Blog Post 4 (DTC 356)

I would like to take this time to discuss the reading of Gleick, starting on page 131 where he talks about the potential uses of the telegraphe. Claude Chappe imagined it as "an instrument of power" as opposed to being used for the spread of knowledge or the exclusion of the rich. Chappe didn't want his machine to be used just for any old person to use, he wanted world leaders (or authoritative figures in general) to be able to use the telegraph to influence an entire country.

While reading this, it would be assumed that the telegraph fell into these "wrong" hands, and abnormal uses. However with the growth of technology and the shift from world leaders to businesses being the "authority", it seems to me that Chappe's telegraph is being used the way he envisioned all along.

Today we aren't driven by the telegraph but from the telegraph we now have technologies like the radio, phones, television, and internet. All of which are big users of electricity.

I think the big this here is the messages that Chappe envisioned for his machine, as well as any future machines, is that the magnitude of the message would outweigh ideas or messages that are delivered where no one cares, or that anyone could look up based on past experiences. The point of the fast-acting message relaying was so messages that impacted a country or the world would be able to travel at a lightning pace.

Although we have news stations that regularly update us on global issues and things happening within the country, there are now big corporations and the "every-man" messengers who have made there way onto these big media outlets. Businesses attempt to get the message out that "we need this" or "we need that" and the every-man attempts to teach us something that may seem irrelevant but profoundly interesting. With our media outlets today, the magnitude and values of these messages have a higher value to the audience as opposed to just what the government is doing.

It might not have been 100% what Chappe wanted, but it is used in the way that he predicted. Whoever holds the power to use these mediums/medias is able to hold a power over those who don't use it correctly or don't feel important enough to hold much power over others.