p.855-862

The reading raised an interesting point for me, namely how new scientific theories such as those of Darwin and Freud were disseminated to the masses. It was not often that people read and learned from the sources themselves; more often they read about them in newspapers or heard about from others. Here we see the increasing influence of the much maligned "mass media", defining what the general public reads, hears, or thinks. Higher literacy rates did not mean that readers became more discerning, but in fact more voracious. Publications that were sensational, readily available, and cheap became the most popular, and it was these that defined mass culture through mass readership. What had started as an effective way to make money became an even more powerful tool for influence not only on culture but also on world affairs, such as when Hearst famously "started" the Spanish-American War because of some especially provoking journalism. The opinion of the public mattered a great deal to the success of businesses, governments, and ideas, and there was no better way of reaching the public than through the newspapers. However, there was no guarantee that the message would not be misinterpreted by the middlemen. Darwin and Freud's theories could be incorrectly reported by subjective writers who were interested in making a point, not scientific reporting. Unfortunately, perhaps, for some thinkers, it was writers concerned with selling papers who had the most influence on the public.