Postman’s third chapter, entitled “Typographic America”, dealt largely with summary of American history. Specifically, he focused on the nature of the printing press’s interactions with the developing culture of America before, during, and post revolution until the mid to late 1800s. This involved such analyses as examining the literacy rates of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the rise of the printing press in America, and the orations of the Great Awakening revivalist movement.
I found this take on American history to be very interesting. I had never before considered that the American discourse has been so shaped by its exposure to the printing press for centuries. I also did not know that the literacy rates in early America were so much higher than those in Britain during the same period, despite an abundance of schools in Britain–according to Postman, one every twelve miles on average. The historical context of how American discourse is and has been inextricably tied to and shaped by our main method of communication is just astounding. Even today, anyone who talks on stage speaks as if their words are going to be written down because Americans so associate the style of the printed word with truth. Postman did a truly good job of establishing that, for the entirety of American history, our medium of communication has had a drastic effect on the delivery and, more importantly, the content of our messages. I wonder in which forms of communication this influence by the printing press is most notable? Postman mentions the church, which fits my own experience. Perhaps news on television with the use of teleprompters? Acting?
