Any invention exerts influences other than those originally perceived. Speaking of the introduction of the radio in the United States, Ogburn and Nimkoff identified as many as 150 different influences in the following fields: uniformity and diffusion, transportation, education, dissemination of information, religion, industry and business, occupations, and government and politics, to name a few. Below the chart on dispersion in their the authors wrote: A big invention is the centre of many different effects that radiate in different directions like the spokes of a wheel. For instance, the radio has influenced the detection of crime, affected the dancing and recreation of young people, produced new occupations, changed the manner of political campaigning, increased the safety of airplanes, and reduced the time for spreading the news’ (1958: 673). A change introduced in one part of society has wide-ranging ramifications.
What the invention of the radio did in the United States in the early twentieth century is no match to what television and the Internet have done in recent years. The entire technology vis-à-vis the transmission of messages and images has undergone a sea change with the IT Revolution. It has created information highways that are transcending the boundaries of individual societies and creating new forms of proximity. Although geographical distances and hurdles remain, societies have come closer to each other. Similarly, people are being re-linked to their own past. Through them, people in the developing world are not only being exposed to the outside world, they are also rediscovering their own tradition.
Earlier, films were a medium through which to educate the populace of the country’s past, and to highlight the good and bad in present-day society. Traditional epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharat were encapsulated into three-hour cinemas, attracting large audiences. With the advent of television, the same epics have been turned into serials, running for months together. So powerful was their impact that people of all classes, even those who belonged to other religions, readjusted their schedules to make provision for these episodes.5
Cinema, in its turn, affected the culture of the theatre. As a new means of entertainment, it brought individuals and families out of their homes and closeted them within the bound environs of cinema halls. The developments in cinematography and strides made in the field of animation via computer technology have made modern cinema a powerful medium of credible communication. Fantasies now fly much higher. Things that were difficult to show in live dramatic performances are now shown in the new make-believe world. ‘Willing Suspension of Disbelief’ (WSD) has assumed new meaning, making those things that were earlier discarded by the literati as mere fiction and flights of imagination believable.
The arrival of television, and later the video, brought people back to their homes. Drawing rooms became mini theatres. With the new gadgets beyond the reach of ordinary families, those possessing them added yet another indicator denoting their superior class status. Even in the United States, signal-receiving gadgets planted on roof tops—the antennas—became the new totem poles of status. When television was introduced in developing countries in the 1970s and early 1980s, it became a status symbol for the owners, who displayed it prominently in their drawing rooms.
In many countries—including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh—the drawing rooms of upper middle-class families became mini cinema halls to accommodate audiences who came from their neighbourhood. Now, with the DVD, some entrepreneurs have converted large rooms into mini theatres for lower middle-class people and poor workers, who cannot afford to visit the exorbitantly priced multiplexes. This has also given rise to video piracy—now a big business. With the addition of DVD players, old films became available on DVDs and CDs. Indian films found entry into Pakistani homes through this route, as the government had banned their screening in cinema halls. The VCDs of Indian films arrive in Pakistan via the Middle East. A new business avenue has been opened.
In terms of the interior designing of homes, significant changes occurred with the arrival of TV sets. As new acquisitions, the sets were installed in drawing rooms, where they could be easily noticed by visitors. However, such installation also required changes in furniture design and placement to ensure a proper seating arrangement for TV viewers.
In Thailand, media people succeeded in translating all Western movies into the Thai language. Foreigners residing in Thailand found it difficult to follow TV programmes; so, to facilitate their viewing, FM radio used the original soundtracks of Western movies in coordination with the TV channel. So while the images were viewed on the TV screen, the voices and sound came through the radio. Thus, both Thai viewers and foreign viewers residing in Thailand could watch the programmes simultaneously. Such programmes served the dual function of exposing the Thai audience to foreign films and facilitating viewing for foreign viewers—something that was unthinkable only a few years before.
In India, television was first introduced in major metropolitan cities, and their coverage was limited. Since TV transmission was state-owned, the programmes were for a limited time (three to four hours in the evening), and the viewer had no choice but to watch the programmes transmitted on a single channel. Indians became divided into those exposed to the new medium and those who remained unexposed. At that time, television viewing was part of metropolitan culture.
The introduction of TV required changes in the time management of individual households. During transmission, families remained glued to the small screen, affecting the running of the kitchen. Small commercial breaks were used by housewives to return to the kitchen to monitor the cooking. In many cases drawing rooms doubled as dining rooms as families combined eating with TV watching. In the early days of television, with government-run limited channels, viewers had no control over the programming and had to be content with what was relayed. There were many more viewers when a movie was shown, but as soon as it was interrupted for the news telecast, viewers used that time as an interval to attend to other tasks—visiting the bathroom, attending to cooking, etc.
Such behaviour is still prevalent, although there is now a multiplicity of private channels which earn their revenue from advertisements. During commercial breaks, viewers disregard the advertisements by turning the sound off or attending to other family chores. Television channels earn their revenue from advertisements, but viewers do not always oblige the sponsors of the programmes. However, it is the TV viewership that is used as an indicator of the popularity of a given programme.
This is just an indicative list of the changes brought about by technological innovation.
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