Summary:
- Periodicals are the first original genre after Gutenberg's Bible. By combining and developing old practices, periodicals became a text form that was easier for readers to digest because information was broken down into smaller pieces and they offered a greater variety of content. Periodicals were a vehicle of major cultural changes, including in the scientific field thanks to science journals and similar publications.
- Eventually, periodicals surpassed the book as predominant text because they allowed for intellectual exchange, social commentary and entertainment content to be combined or to be offered individually. Periodicals were highly influential to democratic and political struggles around the world, giving readers a sense of community.
- Printing of periodicals became a business that benefited publishers, authors and readers, thanks in part to the income provided by advertising. Today, the industry faces challenges due to rising costs, competition and the popularity of online media, such as blogs.
Comment: Although the newspaper industry keeps
shrinking, I hope it doesn't disappear completely, but that instead it learns
to adapt itself to new technologies without losing its ability to relay
information with integrity and credibility.
Question: How and to what extent did periodicals serve as "artillery
and fortresses in political and cultural wars," especially for communism and later for capitalism?
Periodicals were extremely influential, especially as literacy continued to grow. Production of periodicals was cheaper and faster than that of books or other forms of information, making them far more dynamic. This allowed them to spark more political movements among the people. As far as their effects on capitalism, there was a lack of diversity in the publication of periodicals since they were controlled by a few (capitalist) conglomerates.
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