Shaping Media Landscape - Johannes Gutenberg to Adolf Hitler

Josh and I will start off by addressing how important the media is. In the words of John Mayer:

And when you trust your television What you get is what you got Cause when they own the information, oh They can bend it all they want

Mayer notes how much power the press actually can have: it can build a society, but it also can ruin it.The press is the intermediary between common person and government, meaning they are the information givers. In the 21st century 'Fake News' era, we are constantly reminded that the great power the press holds comes with great responsibility. Mr. Mayer waves the warning flag - media consumption is so vital that the deliberate falsification is dangerous.

So to end our opening address: Yes the media is important.

Media is interpreted in multiple different ways, and that is important to a vibrant democracy.

You're probably asking how Johannes Gutenberg and Adolf Hitler play into this mumbo jumbo of news media importance. Here it is:

Gutenberg's impact on Media Landscape

Johannes Gutenberg introduced the printing press to the world. The Chinese have been printing for years, but Gutenberg's creation revolutionized the phenomenon. Work commenced in 1452, overseen financially by Johann Fust, to print around 180 bibles. These 180 bibles were printed for mass media, consumption by church attendees.

Books were a rare commodity in the 15th century. Only the rich and nobility owned such luxuries, it signaled that the family was educated. So when these books were produced for the church - a wider audience was in mind.

These bibles qualify as the first works for an audience - and it shaped the education in Europe. The action set up shop for intellectuals - like Martin Luther. Education spreads, bible verses are now memorized by everyday people.

Eventually, with new technology, bibles were able to be printed for every household. There is even a bible in most hotel rooms nowadays. But it's thanks to Gutenberg - for shifting the press into the eyes of the people.

Knowledge is power - and when the knowledge spread from Gutenberg's printing press, the renaissance was ready to blossom.

Hitler's impact on Media Landscape

Hitler was able to control the media by controlling the narrative that surrounded his actions. Germany was in a state of extreme depression before he came to power due to harsh sanctions after the First World War.

The man was a master at manipulating. Citizens of Germany and their thoughts by using fear. He used his power as a dictator in order to control the media and give himself more power than any dictator in Germany’s history. While we haven’t seen any dictators with his level of aggression or hostility since the Second World War he changed the way that media coverage happens, which lasts even today. Modern media shapes the way that they want their audience to perceive a story, which is very evident in news outlets alone.

Think about the coverage of the current president and people who watch CNN compared to FOX for their primary source of information. Constant polarity politics in our nation. The main difference between these two examples is simply that in the United States we have multiple parties and candidates to choose from while people during the time of Nazi Germany were being manipulated by a single persons views. Today in the United States people like to feel that others agree with them, which can lead to confirmation bias and people only listening to one source of news for information.

Hitler may not have been the first person to manipulate the media, however he revolutionized what it meant, and used that power to commit unspeakable acts of violence.

Modern media doesn’t use Hitler's level of extremism. Some, called propaganda, like to control the story and bend it to make their audience perceive it how they do.