In the beginning man communicated orally. History was passed on in stories that were told from person to person. In order for this type of communication to work, the receiver must have a good memory to remember the story that was told to them. If that person didn't remember the story correctly then after it has been passed down through a number of people the story could end up sounding nothing like it did when it first began.

This was the major problem with preliterate culture. Myth and stories began to intertwine, because these tales were so distorted from when they were first began.

Next, came the ideogrammatic alphabet. This was the first form of writing to emerge on earth. Cuneiform, which is believed to be the first alphabet, is a great example. The alphabet consisted of symbols and pictures instead of letters. Now that there was a written alphabet, accurate documents of history could now be recorded instead of some tall tale that had barely any truth to it at al

The next great advancement in communication was the newspaper. People were now able to read about daily happenings in their town, or city and became more oriented with what was happening around them. Newspapers soon began to be used to pass on beliefs of certain individuals. These beliefs ranged from the abolishment of slavery to advertising for a submarine. Not everybody liked this though. Many editors were arrested and forced to stand trial. As we all know, America is a free country, and the first amendment guarantees the freedom of speech, no matter how offending the message is. At the beginning of the 20th century a new type of paper was created called the penny press. This was the first type of paper to be sold for less then cost and depended on advertisements for their profits. The paper's contents was designed for the common man and was meant to have a large readership. Well, they did and almost every major city had a penny press. Advancements such as color !

After newspapers, motion pictures and television arrived. These are probably two of the most influential forms of mass media in society today. All you need is a working pair of ears and eyes. Which means that anybody can watch TV or a movie. This brings many pluses, but also ha

Some common words found in the essay are:
THROUGHOUT Throughout, Gutenberg Press, Howard Stern, Internet Basically, ideogrammatic alphabet, tv movie, 20th century, penny press, type paper, sit watch, told person, remember story,
Approximate Word count = 852
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)