Media History in Your Hand

It’s amazing how many different devices our smartphones have replaced, isn’t it? How many of us have stopped wearing wristwatches because we have our phones on us all day? Our phones are our newspapers, radios, cameras, and camcorders. They even give us the weather forecast!

Check out the large smartphone in the center of this station. How many of the apps pictured do you use every day?

Now trace the lines from your favorite apps to the artifacts in the cases. Recognize any of this technology? Pause the audio track now to read more about these media inventions made obsolete by our smartphones. Press play when you’re ready to continue.

With so many different applications combined, it’s no wonder we spend a lot of time on our smartphones! Media technology development has prioritized increased convenience, reduced cost, and audience reach. But for something we spend so much time on, are we being mindful about how we interact with our phones and the media we consume there?

Let’s move on to the next station and learn more about how to stay in control of our media use. Select the track corresponding to your next station when you arrive.