In saying no one knew about the ideas implicit in the telegraph, I am not quite accurate. Thoreau knew. Or so one may surmise. It is alleged that upon being told that through the telegraph a man in Maine could instantly send a message to a man in Texas, Thoreau asked, "But what do they have to say to each other?" In asking this question, to which no serious interest was paid, Thoreau was directing attention to the psychological and social meaning of the telegraph, and in particular to its capacity to change the character of information -- from the personal and regional to the impersonal and global.
In "The Disappearance of Childhood," Neil Postman examines the implications of the telegraph on communication and society. He posits that while many might overlook its significance, Henry David Thoreau recognized its deeper impacts. When Thoreau learned that a message could travel instantaneously from Maine to Texas, he questioned the purpose of such communication, highlighting a shift from personal exchanges to a more detached and widespread form of information sharing.
This inquiry illustrates Thoreau's awareness of the telegraph's potential to alter the nature of information itself. With the advent of such technology, communication transformed from being intimate and regionally grounded to a more impersonal and global phenomenon. Postman's exploration emphasizes the broader psychological and social ramifications of technological advancements, urging readers to reflect on how such changes affect human relationships and society at large.
