Category: Media

Impact of Mass Media on Serial Killers: Analytical Essay

The Media’s Role in Glorifying Serial Killers

Ted Bundy, one of the more infamous and prolific serial killers in history, was said to have killed 36 people, but what leads one to commit such heinous acts? Serial killers are all influenced by similar social experiences throughout life and learn from the environments around them to become serial killers. A sociological perspective explains how the media’s portrayal of serial killers motivates serial killers to start or continue killing. Anthropology provides insight on how similar cultural conditions impact the rise of serial killers in a given culture. Lastly, psychology develops the idea that serial killers are a product of nurture.

The rise of mass media creates conditions for the rise of serial murder in the modern world. The media’s portrayal of serial killers often glorifies and gives serial killers the attention or fame they may seek. About 0.5% of all serial killers kill for attention and a majority of serial killers remain in constant contact with the global press (FGCU). For decades now, serial killers have taken center stage in the news and entertainment media, allowing serial killers to achieve celebrity status. Our society has produced a celebrity culture in which individuals are recognized for their bad acts, and in the public’s condemnation of them, a reverence for them emerges. Rather than being shamed by their actions, serial killers often revel in their celebrity status and actively seek out media attention (Bonn). In condemning them publicly, the media eulogizes the murderers by giving them what they crave—recognition (Kass-Gergi).

Selective Media Coverage and Its Consequences

Secondly, the rise of serial killer is a product of biased and selective media coverage. Black people account for 13.3 percent of the US population but are victims to 24 percent of all serial killers (FGCU). Female sex workers are 18 times more likely to be killed by a serial killer than someone who does not participate in sex work and those who kill primarily prostitutes, kill for slightly longer periods of time. (Reid and Lee). FBI data shows that there is a marked under-representation of African American children in media reports relative to non-African American children and a subsequent study found that girls from minority groups were the most underrepresented in these missing-children news reports by a very large margin (Min and Feaster). An increase in media coverage leads to the increased interest of the general public which pushes the police to find the killer faster and stop the killings. However, lower-class or marginalized victims do not receive as much attention in the media or in society which provides opportunities for serial killers to get away with targeting vulnerable populations.

The Copycat Effect: Media’s Influence on Criminal Behavior

Lastly, media outlets play a key role in the proliferation of modern copycat serial killers. The copycat effect is the tendency of sensational publicity about violent murders to result in more of the same through imitation.The term was first coined around 1916 due to the crimes that were inspired by Jack the Ripper, a notorious killer at the time, who received extensive newspaper coverage. Media coverage plays a role in inspiring other criminals to commit crimes in a similar fashion, and even for non-criminals to begin committing crimes when they otherwise might not have done so (Coleman). About one out of four juveniles report having attempted a copycat crime and are significantly more likely to credit the media as both a general and personal influence (Surrette). By providing lurid details, posting step-by-step ​recaps, media provides instructional models to predisposed individuals and shapes the stylistic form the crime takes on. The media attention allows people to learn about new violent acts and methods, and as society becomes a more mediated, celebrity-focused, social media-dominated culture, copycats and serial killers, in general, will continue to increase.

Cultural Influences and the Emergence of Serial Killers

Anthropology focuses on how serial killers may be a product of cultural conditions, as shared values, beliefs and norms influence the manner people learn, live, and behave. The invasion and colonization of Western culture leads to the rise of serial killers in non-Western cultures. In serial killing, the USA with a figure of 1,948 serial killers stays at the top position, and England with 109 serial killers is second globally and is followed by Japan, South Africa, and India (FGCU). Based on research, the majority of serial killers in non-Western culture was raised and committed murder in a time when their nations were already invaded by Western ideals. For example, Japan’s first serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki was born in 1962 and killed four girls between 1988 and 1989. The Western world began invading Japan long before then and already had many influences in the Asian culture during Miyazaki’s youth (Japan Today). Another serial killer who came out of a non-Western nation years after the Western cultural invasion is Jimmy Marketta, a man born around 1964 in South Africa and was found guilty of 16 counts of murder and 19 counts of rape (Dolley). South Africa was invaded by Britain in the 1800s, the Dutch in the 1600s, making the nation a blended mix of Western and non-Western ideals (Cobbing). Between 1492 and 1914, Europeans conquered 84 percent of the globe, establishing colonies and spreading their influence across every inhabited continent (Hoffman). Foreign societies tend to adopt changes in their own social systems relative to Western ideology and lifestyle, and due to the overwhelming rise of serial murders occurring in areas of Western culture, shifts in non-Western culture patterns can instigate the promotion of serial killers. Secondly, the phenomenon of the serial killer has arisen concordant with the rise of urbanization due to Westernization. The start of the Industrialized Revolution in Europe and the USA during the 1800s and 1900s led to a surge of urbanization, population, and economy (Pilson). Through Westernization, a process whereby societies come under or adopt the Western culture, industrialization spread to the rest of the world (Thong). Industrialization leads to urbanization by creating economic growth and job opportunities that draw people to cities (Investopedia). In South Africa, the British joined the Dutch and started increasing urbanization by bringing in new technologies and expanding the economy. From the 1870s, urbanization increased rapidly in Japan and Pakistan as well (Pilson). In pre-modern societies individuals knew one another by name, often having intimate knowledge of their neighbor. Strangers were rarely encountered and the average medieval citizen might have only met 100 strangers during the course of their entire life. The rise of industrialism and related processes of mass migration to urban centers resulted in individuals being immersed in a sea of strangers. This development proved to be a key precondition for the emergence of serial murder, given that a defining attribute of serial killers is that they prey on strangers. Thus, dense modern urban environments represent ideal settings for the routinized impersonal encounters that operate as a hallmark of serial killing (Haggerty and Ellerbrock). Lastly, serial killers are created due to Westernization increasing the inequalities between social classes. The Gini index, which measures income inequalities, shows that the economic inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa rose by 9% between 1993 and 2008, China’s score soared by 34% over twenty years, and few countries decreased the inequalities (W). Westernization is a key contributor to widening the gap between the rich and the poor. As Western countries industrialize poorer countries, they often employ skilled workers and pay high wages. A report from the OECD found that average wages paid by foreign multinationals are 40% higher than wages paid by a local firm. By contrast, unskilled workers, or poor ones in rural areas, tend not to have such opportunities, resulting in inequality (W). The UNODC (2011:30) reports that ‘countries with large income disparities (Gini Index higher than 0.45) have a homicide rate almost four times higher than more equal societies’ (Wilkinson and Pickett). Wide class differences and rigid social hierarchies might increase the ‘social distance’ between individuals, thereby reducing the levels of social cohesion and increased aggression and violence (Frank and Aitken). Therefore, the wider the income inequalities caused by Western influences, the more likely serial killers will increase.

Psychological Factors: The Nurture of a Serial Killer

In psychology, nurture is the influence of a person’s environment, family life, childhood, and social interactions from infancy to adulthood on his or her behaviors and thoughts. Childhood abuse is a huge factor in creating serial killers. In 2001, 3% of the general population was reported to have suffered sexual abuse, in contrast, 26% of serial killers have reported abuse (Mitchell and Aamodt). According to Sigmund Freud, the development of the unconscious personality early in childhood will influence behavior for the rest of one’s life. Childhood abuse contributes to feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness, and their crimes compensate for this by providing a sense of potency and often social revenge, by giving them a feeling of power (Arikan). Isolation from family and other children causes severe loneliness and increases the risk of serial killers. The FBI Behavioral Sciences Unit found that 71% of the murderers they profiled experienced a “sense of isolation in their childhood,”(Federal Bureau of Investigation). The danger with loneliness is that the incipient serial killer has the time and space to dwell on these homicidal fantasies of revenge, power and dominance and can find comfort in these thoughts. At some critical point in their life, either as children or adolescents, these individuals take their fantasies on a test run into the world of reality. An estimated range of 21% to 73% of serial killers abuses animals before killing. If the child finds the commission of the act satisfying or sexually exciting, it could be a matter of time before the test runs become full-blown acts of homicide (Vronsky). Adoption also plays a factor in generating serial killers. The FBI estimates that of the 500 serial killers in the US, most are American-born and adopted. This is alarming because only 2-3 % of the population (5-10 million) are adopted people (Federal Bureau of Investigation). The idea of infant bonding is imperative to personality development, and a common characteristic of serial killers is that they were adopted. For the adopted child the suffering is experiencing being left and abandoned while feeling the sense of being unwanted and unloved even if they are wanted and loved in their adoptive families (Carlis). This trauma may intensify and can manifest in depression, substance abuse, acting out, anger, and in a small number of cases, serial killings. Improper nurture can lead to aggressive behavior and violence later on as retaliation against a world that had treated them unfairly.

Conclusion: The Multifaceted Origins of Serial Killers

Factors related to the lifestyle and background an individual encounters, largely influence the creation of serial killers. Sociologically, the attention and spotlight around serial killers in media give incentive for serial killers. Anthropology states that the transmission of similar cultures has repercussions in breeding serial killers. Lastly, psychology demonstrates that the nurture a child receives influences serial killer behavior. During a child’s development, there are important periods to learn about love, trust, empathy and basic rules about how to interact with other human beings. If these traits aren’t imprinted upon the child during that period, it may impossible to learn them later in life. Therefore, the environment a child grows up in and the type of nurture they receive can significantly shape the life choices made, including becoming a serial killer. As a result, psychology offers the most reasonable rationale as to why serial killers do what they do.

Importance of Medium Providing Message: Modern Methods of Communication

‘The medium is the message’ is a phrase by Marshall McLuhan. This phrase is about the way we deliver, direct and obtain information. Expanding from the phrase is the medium more important than the information itself? Is what’s been communicated less important than the way you communicate it? Is Marshall McLuhan Really saying, the message given is actually how it’s formed? Developing from these points is the information given the content itself or the form it takes? We are going to explore what this is saying through this piece. This piece is extracting the core themes and developing and expanding them and understating what they are and how are they affecting the world we live today and how is affecting the future.

The information given is important but the context of the information and how it is given can overpower the information itself. The information good be amazing but the way you delivered the information could be poor that no one cares, from this you have made a gold bar a pile of poo, so the context, timing, and medium used can either help or hinder the information given.

The consequence of private and public medium is it has become an extensions of our selves this is because of the modern medium of technology that has made the information we are given more accessible and right in our hands it’s become a part of our lives, it’s become a part of us with feel like we are missing something when we leave the house without technology the medium of the information. The technology that communicates the message changes us. It changes the society, the individual, the family, work and leisure because it is an extension of our selves that feels like it is us, makes us feel like one entity, one body, one being and it makes us feel united together with our self’s and with everyone else.

The information given is in most people’s eyes is more important, that it’s the main part of the message. Within the last few years technology has increased and is becoming more of a part of our lives, this means that we are becoming more visual than verbal. This means that we are subconsciously caring more about the medium than the information supplied to us.

The medium today has become bigger and bigger and more noticeable due to the increase of technology, with this everyone all around the world has been coming together using technology to communicate. The medium is important as people are saying “it has not happened unless you have a photo to prove it”. Therefore, this proves that the medium is the message as people will not take it seriously when it is spoken to them until it is shown to them. This shows that the medium is what people what and the medium helps to get the information across to people. This also helps when it comes to people speaking different languages as the medium (images in this case) speak a language that is unified by everyone.

Typology 1: Phone call (talking to each other) Audio (ear)

Phone call typology is the premise of talking to one another with distance between each other, which is not far off just talking to each other face to face. With talking to each other you can have a few people talking to each other, you end up talking about the same thing for a time. With talking you have the reaction of the person talking and the person receiving, you also get the different tones from how the people are speaking allowing you to tell how people are felling.

With talking to people, the message is as important if not more important than the medium. When considering design for this area the message is everything. With talking it is audio therefore using the sense that’s with your ears which means that this is message dependant rather than medium. What it is and dose is important which is the message but don’t forget the medium as it need to be use and understandable, so it need to be considered but not the main thing when coming to design.

Designing for an item that is about the message is hard as you need to understand the user and what the product needs to do, as it need to communicate the use. But you need to realise that the medium is a key part of the design as it is the form of the communication for the information for the product.

“The medium is the message” is a significant part of the design of any product. As it’s not just about the information it’s how the information looks and how the product feels. This is a key phrase even though the product is message base like the phone it still needs a medium to give the information over.

Typology 2: Internet Visual (eyes)

Internet typology is on technology like a smartphone, tablet, computer and more. What this has done is made the communication we do now more visual than audible which make this a medium over message product. As you are having to look at a screen to use the internet and product which makes you use your eyes making it medium dependent rather than message.

What it is and dose is important which is the message but don’t forget the medium which is how to use it.

“We were once consumers of information now in the 21st century we are producers of information as well.” This is due to the introduction of the internet and technology. “Conversations are being replaced with emojis news stories are being replaced with 140-character tweets.” The Medium is the Message by Marshall McLuhan | Animated Book Review video by Eudaimonia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCr2binb4Fs.

A current problem when coming to what’s happening on the internet, what goes on the internet could last forever, what you put on the internet could be seen by everyone. You can put something up on the internet and people can comment be mean, and unforgiving also it is hard to remove something from the internet and if so, it will be unforgetful and people will bring it back up to the surface.

Designing for an item that is about the medium is easy as that is about how it looks how is, it perceives used and related. A medium lead design is what every design is, but it needs to be understandable for the user. The internet will always need designing as it is a medium.

“The medium is the message” is a significant part of the design of any product especially one to go on the internet. As it’s not just about the information it’s how the information looks as it is going to be view on screens all around the world. This is a key phrase and is one that product designers need to remember and consider with there designs.

“it is impossible to understand social cultural changes without a knowledge of the working of media”, – this is playing such an important part in today’s culture with the introduction of social media websites and technologies that push this content.

Conclusion

The medium is the message is as it states, how the message looks is how it comes about. This was coined by Marshall McLuhan. This phrase is meaning the form of a medium becomes and envelops itself with the message becoming one therefore conveying and creating a symbolic connection to the message which influences the message’s connotation.

McLuhan clams were made in 1967 about an “interactive, inter-connective village” is happening all around the world today by the help of the internet. What McLuhan is describing is like a prediction of what the internet is today but written and said before the internet was conceived. McLuhan seamed to be ahead of his times of what could be possible with the human race and what the human race wanted and needed, as today culture we could not live without the internet and all the social media that comes with it.

The medium is the message is a key thought that needs to go around every designer’s head as it is shaping and will shapes the future of the world and the way we design. As this is a way of thinking and way of living as how you present some information is how the message is going to come across so designers need to consider the medium on which they design. The designs that have this saying at their core are the designs that are successful that last that grow and that work. The medium is the message, is a message that should and will travel thought time and be a message that will change the medium we will use in the future.

Representation of Teenagers in Media

The negative news focused around teenagers drastically outweighs any positive news about teenagers. The media has constantly criticized teenagers for a period of time only to be showing that the teenagers bring a negative impact to the public, but they have not showed anything positive about them at all. As a result of this, this gives the impression that all teenagers behavior negatively.

The media plays a major role in society as it tends to represent and show media the public wants to hear and see without it being true. Violence, alcohol, drugs, bullying, gangs and even social media can change the way your teenager or any teenager behaves. According to a recent poll being record by more than one thousand people, four-fifths of fourteen to seventeen-year-old feel their age group is unfairly represented in the media (Huffpost, 2019). Also, eighty-five percent of teenagers are finding it hard to get a job as the negative impact of the media stereotyping them affects their ability to succeed.

Do teenagers use alcohol safely or even drugs safely? No! They use this as an advantage to attack the public, they blame the alcohol, they blame the drugs, but they were the ones who put themselves into this mess. Adults are more mature when it comes to handling these types of substances, but teenagers just seem to think that they can act like an adult when it comes to drinking. Thirty five percent of teenagers who are 15 years old have consumed alcohol. 15 years old! At such a young age like that drinking should not even be going through their heads at this stage, but that is what the media shows, and this is how we think of teenagers as monsters to the world as they have nothing to offer but fear for families. Drugs… Yes, I know what your all thinking, teenagers and drugs nah they would never do such a thing but that is where we are all wrong. Teenagers are the main source when it comes to taking drugs or even providing drugs as approximately 50% of teens have misused drugs.

Violence is a major issue that teenagers seem to represent a lot as they are known as violent predators. The word violence can be represented by the behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage or kill someone or something but violence can be presented by the strength of emotion given by that person. Teenagers have a rising number of violent incidents as experts have pointed to the public that fights on social media are the key reasons behind why teenagers are influenced to behave the way they do. General violence and assault committed by children at the age of 13-17 has risen by 6.5% between the years 2008 and 2012. Teenagers have shown the media that they are ruthless, and they do not care about anything or anyone besides themselves, many different articles and stories around the world are all about how teens have committed an assault of some sort of crime. One story that appeared on the local nine news of Brisbane showed that three teenagers attacked a disabled man because he would not give them his mobile phone. Now you tell me what that is supposed to mean? Are we meant to protect teenagers like this? Are we meant to forgive them for the actions they have done and believe that they can change?

Gangs and teenagers, more like gangs who are made up from teens. Most teenagers but not all are involved in some type of gang in some type of way but why do they do this? Gangs are the reason why majority of violence in different countries are increasing as teenagers are the easy target but also peer pressure has also been known to make teenagers do what they do not want to do. Australia has a group well-known to everyone in this country as they go by the name of ‘Eshay’. Eshays are teenagers well known to the public as they are a group of teenagers who think it is okay to assault anyone, to steal valuables and also verbally attack someone, this group is becoming more and more of an issue as we are losing our innocent teenagers to something that is just disgraceful. A news article that appeared on a current affair, ‘The ‘Wannabe Gangsters’ Filming Brawls and Bashing’ is all about how groups of school-aged kids are uploading videos and images online of their own acts of violence, theft and drug use, prompting calls to take on juvenile criminals.

The media really does show how teenagers act in a negative way just, so they can fit into the society, not only have they made it worse for themselves to be in this position in the first place, but the influence of alcohol, drugs, violence, bullying and gang related issues really do show how powerful they are to make a teenager perform horrifying actions.

Media Is the Most Powerful Entity on Earth: Essay

The government and media are considered as the two most powerful institutions in the world. Media informs people about the current happenings around them, while the government leads the nation. The role of media in our society is to give updates about the current happenings around and give transparency in the government, wherein wrong-doings of politicians such as corruption (very common) can be exposed. However, the government is sagacious enough to avoid exposure. They do this by creating walls or using cash to control the media to conceal their impurities. Media is supposed to be a robust outlet of truth, the one that upholds democracy and gives bias-free information, especially during elections. However, the media seems to be controlled and directed by the strings. Above the strings are the manipulative politicians.

Today, the media don’t just spread information, they also filter information. Factual information is rare to find and limited while false information is boundless and everywhere. Information in any dimensions of mass media has been already filtered, trying to make people half-informed of what is really happening around them. What’s worse is, most people tend to believe in everything they hear, see, and read on television, newspaper, social media networks, and any other form of media. While in fact, what we see, hear, and read in any media platform is not really the exact data. These are all due to the government’s influence and authority. Though there is so-called ‘Freedom of the Press’, the government still held restrictions to fabricate information for they believe this is the way of protecting the people. The art below shows how the government controls the media, by maybe giving out money. Media and government ignite for their own benefit. Politicians will use media for them to be publicized considering that media is relatively vast and a powerful source in shaping the mindset of the people while the media uses the government to earn money and prefer to be controlled. However, conflict can still be present between the two, when the media can be brave enough to intentionally expose the wrongdoings of politicians. This is what the media should do, to give honest information to people especially in introducing political candidates, so people can choose the right leader. Media, whether they are controlled or not, can shape our lives and perception of reality. To avoid manipulation, we, as citizens should know how to evaluate, observe and know our rights.

Essay about Printing Press

An enduring issue is an issue that has existed for a very long time. It is an issue that many societies have attempted to fix with multiple degrees of success. The enduring issue that is being expressed in this research essay is the Impact of Technology. The type of technology that is going to be expressed in this essay is the Printing Press. The printing press affected people in a positive way.

The printing press was very significant back in the day and it is still very significant today. The famous inventor that made the invention was Johannes Gutenberg in 1440. The printing press changed a lot of people’s lives in a lot of significant ways and it also helped a lot of people when it came to education. It helped teach people how to read and write so now everyone was allowed to have an education (S.Kingsley). This is significant because a lot of people didn’t know one thing about education and now they are learning how to read and write. It is also significant because anyone is allowed to get the chance to be educated now. The printing press also helped people during their everyday lives and in their jobs. It helped poets, actors, and storytellers to rely on rhyming lines so that they could remember a lot of material. It also helped craftsmen memorize the secrets of their traders to tell to apprentices (S.Kingsley). People have been affected in a positive way because of this because it helped people learn how to memorize things which benefits them in the long run.

The printing press benefited a lot of people when it came to their everyday lives. It made life easier for people and it made making things like books a lot less time-consuming (Steven Kreis). This has affected people in a positive way because now people can make things a lot easier and quicker using a printing press. The printing press was significant because it helped a lot of people who spoke different languages. It allowed books to be in all languages for anyone to be able to read them (Jeremiah Dittmer). It allowed people who didn’t speak English to be able to read as well. The printing press didn’t just help people it also inspired people. It inspired more and more machines to be made (Jeremiah Dittmer). Now people are going to benefit from this in their lives more and more because more technology is being made.

Before the printing press was invented, it was very expensive to make books and other things. The printing press changed that. It made it cheaper to print paper and to make important knowledge with it (Nancy Giles). This has affected people in a positive way because now all people, even people who aren’t rich can use the invention. The printing press also helped multiple people when it came to religion. It helped inspire a religious revolution because all families are now allowed to have their own Bible (Lemelson). People are now allowed to practice their own religion wherever they are because now they have their own Bible on hand. The printing press was very helpful when it came to money. The invention guaranteed financial success by continuing to print proving “best sellers” such as the Bible (The Applied History Research group). This affects people in a positive way because the more books that people make using the printing press, the more money they’re going to make selling the books which will cause them to be financially successful. The final reason why the printing press was significant is that it helped people speak out for what they believed in (ex. Martin Luther and the 95 Thesis) (University of Arizona libraries). Every person has a voice and they have the right to express that voice. The printing press helped them to do that.

The printing press has changed over time a lot since it was made and it still continues to change over time as the years go on. The spread of knowledge, discoveries, and literacy was quickened because of it (S. Kingsley). This has changed over time because since we have advanced electric printers and technology, it is now very easy and a lot faster to spread knowledge, discoveries, and literacy. It has also changed over time because it made information available to a larger population of people (Steven Kreis). This has changed over time because now when information is acknowledged that is important to everyone around the world, it gets to all the people around the world because of our new advanced technology. The printing press had changed over time a lot since it was made. The printing press caused city growth (Jeremiah Dittmer). Since 1440 cities have grown tremendously because of our advanced technology today. When the printing press was made, most books that were printed by the printing press only really focused on religious topics. As the printing of books spread, a larger range of book topics was explored (Nancy Gigs). This has changed over time because now we have books of all sorts of topics and genres (ex. romance, mystery, etc.).

Back then printing was considered bad and only for poor people. Many people refused to disgrace what they believe in because of a non-manuscript text. The Printing press had to be brought down to the lower classes so people could recognize the importance of the invention. It worked and they did. By the end of the 15th century, more and more printers had printed between 8 and 10 million copies of multiple books, and titles (The Applied History Research group). This has changed over time because back then, people underestimated the printing press until they used it. Then, they made 8-10 million copies of books but today 100-600 million book copies are printed and sold. Into the first half of the 16th century, multiple improvements were made to the invention. (Barry Waugh). This has changed over time because now printers today have more advanced electric technology that has been updated since the 16th century. Ever since the printing press was made the entertainment in books increased (Universities of Arizona libraries). Now we have all kinds of books that give off entertainment. We have all kinds of genres (ex. Romance, graphic novels, mystery, comedy, etc).

The printing press has affected the people in Europe in a positive way. It is significant in many ways, and it has changed over time in many ways. It helped people with their everyday lives and it made their lives a lot easier. Technology has had a large impact on the world then and now and it will continue to impact and benefit us for the rest of our lives.

Works Cited

1. “BRIA 24 3 b Gutenberg and the Printing Revolution in Europe”. Constitutional Rights Foundation. S.Kingsley. 2019. http://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-24-3-b-gutenberg-and-the-printing-revolution-in-europe
2. “Information technology and economic change: The impact of the printing press”. VOX, CEPR Policy Portal. Jeremiah Dittmer. February 11, 2011. https://voxeu.org/article/information-technology-and-economic-change-impact-printing-press
3. “Johannes Gutenberg”. ASME.org. Nancy Gigs. May 2012. https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/history-of-mechanical-engineering/johannes-gutenberg
4. “Johann Gutenberg: Moveable Type Printing Press”. MIT Program. Lemelson.
5. https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/johann-gutenberg
6. “Lectures on Modern European Intellectual History”. Historyguide.org. Steven Kreis. May 2, 2016. http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/press.html
7. “The Impact of the Printing Press. End of Europe’s Middle Ages”. The Applied History Research Group. The University of Calgary. 1997. https://www.faculty.umb.edu/gary_zabel/Courses/Phil%20281b/Philosophy%20of%20Magic/Dante.%20etc/Philosophers/End/bluedot/print.html
8. “The Importance of the Printing Press for the Protestant Reformation, Part One”. Reformation21. Barry Waugh. October 2013.
9. http://www.reformation21.org/articles/the-importance-of-the-printing.php
10. “The Role of Printing in Medieval and Reformation Europe”.The Protestant Reformation. After 500 Years. Universities of Arizona libraries. Karant-Nunn, Susan, Lotz-Heumann. 2017. https://speccoll.library.arizona.edu/online-exhibits/exhibits/show/reformation/role-of-printing

Essay on Ted Talk Analysis

When I think of body language I think of those movies that are about Cinderella and when you go on an interview and do not want to slouch over. The body language we have can make us as people feel powerful and confident at interviews and just in a personal matters. When we communicate it is not just through words, it is our body language as well. It can relate to the way we walk up to someone or the attitude of our body like we do not want to talk to someone, or when we just feel open, and finally when our arms are not crossed. When I was watching this ted talk it reminded me of when I was in my public speaking class and in a situation where I was feeling scared and nervous and my body language affected my ability to talk to the class or said persons.

I did not want to feel this way because I felt like I did not do so well and I have been defeated. When my body feels like that I start to notice what my body does, I start to cross my arms, I start fidgeting my legs crossing them and uncrossing them, and start to look towards the ground which is a sign of being nervous or shy. When I feel uncomfortable as in a feeling it would show in my body language. Does that mean our work, is the same or just about? Another thing is that we feel confident will the language of our body coincides with doing better in public speaking and anything else that is personal. In the Ted Talk that was done by Amy Cuddy, it was about “Your Body Language May Shape Who you are, what I did notice is that she used a lot of ethos, pathos, and logos, but also a lot of mixed media (visuals), she uses these to argue effectively that body language and the mindset can shape who a person is and how their life can turn out to be.

Amy Cubby is a social psychologist, she also does lectures, and she does things for the New York Times. I have noticed she has talked about in this Ted Talk she talked about verbal behaviors, but also how people affect their own thoughts, feeling, and even behaviors. Another thing I really like about this Ted talk is that she said something that really caught my eye “ you can fake it till you make it”. That is something I go by all the time because you can not control what others do but you can control your own body language and how you perceive it. Amy did talk about a lot of her non-verbal behavior experiments, that were talked about in the TED talk. When they have a powerful body stance and a weak or not-so-good body stance you can tell the difference in confidence in public speaking and or in everyday life.

Logos which is logic-based reasoning has been present through more than two-thirds of the whole Ted Talk which is a lot. This does support everything she was talking about in body language and what mindset you would need or will find out who you really are you can get a lot of that throughout your life and it can also affect how well you do in your life as well. The first one Amy Cuddy used for logos is all about facts and data through all of the examples she provides throughout the ted talk. Then she talks about the findings from Tufts University by Nalini Ambady, on how people react to body language. Amy Cuddy also talks more about that with the facts and data, that can coincide with that the behavior of humans and even animals throughout the animal kingdom. There were more studies on the animal kingdom and the behaviors of humans. The facts that were said and studies that were done help picture the body language and how nonverbal behaviors look like and how you can help that to be better.

There were a lot of examples that can prove her point, but she also has a persuasive strategy that proves it all as well. What I found throughout Amy Cuddy’s Ted talk was that she clearly displayed the ethos side of the whole beginning of her talk. Ethos is the credibility of a speaker, it is also it is all about the character that is being displayed or talked about and how true it is. When Amy Cuddy starts to walk out of that stage she used visuals to aid her in what she was trying to say, not only to get her point across but to get the audience engaged. But really if you think about it she did this throughout the whole ted talk. What she did was tell me her educational background and where she works currently or in the past. She told us that she is a social psychologist and she teaches at a business school. What I forgot to mention in the beginning is what I liked about Amy Cuddy, is that she tells us as her audience a little about her personal experiences and life but also where and what she did for her education and this was throughout a few minutes of the video but also sporadic in the video.

Throughout the Ted Talk, there was pathos. Pathos is emotionally based statements and talks so that it will be able to convince her audience. Her goal is for us to believe that our body language would shape how we think and also change how our lives turn out because of our body language. When she starts to get personal it seemed like the audience in the TED talk was convinced and believed why she was doing the ted talk and her credibility but also I was believing her through all of the stories she was telling us and what she was just saying. When the Ted talk started towards the middle to end of it there were a lot of media being used to help support her talk and even convince her audience still but to keep them all engaged. At the beginning of the talk, she used a photo of a runner who was happy and his hands were in the air, but he was also smiling. That is something she said is positive body language where they feel accomplished. Then they succeed in the end. But she also was talking about how his stance so that it can demonstrate what she was trying to say and give examples to the audience. Throughout the whole Ted Talk, she used around 5 pictures to support the evidence she was trying to make her point. But she also used her own body and another example for real-life visuals so that her audience so she can show what a good body stance looks like and what does not look so good to a higher authority. When Amy Cuddy used all of these multimedia choices it was to highlight her argument and to bring everything she was saying, it all comes together and the audience does get it and I do.

There was another multimedia thing where she used a chair to describe the difference between high-power and low-powered poses can change how people do things like when people gamble than with people with testosterone. We use body language every day, it is not something we do not do. When we go about our everyday lives we see all different kinds of body language. Now that I think of it when my body language is good or great I am able to control my emotions and feel more confident. Body language is very important and we work on that every day as well for important things and just in general.

It is better to know how your body reacts to something or how it feels so that we as people can realize what we need to change and how we can feel more confident to do better in life. This Ted Talk is a very persuasive argument of how we see our body language and how we react to those things that control our body language. I will always remember now what Amy Cuddy said, “Fake it till you make it”. That’s something I have always gone by but really didn’t notice.

Citation Page:

1. “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are | Amy Cuddy.” YouTube, 1 Oct. 2012, www.youtube.comwatch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc

Essay about Ted Talk

The Unspoken

Jay Heinrichs is known across the world. He is a New York Times bestseller and his book, Thank You for Arguing, is published in 14 languages and has three editions. In this well-known book, he talks about the work of rhetoric. Rhetoric is the art to persuade. The book is divided into four parts. The first part is the offense, then the defense, advanced offense, and lastly advanced agreement. In the first section, he specifies that before you even think to argue you must first, “set the goals for the audience. Do you want to change their mood, mind or their willingness to carry out what you want?”(pg. 26). Once a goal is set, then there is a specific reason to support your claim. This section concentrates on ethos, one of Aristotle’s modes of persuasion. Ethos includes practical wisdom, disinterest, and decorum. The next section, defense, focuses on speech tense, whether it be inductive or deductive reasoning, and who the audience can trust. Advanced Offense is making the relationship between the speaker and the audience. Better known as Pathos, another mode of persuasion. The last section labeled Advanced Agreement is giving the speech or reasoning to the audience but using proper “tools” mostly known as arrangement. This arrangement is referred to as, “Cicero’s Outline” following the guidelines of order introduction, narration, division, proof, refutation, and conclusion (pg. 295-296). Heinrich refers to Aristotle’s Modes of Persuasion regularly. The modes include ethos, logos, and pathos. Heinrichs has his own interpretation of each of the modes. He refers to ethos as “argument by character, employs the persuader’s personality, reputation and ability to look trustworthy to the audience” (pg. 40). An example of the proper uses of the modes of persuasion is the TED TALK and speech by Aaron Huey titled, “American’s Native Prisoners of War”.

Aaron Huey is well known for his publications in National Geographic Magazine. He documents his learnings or stories through photographs. He is most known for his “ Walk Across America through photography”. In the speech and TED Talk, he takes us on a journey through Pine Ridge Reservation. Pine Ridge is a reservation of the Lakota Tribe. He captures images and records stories of their tribe and everything they have been through in their short history. The speech and TED Talk are defined as, “American’s Native Prisoners of War”. The talk is given at a private school in the west with the audience being plainly white students and faculty. In 2010, the speech became a TED Talk. The speech dives into the Native American tribe earlier named the Lakota. Lakota Tribe including hundreds of thousands of indigenous people is stripped of their land and forced to live on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota or other war camps that have later turned into reservations. The Pine Ridge Reservation is known for there black hills in South Dakota. Huey describes the depressing timeline of battles, scenarios, and treaties broken. This all began in the year 1824. In 1824, The Bureau of Indian Affairs began the sad story of the Lakota Tribe. The treatment of the tribe is nothing less than unfair, merciless, and cutthroat. This is all because of the United States Government. Our government and the people in the office have continued to rape and pillage the Lakota Tribe and their people. The US government continues to break the treaties of 1851 and 1868 of Fort Laramie. The conditions the Lakota Tribe face every morning they wake up to the moment they close their eyes at night reflect how most indigenous people feel each and every day. Non-Indians declared the name “Wasichu” which translates to greedy and taking the best meat for themselves. We leave indigenous people with the scrapes from our table while we have our bellies full.

In my essay, I will show the teaching of Jay Heinrich’s book and how it connects to Huey’s speech and later TED Talk. Huey is a spectacular example of the proper way to use the teaching of rhetoric.

The first step of arrangement is the introduction. The introduction uses the side of ethos. Ethos is to win over your audience through interest and goodwill. Aaron Huey begins his TED Talk by creating a commonplace with his audience. Simply, making them comfortable with him and making it seem that they are on a first-name basis in a sense. He starts off with some background knowledge about the Lakota Tribe. The area of South Dakota where they are imprisoned. He talks about his strong relationship with the Lakota people and how they took him in as one of their own. This is where he brings in Practical Wisdom. The audience now considers him as a reasonable person as well showing that he is adequately educated on the topic he is about to discuss with his audience (pg. 69). A phrase from Huey states, “you’ll see a lot of people in my photographs today. I’ve become close with them and they have welcomed me like family.” He is showing us as his audience that he has become well-rounded in terms of knowing the Lakota people and what really happened to put them into their poverty-stricken lives. This makes him credible due to the fact that he is hearing what happened from people who reap the results each and every day of their lives. Heinrich describes in his book, “disinterest means not lack of interest but lack of bias” (pg. 57). This is crucially important to create a commonplace with the audience. You are not on one side or the other. You are educated on both sides of the story. He describes that because of his skin color it has taken a lot for the Lakota people to gain his trust and welcome him in. He is showing that even though he is not one of the Lakota people he relates to them and understands their struggles. He is there at the TED Talk in a sense to educate his audience for the people who can’t speak for themselves.

Narration is the next step. Narration, “ tells the history of the matter or lists facts and figures. Brief, clear and plausible” (pg. 284). Huey has now gained our trust as an audience and we believe he is trustworthy on his topic. From minute 2:22 to 7 minutes in his TED Talk he takes the audience on a journey through the history of the Lakota Tribe and their dealings with the United States Government. He controls his tense during his speech. By using the “past tense rhetoric threatens punishment” (pg. 30). As Huey goes through past events he uses this tense. He infers that the blame is on us for the U. S Government’s actions. It impacts us to this day. Suddenly he changes over to the future tense or deliberative. He uses this mode to show choice to the audience, when he states, “How should you feel about the statistics of today” (13:19). He uses inductive reasoning as Heinrich specifies as “argument by example” (pg. 141). It begins with specifics and progresses to the general. Huey uses specific examples and facts to create a commonplace with the audience. By using the photographs, he shows up leading up to the present day.

Heinrichs states divisions as, “list the points where you and your opponent agree and where you disagree” (pg. 284). Aaron Huey is trying to prove one side’s proof. He is on both sides. This step isn’t directly covered in his TED Talk.

Cicero’s Outline’s following step is Proof. Proof can change the view of the audience plainly by showing the statistics. Heinrich discusses, “We should do this because of that” (pg. 284). From 10:43 to 12:22, Huey takes us on a journey just by expressing statistics. He states when he spoke in 2010, “More than 90 percent of the population lives below the federal poverty level”. The federal poverty level for a family of five in 2010 was $25,790. Ninety Percent of the Lakota People are below the household income of 25,790 dollars a year. This is unbelievable. Just by stating this specific statistic, the audience can only imagine what the Lakota people are living like at Pine Ridge Reservation. He states a loaded logical fallacy, “prisoners of war camps”. You can only imagine the living conditions of a war camp.

The main source of information comes from photographs. This refutes the statement that the Lakota People aren’t really living any worse that the poverty situation of the rest of the United States. Huey produces these photos that cause an emotional effect on every single individual in the audience. Whether it be hate, sadness, or disbelief. This is better known as pathos. Each photo pulls a bit more at the audience’s emotions. Especially the little children in the photos, the audience will confide in the truth. Huey becomes emotional showing and describing each and every photo and this creates a stronger relationship with the audience. We feel a sense of community with him because he is showing the emotions that we are all feeling. It creates a sense that as a community we can make a change in the Lakota Tribes’ lives and living conditions.

Lastly, the conclusion. The conclusion bridges the audience and asks them if the United States is still being unfair to the Lakota Indians and other indigenous groups. Huey shows that he is holding himself to the same standards and responsibility as he wants us to be. Huey planning is the interpreter. Speaking for the ones who can’t speak for themselves. He is showing how the U.S. is keeping the best things for themselves and giving the leftovers or nothing at all to indigenous people. The resolution can be giving money or building a house but takes more than that. He expresses in his last words, “Give Back the Black Hills. It’s not your business what they do with them.” The Black Hills belong to them. Leave them alone. Let them live their lives. This is our call to make a change and speak up for the people without a voice. That is the main purpose, to speak for the ones who can’t speak for themselves.

Essay on Media Analysis

As the use of social media has been increasing day by day, a large amount of user content is freely available on social media sites. Nowadays companies need to monitor and analyze customer content on their social media sites to increase their competitive advantage and growth of their businesses. We conduct a detailed case study for the analysis and comparison of the content available on social media. We picked the top 5 games (GTA 5, Red Redemption 2, Assassin’s Creed, Battlefield, and Fortnite ) and conduct an analysis of social media content on their Facebook official pages. We found comparisons and differences in social media use among these game franchises and discuss our findings and recommendations to help companies in improving their social media competitive analysis strategies.

Nowadays, people use social media sites to present their feelings, opinions e.t.c but social media sites are also used by customers to express their reviews on the product they have purchased. Their reviews and concern on social media sites help us to learn about their purchasing experience and provide important knowledge to improve their market service and their quality. We analyze that the textual data on social network sites plays very important for the growth of any business. The rapid growth of social media content requires the ease of using new social media techniques. Competitive intelligence is important for companies to use in managing risks and making decisions.[1] . Not only do they need to monitor their own social media sites but they also have to monitor their competitor’s social media sites. To make their business successful companies need to process all available information (customers’ opinions, reviews of services, quality ) to predict what happened and what’s gonna happen. With the increasing use of social media, the tremendous amount of customer-generated content available on social media sites has now become a new source of mining competitive intelligence. [2].

Helping gaming businesses to understand how to perform actionable social media analytics and how social media content can be transformed into strategically actionable knowledge by conducting an in-depth case study using frameworks and tools to analyze and compare unstructured text content on the Facebook sites of the top 5 best selling games franchises (GTA, Red Redemption, Fortnite, Assassin Creed, BattleField). We focused on comparing posts on their official Facebook pages to understand the issues and problems with customers’ reviews of these games. As the gaming industry is a billion-dollar industry and games are available on many platforms including consoles, PC, Portable consoles, mobile, etc.

Social media sites provide the facility for users to create and share content like photos, videos, sharing, etc. Facebook is the most popular in terms of its use, and network traffic and is widely used by many business companies to interact with customers and to track customers’ feedback and reports. [3][6].Many business companies use social media to track their product feedback among customers and to communicate with customers.

Social media plays an instrumental role in promoting consumer awareness and providing access to vast amounts of information that impact decision-making processes. [7].As social media reach a large audience at a low cost.[8][9].On social media, platform businesses are able to develop new techniques to rapidly learn customer perceptions of new product offerings and maximize opportunities to attract and collaborate with loyal customers [10][11].

It is very important for business companies to constantly collect and check information about their competitor’s products and services and plans. [3][2].As social media is used as a medium for companies to interact with their customers, companies need to monitor their own social media sites.

To conduct social media competitive analytics we use a combination of traditional statistical analysis, text mining, content analysis, and sentiment analysis techniques to examine social media content collected by comparing customers’ experiences from social media sites.

Text mining aims to extract meaningful information from unstructured textual data [3][4]. The main purpose of text mining is to automatically extract knowledge, insights, and useful trend from a given set of text documents.[5]. This technique has been used to analyze a large amount of social media data. Text mining identifies trends in posts or comments from social media sites.

Sentimental analysis is the computational detection and study of opinions, sentiments, emotions, and subjectivities in the text [12][16][17]. Sentiment Analysis is concerned with the automatic extraction of positive or negative opinions from the text [12].

The video game industry has grown from a focused market to mainstream. The annual earnings from the games industry are higher than the film industry. According to the latest global games market reports from intelligence firm Newzoo projected that a base of 2.3 billion gamers worldwide spent a total of $ 137.9 billion on games this year.[13]. The industry-wide figure is up 13.3% year-over-year, driven largely by a 25.5% jump in mobile revenues to reach $70.3 billion. Breaking it down a little further, smartphones will account for about 80% of the mobile number, with tablets making up the remaining 20%. According to Newzoo, this will be the first year where mobile revenues make up a majority of the games industry.[13].As for the rest of gaming, it’s split nearly evenly between consoles and PCs. Newzoo expects console revenues to reach $34.6 billion for the year, or just over 25% of the total gaming spend, while PCs will contribute $32.9 billion to the total, or nearly 24% of all gaming revenues. In all, 91% of all industry revenues will be generated from digital sources.[13]

Data from social media can be collected from many software tools. The easy way is to use web-crawling software to access the web interface of the site. Many social media (like Facebook and Twitter) provides API services for data tracking. However, blogs and online forums typically do not provide API for data tracking but there are many forums that offer RSS feeds that can be tracked easily [15]. The framework can be used to facilitate the construction of a social media repository for managing heterogenous longitudinal social media data from competitors.[14] The framework collects, stores, and analyzes data by conducting continuous longitudinal monitoring and analysis from social media sites. The data can be generated on a daily, monthly, or weekly basis to facilitate social media analysis for example by comparing customers’ comments and sentiments about a particular competing product.

Media Essay

Introduction

The media landscape has undergone an unprecedented revolution in recent decades, becoming an integral and omnipresent part of modern society. In this comprehensive essay, we delve into the multifaceted role of media and its profound impact on individuals and communities worldwide. Media, encompassing various forms such as television, radio, print, and the internet, has evolved into a potent tool capable of disseminating information, shaping opinions, and instigating transformative change. 

By exploring the mechanisms behind media’s influence, its multifarious role in society, and the consequences of its power, we gain insight into the complex dynamics that shape the world we live in today.

Role of Media in the Society

The role of media in modern society is irrefutable and multi-dimensional. At its core, media acts as the primary conduit for information dissemination, facilitating the flow of news, knowledge, and ideas. Journalism, a critical aspect of media, plays the role of a vigilant watchdog, holding governments and institutions accountable for their actions. By reporting on social, political, and economic issues, the media empowers citizens to make informed decisions, fostering transparency and strengthening democratic principles.

Beyond information dissemination, media serves as a powerful cultural mirror, reflecting societal values, norms, and aspirations. It influences public opinions, attitudes, and perceptions, ultimately shaping the collective consciousness. Through television shows, films, documentaries, and various online content, media significantly impacts how individuals view themselves, others, and the world, thereby contributing to the process of identity formation.

Moreover, the media plays a pivotal role in shaping public discourse and social movements. By providing a platform for diverse voices and perspectives, the media fosters social change, champions human rights, and drives advocacy efforts. It serves as a catalyst for collective action, promoting global solidarity on issues ranging from climate change and social justice to public health and humanitarian crises. However, this power can be a double-edged sword, as misinformation, sensationalism, and propaganda can lead to polarization, mistrust, and societal division.

Media’s impact is not confined to a single community or nation; it extends to the global stage. The interconnectedness of the world through digital media and the internet has resulted in a globalized media landscape, where events in one corner of the world can instantaneously impact individuals across continents. This interconnectedness has the potential to foster understanding, empathy, and cross-cultural appreciation. On the flip side, it can also amplify conflicts and misinformation on a global scale, challenging the very essence of truth and shared human values.

Impact of Media

The impact of media on society is far-reaching and often transformative. As a vehicle for communication, media shapes political landscapes and influences policy-making decisions on local, national, and international levels. It amplifies social issues, influencing public sentiment and mobilizing collective action in times of crisis, aiding disaster response and relief efforts.

On an individual level, media influences belief systems, ideologies, and behavior patterns. It can inspire and educate, fostering personal growth and cultural enrichment. However, the media’s influence can also be manipulative and misleading, perpetuating stereotypes, fostering consumerism, and influencing lifestyle choices.

The rise of digital media and social networking platforms has further transformed the impact of media. Social media serves as a powerful agent of connectivity, enabling individuals to share information, experiences, and opinions instantaneously across the globe. It has played a pivotal role in mobilizing social movements, driving political activism, and fostering cross-cultural dialogue.

However, the algorithm-driven nature of social media raises concerns about information silos and filter bubbles. The personalized content feed may limit exposure to diverse perspectives, leading to echo chambers and reinforcing existing biases, thereby hindering the formation of a well-informed and empathetic society.

Furthermore, the entertainment industry’s global reach has contributed to the homogenization of culture, promoting certain lifestyles and value systems as aspirational, while marginalizing indigenous cultures and traditional practices. This phenomenon, known as cultural imperialism, raises questions about the preservation of cultural diversity and the need for media to foster cultural appreciation and understanding.

How Media Works?

The functioning of media is a complex interplay of various actors, technologies, and sociocultural factors. At its core, media operates on a business model that relies heavily on audience engagement and advertising revenue. The 24/7 news cycle, characteristic of modern media, demands constant updates and content, often leading to sensationalism and the prioritization of attention-grabbing stories over in-depth reporting.

News agencies, journalists, editors, and content creators play a crucial role in the process of gathering, producing, and disseminating information. They must uphold ethical standards and adhere to journalistic principles to ensure the accuracy, objectivity, and fairness of the content they produce.

Digital media and the internet have democratized information dissemination, enabling citizen journalism and participatory media. Social media platforms, search engines, and news outlets act as distribution channels, allowing information to reach a global audience in real-time. However, the decentralization of media raises concerns about the veracity of information and the spread of misinformation.

The advent of big data and analytics has further transformed media operations. Media organizations leverage data-driven insights to understand audience preferences, tailor content, and optimize advertising strategies. While this data-driven approach enhances user experiences and revenue generation, it also raises concerns about data privacy, surveillance, and the potential for manipulating public opinion.

Conclusion

Media’s influence on societies and minds is undeniably powerful and transformative. As we navigate the vast and ever-evolving media landscape, it becomes crucial to approach media consumption with mindfulness and critical thinking. Media literacy is essential in discerning between credible sources and misinformation, ensuring a well-informed and discerning audience.

Journalists, content creators, and media organizations bear the responsibility of upholding ethical standards, fostering accountability, and promoting responsible journalism. Striking a balance between delivering timely news and in-depth reporting is essential for fostering an informed and engaged society.

As consumers of media, we must remain vigilant and proactive in seeking diverse perspectives, engaging in constructive dialogue, and challenging our preconceived notions. This proactive approach to media consumption can counteract the formation of echo chambers and filter bubbles, promoting a society that values inclusivity, empathy, and understanding.

So, the media’s impact extends beyond information dissemination; it shapes societies, minds, and global perspectives. Understanding the multifaceted role of media and its mechanisms empowers us to harness its potential for positive change. By collectively fostering responsible media practices and promoting media literacy, we can ensure that media continues to be a force for progress, enlightenment, and harmony in an ever-connected world. Embracing the transformative power of media with wisdom and compassion, we can strive for a world where information serves as a catalyst for positive change, understanding, and unity.

Importance of Printed Media for the Spread of the Reformation

Martin Luther’s rise in popularity began when he nailed his ‘Ninety-Five Theses’ to the door of the Wittenberg Church on October 31, 1517. Luther aimed to show how corrupt the Catholic Church had become and in a letter to the Archbishop of Mainz, he wrote: “Works of piety and love are infinitely better than indulgences, and yet these are not preached with such ceremony or such zeal; nay, for the sake of preaching the indulgences they are kept quiet, though it is the first and the sole duty of all bishops that the people should learn the Gospel and the love of Christ”. He aimed to demonstrate with this message that the church was based greatly on luxuries and not God himself. Luther needed to spread this message and create his own Protestant Reformation. ‘Ninety-Five Theses’ failed to be answered, but it did cause a lot of controversies. Luther began his spreading of media and created a German translation with twenty-two German editions being printed. If it had not been for the accessibility and efficiency of type printing for copying documents, Luther’s Reformation and its influence on others could never have happened, and therefore the printed media was the most important reason for the spread of the Reformation.

Literacy in Germany was extremely low, was estimated to be as low as five percent in rural areas, and urban literacy around thirty percent. This made Luther’s printed media less common in Germany. However, people were still taught about them, and it was known that his books were read out loud in markets and people also made transcripts of Luther’s work. This was extremely important for the growth of the Reformation and further solidifies the idea that printed media was extremely important for the growth of the Reformation. People who could read, such as teachers, lawyers, and doctors acquire Luther’s latest pamphlet and then read it to crowds or households. A lot of the time people who could read, read his work to others. As Luther’s work spread via printed work, it gave certain people motivation to learn how to read, which further increased the popularity of the Reformation.

For Luther and other Reformers to express their views on the Catholic Church, they required printing services that could assist in the distribution of Luther’s publications. Johannes Gutenberg was a German inventor who introduced printing to Europe. At the request of the Wittenberg University leadership, Gutenberg had moved to Wittenberg from Erfurt in 1508 to set up a printing operation. His skills as a printer are shown in his publication of Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt’s ‘Distinctiones Thomistarum’. Without this invention, Luther would not have been as known due to people disagreeing with him and wanting him dead, such as Charles V who made him an outlaw who could be killed without consequence.

Luther’s use of technology in the 1520s brought a significant increase in the number of printing businesses. Richard Glenn Cole looked at the industry’s publication of works by Martin Luther and other Protestants and concluded that Germany dominated the industry with almost fifty printers of Luther’s works in the 1520s printing in twelve separate locations. He also found that there were seventy printers in various locations printing mostly Reformation tracts. During the sixteenth century, three hundred and ninety-one printers were printing Luther’s works. Without these Luther would not have been able to spread his beliefs quickly and could have ended up being killed before achieving his goals of pointing out the corruption of the Catholic Church. Richard Cole would agree that printed media was one of the most crucial reasons why the Reformation could spread. Cole also went on to say that it is likely that German printers chose to publish Protestant material on pamphlets during the 1520s. It cannot be ignored that these printers and publications were the beginning of something huge. The ease in sharing his views with others was thanks to Gutenberg’s genius. In all regions of Germany, a given purchaser could buy more books at lower prices out of appreciation for buying more stock. These purchasers could bring them into their library. This made Germany an excellent location for publishing, as the country had enough printers to allow for a large distribution of his writings. Furthermore, it allowed people to purchase his work for a good price making it more accessible to the general public.

With presses available and secondary ways of presenting his writings to the illiterate, Luther kept on giving Germany his work and teachings. Richard Crofts noted the number of publications produced in Germany during the period 1521 and 1545 and then compared them with Luther’s work. He found the information on German publications via ‘Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in the German-Speaking Countries’. The statistics he talked about were the number of printed works per five-year period. These included non-religious works, works by Reformers, and works by Catholics. The period of 1521 to 1545 produced 5,651 works with 34.1% being non-religious titles, 30.2% published by Reformers, and 17.6% were by Catholics. In the first half of the same period, the works by Reformers had an even greater percentage of work being presented with Reformers’ producing 46% of the works. Crofts’ notes show that Reformation teachings were being printed more than the works from the Catholic Church. This demonstrates the complete importance of printed media. Without it, the chance of Luther being talked about more than the Catholic Church would be almost impossible. What was also incredible about the statistics was that on average, Luther’s work was just over 50% of the works by Reformers, showing how influential his work was.

Luther needed a printer that could print his work, and this must include them not finding his views controversial. Luther’s first Wittenberg printer was Johann Gutenberg. Gutenberg published Luther’s translation and commentary on ‘The Seven Penitential Psalms’. This publication became very popular and was republished in Leipzig, Strasburg, and Erfurt. Using Gutenberg for his printer was a good choice for Luther as he could keep a close eye on what was being printed while he taught at the university.

Gutenberg’s work wasn’t up to Luther’s standard, and he became dissatisfied, so he brought the more experienced and established printer named Melchior Lotter to Wittenberg from Leipzig to set up a printing shop. Lotter completed establishing his Wittenberg facility. He then gave the management of the facility to Melchior and Michael, his sons. Lotter’s facilities seemed to do the job for Luther. Furthermore, it is believed that Luther had a good relationship with the Lotter family, as Michael married one of Luther’s first cousins. Luther found Lotter’s printing business an efficient operation for publishing his writings and spreading the Reformation. Lotter, it meant Luther could continue to expand further and have better prints of his work, making his ideas more interesting.

Luther’s contributed to the Reformation greatly with his German translation of the New Testament, which was published in 1522. He then went on to translate the Bible into German which was a success and was completed in 1534. Luther knew it was of importance to turn the Word of God into the language of the people. However, Germany during the 16th century didn’t have a common tongue. This didn’t dampen the success of the translation, as it allowed for Luther to reveal the true words of the Bible to people who may have been corrupted by the Catholic teachings, further showing the importance of printed media to the spread of the Reformation. Luther’s translation of the New Testament provided was used to teach reading to the illiterate, which helped unite a mother tongue as people were learning that form of German more than anything. The translations were a great success and were accepted by most of the German population. A printer in Wittenberg named Hans Lufft produced thousands of Luther’s Bibles between 1534 and 1574. These thousands of Bibles were used to help people with their literacy so not only were they learning the language, but they were also learning about the true contents of the Bible, making these printings vital in the success of the Reformation.

Lucas Cranach partnered with the goldsmith Christian Döring to establish a printing shop. This resulted in the production of several dozen Luther pamphlets between 1522 and 1525 and a few of the first versions of the Bible in native German. Joseph Klug published Luther’s ‘A Mighty Fortress’ in his shop in 1529. With all these different printers assisting in the spread of Luther’s Reformation, it meant that the Reformation could spread with such ease, covering as many people as possible a day that it would take Luther months if he were to be working alone.

Although printed media was vital to the success of the Reformation, it did come with issues. As Luther’s popularity kept spreading and more of his work came to light, certain printers took advantage of this opportunity to make money. Printers began the printing of Martin Luther’s publications in an unauthorized manner, and this was a problem. Publishers saw the profit potential and would make and print their own editions of his works. This was very bad for Luther’s Reformation as it meant that some ideas could be changed and then mass-printed, or the production quality of his work could be not of standard, which could ultimately turn people away from the Reformation. Some of Luther’s unfinished books were stolen from his printers and printed and re-sold by others with certain modifications by someone else. In a later edition of Luther’s German New Testament, he included in his preface a comment, “I beg all my friends and foes, my masters, printers, and readers, let this New Testament be mine. If you lack one, then make one for yourselves… But this Testament is Luther’s German Testament”. This comment shows the worry that people were changing his word and urged others to make their version, instead of copying his. These printing problems luckily didn’t escalate to become out of control with Luther sharing all this work to printing industries, it did increase the risk of his work would be in jeopardy.

Luther was annoyed by his works being copied, but he was also angry about the quality that they were being produced at. He wrote to George Spalatin in 1521, expressing his thoughts about his work being pirated and the errors in his work: “I have received the second and third parts of my ‘Sermon on Confession’ from you and the first part from Melanchthon. I cannot say how sorry and disgusted I am with the printing. I wish I had sent nothing in German, because they print it so poorly, carelessly, and confusedly, to say nothing of bad types and paper”. Despite Luther’s anger at the failure of certain printing, it is undeniable that the main reason for the success and widespread popularity of Luther’s Reformation to this day was down to the printed media. You can argue that it was risky as work can be changed and then printed off to favor the Catholic Church, but without taking that risk, the Reformation would never have been known as it is today, and we must thank printing for that.

To conclude, printed media was fully important for the spread of the Reformation. In this essay I have shown that printing completely changed the life of many, as it allowed popularity that was never seen before, a revolution within technology. During the sixty years of development, the printers of Luther’s era were able to publish all his books, pamphlets, tracts, treatises, hymns, and his translations of the Bible into German. Of course, he faced challenges with this technology, but it did not slow him down too much. Printing was so important for Luther as it meant that people across the country could learn of the corruption within the Catholic Church and understand that the poor are just as equal as the wealthy. People were motivated to learn German so that they could understand Luther’s teachings. Printed media also allowed for the Bible translation and made people realize that the Bible doesn’t encourage the ways of the Catholic Church, such as the church selling indulgences for money for the dead so they could go to Heaven faster. Finally, Gutenberg’s introduction of the printer changed the West. “A man born in 1453, the year of the fall of Constantinople, could look back from his fiftieth year on a lifetime in which about eight million books had been printed, more perhaps than all the scribes of Europe had produced since Constantine founded his city in A.D. 330”. This quote sums up the argument that printing was vital for the success of the Reformation. Without the printer, Luther likely wouldn’t be known today, and people would have taken him for a fool, but the printer meant that he could spread his message quickly, making printed media the most important reason for the success and popularity of Luther’s Reformation. Martin Luther used this technology and efficiently used it for the distribution of his writings and exposed the Word of God to the people who were trapped within the belief that the Catholic Church was correct in all their teachings.