Social Media in the 18th Century

Most people in our era think if social media as an app on a device that uses data, and allows you to communicate with friends, family and new people. But in the 18th century, that is not what social media was like. First of all, touch-screen phones had not been invented. In fact, people during that time period didn't have anything close to a smartphone. The only way they could communicating with people far away was through telegrams… Second of all, no one had come up with the idea of apps for  phones (Snapchat, Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, etc…) because obviously, they didn’t have them.

             Social media in the 18th century       V.S.      Social media in the 21st century

In the 18th century, there was a different widespread meaning for social media. They didn’t have any version of a device. So instead, they used coffeehouses and art salons to spread news, share ideas, and meet new ppl. The historian Brian Cowan describes English coffeehouses as "places where people gathered to drink coffee, learn the news of the day, and perhaps to meet with other local residents and discuss matters of mutual concern." This was a way for people to catch up on the current matters of the world, and be in a social environments!

In theory, English coffeehouses and Persian salons were almost as effective as social media. They allowed people to do similar things: communicate with multiple people, and hear about the hottest new gossip/ important world news.

In my opinion, social media then and now are both very similar, even though they were, and are not executed in the same ways. Social media is important to me because it allows me to meet new people, share things I find interesting, and build knowledge about many things. I use many apps, such as Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, Pinterest, and YouTube. They are all entertaining, and I learn new things!

The video linked below describes how coffeehouses and salons were used in the 18th century

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGD bPFU