Politicians and Technology
Twitter might be the latest, but it’s not the first
Last week, Facebook announced that it was banning former president Donald Trump from its platform for two years. The news made waves because of the enormous impact of social media on our political culture, campaigning, and communication. I write a monthly column for Governing, usually exploring the history behind a current phenomenon or historical question. I’ve written on everything from political spouses, the cabinet, the executive order, dereliction of duty, unusual impeachments, the vice president, and more. You can check out all of those articles HERE.
This month, I decided to explore the history behind politicians and technology and why they seem to like it so darn much. Here’s a taste.
Politicians worked to influence their constituents long before they called themselves Americans. In 1475, William Caxton brought the printing press to London, ushering in the era of newspapers and broadsides. As the number of newspaper publications grew, so too did newspaper culture. In London, coffeehouses sprung up on nearly every corner, where patrons could sip a beverage, chat about the events of the day and read the shop’s newspapers. But these newspapers weren’t just scanned in silence, they were often read aloud. As a result, even illiterate customers could consume the news and share it with their families at home.
Fast-forward a bit, as newspapers took off…
Over the course of the 19th century, the scope and reach of newspapers expanded apace with technological advancements. Steams ships, canals and railroads sped up the delivery time for newspapers, and the advent of the telegram in 1838 made the concept of breaking news possible. No longer did it take weeks for newspapers from Boston to reach Georgia; now deliveries could arrive in a matter of days, and the newspapers would be filled with news that had occurred just the day before. For example, when miners struck gold in Sutter Creek, Calif., in 1848, the discovery was relayed to the East Coast the next day. Newspapers across the country shrieked “CALIFORNIA! EXTRAORDINARY INDUCEMENTS!” sparking the migrations of thousands of hopeful miners to the West Coast.
Naturally, the world of politics adapted to these technological innovations. Election results were reported by telegram and printed in the newspaper the following day, including the pivotal election of 1860. On the night of Nov. 6, Abraham Lincoln waited up at a local ice cream parlor in Springfield, Ill., until the election results were reported by telegraph after midnight.
Since then radio and TV have equally revolutionized the political landscape — all before the internet and social media changed the world again.
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