Communication Technology Update, 9th Edition

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Communication Technology Timeline

Dan Brown, Ph.D.^*

This chapter follows patterns adopted in previous summaries of trends in U.S. communications media (Brown & Bryant, 1989; Brown, 2002). To aid in understanding rates of adoption and use, the premise for this chapter is that non-monetary measures are a more consistent measure of a technology’s impact than the dollar value of sales. More meaningful media consumption trends emerge from examining changes in non-monetary media units and penetration (i.e., percentage of marketplace use, such as households) rather than on dollar expenditures. Box office receipts from motion pictures offers a notable exception, with unit attendance figures reported along with the dollar amounts.

Another premise is ...