What was the effect of the rise of the mass media during the 1920s?

Answer 1

The mass media had already been around for many years (mainly through print-- newspapers and magazines, but also, since the turn of the century, through phonograph records); but what happened in the 1920s was the rise of radio and the arrival of talking pictures (movies). This made a major impact on American life.

For one thing, thanks to the growth of radio broadcasting, entertainment, news, sports, and politics could now heard in the comfort of anyone's home. Listeners who were poor and could not afford tickets, or listeners who were black and lived in segregated states, or anyone who lived far from a center of population, or anyone else for that matter, could now have access to the most famous performers or hear the best-known political figures. This helped the nation become more informed, and it also helped entertainers gain larger audiences than ever before. It also affected politicians: now, candidates were judged not only by what they said to the newspapers, but how they sounded when speaking over the radio.

The rise of radio broadcasting gave small towns and big cities alike the opportunity to entertain and inform the public. Unknown local performers were able to be heard for the first time, and many went on to become nationally famous. Similarly, the public heard speakers from a number of points of view, and were exposed to a variety of political issues. Some stations offered college-level courses or gave educational talks. Various sects of Christianity and also Reform Judaism offered live broadcasts of religious services, which shut-ins very much appreciated. Sports fans were especially pleased, because now the most important events (Baseball and football games, boxing matches, etc.) were available to them, and there were even some interviews with the athletes. And finally, there was a new interest in public speaking, as many listeners decided they wanted to be on the radio like the people they were hearing.

The success of talking pictures meant newsreels (which is how people got to see the news before television) could now include speech as well as printed captions; it also meant the story-telling and visual impact of the movies could be enhanced by dialogue. But the downside of this was that actors and actresses who lacked a pleasant speaking voice saw their careers end. Silent films did not require the ability to be a good speaker, whereas talking pictures did.

To sum up, while newspapers and magazines and recorded music had changed public life, few mass media had more of an impact than radio. It did not require literacy, it reached people of all ages and social classes and races, and it provided a welcome catharsis to listeners both rich and poor. As for the movies, talking pictures were one more advance that made them more entertaining and gave the audience an even more realistic experience when they went to the theater.