As we, as a society, have moved through the eras of communication, it is clear that, as our methods of communication have changed, so too has our culture. It is hard to imagine someone who, in the written era of communication, was willing to wait months or years for a message from a friend or relative willing to exercise that same patience in today’s age of instant messaging.

In fact, we now expect IMMEDIATE feedback on our missives and, if it isn’t received, we get quite upset.

Our culture is now one that thrives on instant gratification. It’s one where I can no longer carry around my trusty telegraph to stay in touch with my acquaintances…it’s not “culturally accepted” anymore.

Is this change, however, a result of the media/mediums available to us, or did changes in our culture facilitate/necessitate the development of new forms of communication and the technology that enables them? Perhaps a better way to frame the question is: When it comes to culture and media/communication, which has the greater influence on the other?  The answer, I believe, is dependent on the era of communication being discussed.

Let’s take the print era of communication as our first example.

The “Print Era,” ushered in by the printing press (an invention of the venerable Johannes Gutenberg), had some undeniably positive impacts on the development of culture in the 15th century (particularly in Europe). Let’s explore a couple:

1. There was a rapid increase in the speed with which information could be spread
2. Literacy rates increased
3. Faster and more efficient production of printed materials enabled more books to be printed -thereby bringing down the cost of books and enabling more people to afford them.

Suddenly (a bit of an exaggeration), more people had access to information and those with the ability to print large quantities of their material were able to reach the masses.  Those with this ability were undoubtedly able to have a great influence on society and culture…Protestant Reformation anyone?

The importance of the printed word was so profound, in fact, that until as late as 1980, print was the dominant medium for spreading knowledge…and influence.

During this era, there was a clear delineation between content creators and content consumers, with creators far outnumbered by consumers. Nonetheless, I would argue that during the print era, due to economic and social factors, those in the mass media “biz” had a far greater impact on the consumers than vice versa.

In the digital era, this, I would posit, has changed.

I KNOW!

Things have changed quite a bit since Gutenberg invented the printing press. Now, it might be argued that we (the masses of mass media consumership fame) have significantly narrowed the “influence gap” by creating and disseminating content of our own…quite successfully in many instances.

In fact, we, I believe, now drive what the mass media produces. Earlier, we were essentially told what was important for us to know. Gatekeepers (and relatively few of them) determined what we should watch and listen to. Today, that role falls to us. In the current era, mass media keeps one eye on their bottom line while focusing the other on what the general population is watching, creating, and talking about. What is popular online now, may be a Netflix show next. This shift can be attributed to advances in technology generally and, specifically, to digital convergence. We now have instant access to information and the ability to, with a smart phone alone, produce our own “talk show” highlighting our reaction to, and opinions on, that information. Individuals with the ability to appeal to those who don’t find their opinions echoed on network television need only go online to find like-minded folks (selective exposure at its finest). We no longer NEED someone else to feed us information or even produce our entertainment. We like it, because let’s face it, we’re not professionals with bottomless pockets and tons of time, but we don’t need it.

The balance has definitely shifted over the centuries – and with it, the power. The “masses” now have more influence on media than ever before. Years ago, mass media had a profound impact on culture and its evolution. Today, culture, often developing online, seems to be driving mass media.

The question is: Who’s in charge next?

(All .gifs via GIPHY)