For this assignment, I watched the short film Long Distance, which looks into the development, use, and scale of the telephone at the time, namely long distance calls. Beyond that, it compares the expansion of the long-distance telephone line to the expansion of America itself.
What this film can show us is the romanticism we will often find with the new technologies being introduced in our present and our future. The film quickly stops only discussing how a long-distance phone call works and instead delves into the history of the nation's expansion, as if to compare the two as equals. This becomes fairly obvious as you learn that the film was sponsored by AT&T. It shows us how a technology we take so much for granted was once a new and amazing idea that would even be thought of as magic (No, really, the narrator refers to broadcasting stations as "houses of magic").
This film can teach and remind us about the constantly evolving state of technology and communication. Just as new means of communication bring awe and wonder to those in the past, we know how they will become commonplace and even replaced with time. It also serves to remind us of the involvement of corporations in the evolution of communication technology, as those who own or are invested in the infrastructure will work to play up this image for publicity and sales. The information society is built by one group, used by another, and publicized by yet another.
2 comments:
I agree with Joey that throughout the film, Long Distance the idea of an evolving state of technology and communication is emphasized, along with the collaboration of corporations to help the growing industry run smoothly. While watching this film, I found many similarities with the one I watched, Telegraph and Technology. Both films familiarized society on the new technologies being used by providing information on how they work, and also showed the need for humans to coincide with the technologies in order for them to be successful. After watching the films it makes me wonder how the public was reacting to these new technologies and whether or not society was interested in getting involved in the new career opportunities, or intimidated.
I believe Joey makes very valid points when he discusses how the long distance calls were, in their beginning stages, looked at with wonder and awe. It helps a modern student appreciate our modern technology and not take the commonplace ones for granted. I like the way that Joey clarifies that the long distance telephone was "romanticized" when it was still up-and-coming, and how he draws the parallels between the development of the long distance phone and the nation. His points definitely helped me find the main points in the film.
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