READING QUESTIONS
Marvin, Carolyn. 1988. When Old Technologies Were New.
(Chap. 4)

1. Marvin argues that when we look back at the past, we tend to "assum[e] that the story could only have concluded with ourselves, we have banished from collective memory the variety of options a previous age saw spread before it. . . ." (p. 154). What does she mean by this? What examples does she provide to support this argument.

 

2. Likewise, she argues that " the late nineteenth century projected . . . its future as a fancier" version of itself. Again, what do you think she means? Examples?

 

3. Some of the sources Marvin cites seem to have anticipated cellular/digital telephone communication., others television. But, in fact, consistent with her statement above about late nineteenth century views of the future, most seem to miss at least one important aspect of each technology as they actually developed. What aspects of each did they fail to anticipate? 

 

4. What purposes, according to Marvin, did electrical spectacles serve for experts, and how? (hint: who were the experts allied with in presenting these spectacles, and what was the symbolism or message of the spectacles generally?)

 

5. What does Marvin mean by a "vocabulary of electric light effects?" Find examples. Can you think of similar vocabularies for modern mass media?

 

6. Marvin contrasts the original public uses of electricity to private uses that ultimately developed. What do you see as the differences?