• @whogivesashit@lemmygrad.ml
    hexbear
    1
    7 months ago

    You're making massive assumptions about peoples level of access to information prior to the internet. For one, consider any country that didn't have public libraries. Like several of Americas largest companies are only as big as they are because of the internet.

    I wouldn't disagree that electricity had a much higher impact than the internet, but to write it off as just some extension of the TV or radio is honestly one of the most bonkers things I've ever heard.

    • xXthrowawayXx [none/use name]
      hexbear
      1
      7 months ago

      Places without public libraries weren’t part of the early internet generally. Literally all of Americas biggest companies reached the size they are because of electricity.

      I’m not writing the internet off, it’s just a very one sided comparison. When you look at the effects of electricity on human development, the internet is so much closer to radio and tv that classifying it as mass media isn’t outlandish.