andrew Salvati, H-Net

    "[Fang] offers a remarkable one-volume history tracing the development of mediated communication from the earliest forms of writing to contemporary computer-based communications." -G. A. Mayer, Choice

    "Alphabet to Internet . . . by Irving Fang is a tour-de-force by the emeritus University of Minnesota journalism professor. . . . The breadth of material here is amazing, ranging from the pre-historic (briefly!) to the plethora of services we have today." -Christopher Sterling, Communication Booknotes Quarterly