3rd RTF Blog Post: Technological Change in Radio

            Radio emerged very quickly in America during the 1920s because of technological change. This period in history is commonly known as the ‘Roaring Twenties’ because of the radical transformation caused by the many changes happening in technology with new advancements, discoveries, and inventions. The radio industry was experiencing an economic boom, as it became a product of the mass media.

Technological change is known as progression in a product: the creation of a technology, the process of improving that good (in which it becomes less expensive), and the diffusion of that product. In this case, the constant advances in radio stimulated social hype, raising profits for the industry. Having radio become almost a common necessity in an average American household also pushed inventors to add news, entertainment and more to the once very simple instrument.

By the late 1920s, about 60% of American homes owned at least one radio. Technological advances affected the evolution of radio keeping the consumers in constant crave for what was to come next. An example would be Apple’s iPod. Since the arrival of the 1^st generation iPods, society took a bit of an interest in this new innovative gadget. As apple continued to release newer models, the iPod became even more common and affordable. Today, the iPod is seen as a common necessity just like radios were in the early 20^th century. Technological changes have affected the way radio and other goods evolved through history.