Blog 2.2

Our original question: -What might we learn about the relationship between technology, society, and change by studying the case of the telegraph? Your individual reflections: -What have you learned about this relationship? I have learned that technology can have a greater impact on our lives than simply making our lives easier to deal with. Technology can extend past our physical relationship with it and can have a greater meaning. It has the ability to effect the world in a greater way such as in the reading, when the telegraph seemed to grip our entire country and had the ability to effect everybody's life. From this it can be seen that the effect of technology can actually be negative rather than manly positive outcomes. -What tensions did this technology spark? When the telegraph was invented it made long distance communication faster and easier to do. Do to the expensive cost of sending a telegram the telegraph was mostly beneficial to the upper class businessman who were able to afford it. This allowed for the richer to get rich and the middle class business to struggle. The Western Union created a monopoly from the telegraph and was saught to have the capibility of controlling various aspects of our economy and politics. Due to these reasons tension sparked up from the invention of telegraph technology. -What other ides/questions have interested you? Gardiner Greene Hubbard was William Ortons main competitor, or the man who was trying to minimize his "monopoly" over the telegraph communication system. He claimed to be fighting for rights of the middle class against the upperclass. Could it be said that after Hubbard's many failed attempts of becoming wealthy himself. He being jealous of rich businessmen sought to tear down the Western Union claiming by doing so to be in it for the middle class. While scheming his way to becoming a rich business man at the same time?