Telegraph vs. Texting
English 101-English Composition
Compare-Contrast Essay: Final
Texting - 1830’s Style
Texting has, in many instances, replaced telephone as a quick and easy way to communicate a short message in one direction over long distances. Sending quick one-way messages may feel like a modern convenience, but it is very similar to communicating through Morse Code on the electric telegraph - technology that was commonplace nearly 200 years ago. Had the electric telegraph been brought into the home, the need for modern day texting may have evolved quite differently, or maybe not at all.
The electric telegraph, invented in the 1830's, sent messages over wires from one point to another using the short ‘dots' and longer ‘dashes' of Morse Code. By the end of 1861, there were telegraph lines all the way from New York to San Francisco. The 10-day coast-to-coast transit time of the Pony Express was quickly made obsolete by such instantaneous communication and, for those who could afford the cost of a telegram, the telegraph was preferred for its speed over the U.S. mail [source: Wikipedia]. This established one of the first everyday uses of short but extremely quick messaging.
Both texting and telegraphy are asynchronous methods of communication, as opposed to the synchronous communication of a telephone conversation. While using a telephone, you must engage in an ongoing conversation with the other party. The flow of conversation goes back and forth at a high rate, and you have to be present when the phone call is occurring as an active participant. Phone calls are synchronous in nature.
However, when you send someone an asynchronous text or telegraph message it doesn't matter when the recipient replies. It could be in 1 minute, 2 hours, or 3 days. When and if they reply, the same rules apply and you may find yourself waiting for a response. In this way, sending messages by text or telegraph are very similar in nature.
Sending the dots and dashes Morse may be less intuitive than
Compare-Contrast Essay: Final
Texting - 1830’s Style
Texting has, in many instances, replaced telephone as a quick and easy way to communicate a short message in one direction over long distances. Sending quick one-way messages may feel like a modern convenience, but it is very similar to communicating through Morse Code on the electric telegraph - technology that was commonplace nearly 200 years ago. Had the electric telegraph been brought into the home, the need for modern day texting may have evolved quite differently, or maybe not at all.
The electric telegraph, invented in the 1830's, sent messages over wires from one point to another using the short ‘dots' and longer ‘dashes' of Morse Code. By the end of 1861, there were telegraph lines all the way from New York to San Francisco. The 10-day coast-to-coast transit time of the Pony Express was quickly made obsolete by such instantaneous communication and, for those who could afford the cost of a telegram, the telegraph was preferred for its speed over the U.S. mail [source: Wikipedia]. This established one of the first everyday uses of short but extremely quick messaging.
Both texting and telegraphy are asynchronous methods of communication, as opposed to the synchronous communication of a telephone conversation. While using a telephone, you must engage in an ongoing conversation with the other party. The flow of conversation goes back and forth at a high rate, and you have to be present when the phone call is occurring as an active participant. Phone calls are synchronous in nature.
However, when you send someone an asynchronous text or telegraph message it doesn't matter when the recipient replies. It could be in 1 minute, 2 hours, or 3 days. When and if they reply, the same rules apply and you may find yourself waiting for a response. In this way, sending messages by text or telegraph are very similar in nature.
Sending the dots and dashes Morse may be less intuitive than