M9 Discussion Forum Posting: History of media and technology

This final module provided an examination of the history of media studies. As I revisited my response to the discussion questions, I realized that it is easy for users of media and technology to overlook the implications that technological advances have on the society. It seems that human beings are always looking toward the future rather than the past. This limits the understanding and appreciation of how things came to be. When we look into the past, we position ourselves to see how we can learn from the mistakes that have already been made and investigate with new knowledge and understanding the problems that were once unresolved. When students in media studies examine media messages in history, they will be able to compare how the messages have changed (or not) over time with the advancement of technology and society in general and apply their learning to guide their thinking in preparation for the things to come.