Last semester for Virginia Issues & Controversies with Professor Moon, our final project had to incorporate a “digital tool,” and I made a timeline. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jKM1fX9Cu5_wqodZZOHfeIcdduJEq0l1yPAyDO3rXFs/edit?usp=sharing
Downey breaks down the information age into discussions of the technologies of communication and how they evolved and replaced each other over time. He identifies four major periods of communication technology, and discusses social, cultural, political, and economic factors that influence the evolution throughout these periods. Downey also describes historical actors working towards certain goals in these periods. Starting with print communication and ending with computers, Downey paints a picture that contrasts the pushed perspective that new technology trumps old technology. He makes a more nuanced argument that new technology pushes for older forms to adapt to new roles/audiences.