Creation of the Telephone
The creation of the telephone did more than make Alexander Graham Bell an easy Jeopardy answer. It impacted the world of communications in a way that truly was not challenged until the invention of Internet in the later 20th Century. Telephones opposed everything that we knew about social interactions. When trying to reach someone further than a minutes away, there was no longer a need to send him or her something in the post. In 1877, the first telephone line ever was installed between Boston and Summerville, Massachusetts. (Bellis) Only three years later the population of telephone owning homes had jumped to a staggering 47,900. (Bellis) Connecting to someone was as easy as picking up your home telephone, asking to be connected to a particular place, and then suddenly they were at the other end.
First Utterances on the telephone: March 10, 1876 "Mr. Watson -- come here -- I want to see you." ~ Alexander Graham Bell |
Telephones had a huge impact on the economy. It was possible to call down to a local store or market to check if they had something in stock. It also made it more accessible for customers to compare prices without having to travel excessively as they could do it from the comfort of their homes. It was truly the beginning of our modern world’s motto ‘I want it, and I want it now’. As with everything, it came with its own faults. An operator was said to have been the wife of the local practitioner, so naturally when someone called in need of one, she forwarded the call straight to her husband’s business. The creation of a telephone number was shortly put into place once competitors realized they were losing so much business. (Bellis)
The switchboard operator, more commonly known as the operator, connected each call by inserting phone plugs into the appropriate wall jack. As the number of people who had telephones expanded, so did the switchboard. For instance someone with the telephone number 47-323 would have the jack with the coordinated 47-323 on the switchboard. (Chrucky) As you can see, as the population of telephone owners expanded, this became increasingly harder and harder to manage. |
The invention of the telephone set an all new focus on the tone of someone's voice. Conversations over the phone completely diminished the importance of body language. It was impossible to see the shrug of someones shoulders or even their smile. It didn't matter what you looked like, the way you were standing, or the strength of your handshake. It mattered what you sounded like. In some ways it can be inferred that the telephone hindered our ability to physically interact with people. We were able to socialize without having to worry or concern ourselves with our physical being. Some may be thinking that this already happened when someone wrote a letter. However, unlike penmanship, a voice is much more personal.
|