Introduction
Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future has rapidly gained recognition as an essential introductory book for studying mass communication theories. Unlike traditional introductory texts that tend to provide an abundance of definitions for beginners, this book unfolds the concepts by tracing the ferment behind each theory, examining its foundation, and finally discerning its plausible future.
Baran and Davis, at the beginning of their book, have presented a chronological list that outlines the major developments which shaped the field of mass communication as we know it today. This list serves as a guiding framework for students seeking to understand how various developments in technology, politics, and production techniques influenced the evolution of the media industry and the way it is studied by scholars.
Note: I have included a brief description alongside the years and events given in the book to help contextualize each milestone.
| Year | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1455 | Johann Gutenberg invents the printing press | Marks the beginning of mass communication and information dissemination. |
| 1644 | John Milton’s Areopagitica published | Foundational argument for freedom of the press and expression. |
| 1690 | Publick Occurrences published | First newspaper in colonial America. |
| 1704 | First newspaper advertisement in America | Beginning of commercial advertising in print media. |
| 1741 | First magazines in the American Colonies | Early diversification of print journalism. |
| 1790 | Bill of Rights and First Amendment adopted | Establishes freedom of speech and press in U.S. law. |
| 1833 | New York Sun introduces penny press | Makes newspapers affordable to the general public. |
| 1836 | Charles Babbage designs mechanical computer | Early conception of computational communication. |
| 1844 | Samuel Morse invents the telegraph | Enables instant long-distance communication. |
| 1876 | Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone | Revolutionizes personal and business communication. |
| 1877 | Thomas Edison demonstrates phonograph | Introduces recorded sound as a medium. |
| 1894 | First kinetoscope movie house opens in America | Beginning of commercial motion picture exhibition. |
| 1895 | Lumière brothers introduce motion picture projection | Birth of modern cinema. |
| 1896 | Hearst and Pulitzer begin yellow journalism | Marks sensationalism and competition in mass press. |
| 1912 | Radio Act of 1912 signed | First federal regulation of radio transmission. |
| 1915 | Pulitzer endows his journalism prize | Promotes excellence in journalism. |
| 1920 | KDKA begins broadcasting in Pittsburgh | First commercial radio station in the U.S. |
| 1922 | Walter Lippmann’s Public Opinion published | Seminal text on media influence and perception. |
| 1924 | ASNE adopts Canons of Journalism | Early professional code of media ethics. |
| 1926 | NBC begins network broadcasting | Establishes national radio networks; talking pictures introduced. |
| 1927 | Radio Act creates Federal Radio Commission | Foundation for later FCC regulation. |
| 1933 | Payne Fund Studies published | Early research linking film with youth behavior. |
| 1934 | Communications Act creates FCC | Formalizes regulation of U.S. communications industries. |
| 1938 | War of the Worlds broadcast | Demonstrates media’s power to shape public perception. |
| 1939 | First public TV broadcast; WWII begins | Marks television’s public debut. |
| 1940 | Lazarsfeld’s voter studies in Erie County | Pioneer empirical studies in media effects. |
| 1941 | U.S. enters WWII; binary computer developed | Advances computing for wartime communication. |
| 1942 | Hovland’s propaganda research begins | Foundational studies in media persuasion. |
| 1945 | WWII ends; Allport & Postman publish rumor study | Expands understanding of communication psychology. |
| 1946 | ENIAC introduced | First full electronic digital computer operational. |
| 1947 | Hutchins Commission report | Advocates social responsibility of the press. |
| 1948 | Norbert Wiener’s Cybernetics; cable TV invented | Birth of systems theory and new media infrastructure. |
| 1949 | Orwell’s 1984; Hovland et al.’s Experiments in Mass Communication | Critiques totalitarian control and analyzes media influence. |
| 1951 | Innis’s The Bias of Communication; See It Now premieres | Links communication media to cultural development. |
| 1953 | Hovland, Janis & Kelley’s Communication and Persuasion | Establishes early models of attitude change. |
| 1954 | Murrow challenges McCarthy | Television asserts role in political accountability. |
| 1955 | Lazarsfeld & Katz’s Personal Influence | Introduces the two-step flow of communication. |
| 1957 | Mills’s The Power Elite; Sputnik launched; Festinger’s Cognitive Dissonance | Advances sociological and psychological communication theories. |
| 1958 | TV quiz show scandal | Sparks regulation debates on media ethics. |
| 1959 | Mills’s The Sociological Imagination | Connects individual experience with social structures. |
| 1960 | Kennedy–Nixon debates televised | Highlights media’s impact on political image-making. |
| 1961 | Kennedy’s first live press conference | Television as a real-time political medium. |
| 1962 | Paul Baran develops network communication model | Lays groundwork for the Internet. |
| 1963 | JFK assassination; Bandura’s modeling studies | Demonstrates power of media violence on imitation. |
| 1964 | McLuhan’s Understanding Media published | Introduces “the medium is the message.” |
| 1965 | Color TV fully adopted; Comsat satellite launched | Expands visual communication and global transmission. |
| 1966 | Berger & Luckmann’s Social Construction of Reality | Foundations of media constructivism. |
| 1969 | Blumer coins “symbolic interaction”; ARPANET launched | The Internet’s conceptual origin. |
| 1971 | Bandura’s Psychological Modeling | Advances social learning theory in media. |
| 1972 | McCombs & Shaw’s “agenda-setting” theory | Key turning point in political communication research. |
| 1973 | Watergate hearings broadcast live | Television as watchdog of democracy. |
| 1974 | Katz & Blumler’s Uses of Mass Communication; Noelle-Neumann’s “spiral of silence” | New audience-centered media theories. |
| 1975 | Bill Gates and Paul Allen develop PC OS | Start of the personal computing era. |
| 1977 | Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak introduce Apple II | Expands access to home computing. |
| 1978 | Digital audio/video recording standardized | Enhances media production and storage. |
| 1981 | IBM PC launched; Petty & Cacioppo introduce Elaboration Likelihood Model | Modernizes both technology and persuasion theory. |
| 1983 | Journal of Communication issues “Ferment in the Field” | Reflects major theoretical debates in communication research. |
| 1984 | Radway’s Reading the Romance; Graber’s Processing the News | Expands feminist and cognitive approaches to media. |
| 1985 | Meyrowitz’s No Sense of Place; Ang’s Watching Dallas | Examines media, space, and audience identity. |
| 1990 | Signorielli & Morgan’s Cultivation Analysis | Updates television effects theory. |
| 1991 | Gulf War coverage by CNN | Establishes global 24-hour news culture. |
| 1992 | World Wide Web released | Revolutionizes digital communication. |
| 1993 | Patterson’s Out of Order; Future of the Field issue | Evaluates journalism’s political and research challenges. |
| 1995 | Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication launched | Marks academic recognition of digital communication. |
| 1996 | Telecommunications Act passed | Deregulates and converges media industries. |
| 1998 | Journal of Communication issue on media literacy | Academic institutionalization of media education. |
| 1999 | Mulvey’s Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema reissued | Reinforces feminist film criticism. |
| 2000 | Critical Studies in Media Communication renamed | Broadens critical media scholarship. |
| 2001 | 9/11 terrorist attacks | Redefines global media, security, and crisis coverage. |
| 2002 | Slater & Rouner’s Extended ELM introduced | Expands persuasive communication research. |
| 2003 | Iraq invasion; rise of blogs and social networking | Birth of citizen journalism and participatory culture. |
| 2004 | Facebook launched | Social networking reshapes interpersonal communication. |
| 2005 | YouTube launched | Democratizes audiovisual content creation. |
| 2006 | Google acquires YouTube; Twitter launched | Centralizes user-generated content platforms. |
| 2007 | Journal of Communication issue on framing and priming | Theoretical consolidation of political communication effects. |
| 2008 | Moyer-Gusé’s EORM introduced | Integrates entertainment and persuasion studies. |
| 2009 | Internet surpasses newspapers as news source | Digital media dominance established. |
| 2011 | Arab Spring; Occupy Wall Street; e-books surpass print | Demonstrates social media’s role in movements. |
| 2012 | Tablet sales exceed laptops; online movies surpass discs | Digital convergence and streaming culture rise. |
| 2013 | APA adds “Internet Addiction Disorder” to DSM-5 | Acknowledges psychological effects of digital dependency. |
Conclusion
As significant as these developments are, it is important to remember that the content of this book and the perspectives of its authors, despite their objective intent, emerge from specific geographical and cultural contexts. Therefore, the developments that shape the nature and functioning of mass communication in their region may hold greater significance for them than for other parts of the world, where the evolution of media and communication has followed a different trajectory.
That said, it is equally important to emphasize the universal relevance of many events listed in the chronology, such as the invention of the printing press or the launch of content-sharing platforms, which fundamentally transformed communication across societies and cultures and are important for all.
Furthermore, you are encouraged to mention the developments or changes that you think have transformed the way we study mass communication or led to new advancements in the field.
