What changed the world more: the printing press or the internet?

Question

You can just say “printing press” or “internet,” but if you’d like to share why, I’d appreciate it.

Lliam · Accepted Answer

The printing press.
It led to the Protestant reformation. People began read the Bible for themselves instead of having it read to them by priests. This prompted many people to learn how to read and, at that point, they could read other things. They gradually learned to think for themselves.

Before the printing press, which was invented in 1440, European literacy rates were very low, with estimates suggesting only about 30% of adults could read. Literacy was largely restricted to the clergy and wealthy elite, with rates in some areas, such as the Holy Roman Empire, possibly as low as 11%. The overwhelmingly rural population was largely illiterate, often with rates below 10%.

By the 1640s, literacy rates were still generally low but rising, heavily influenced by religion and social class. Male literacy in England was around 30%, while in the American colonies, particularly Massachusetts and Connecticut, it was remarkably high at 89–95%. Women's literacy was lower, often around 10–25% in England and up to 62% in the American colonies.

People learned not only to read but to write. People of modest means had opportunities to write creative works and even get published.

In 1940, the United States achieved a literacy rate of roughly 96%. While overall literacy was high, significant disparities remained, with "black and other" populations showing an 11.5% illiteracy rate compared to the total population's 2.9% illiteracy rate. Over 90% of people in Western nations were literate by 1940.

Once book publishing became possible, great literary works were created.

Newspapers were everywhere. Magazines and other periodicals became popular.

Libraries were built so that people could find books on all sorts of topics. And they were free to all. Students, scholars, average people and children could go to libraries to read, study, or check out books to take home.
And many libraries were gorgeous.

The human race evolved tremendously as a result of the printing press.

The internet would be useless if people didn't already know how to read and write. It's just a new form of publishing. And a lot of its content is garbage.

Telekinetic-Potato · Accepted Answer

The internet. By far.

The internet destroyed how all of society works within 30 years of coming to a new culture.

It creates countless opportunities for people who 500 years ago would have been thrown off a cliff or put in an anylum or working as an apple farmer or something to be rich, college professors, learn skills for free. Skills which were gate kept for thousands of years.

I remember being a kid in 2010 learning photoshop and after effects. Back then if you wanted to learn something, you had to figure it out or find one of a handful of people who knew how to do what you want and convince them to teach you and not charge an arm and a leg.

I know people who spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to listen to people talk about their careers without and garuentee they would learn something new.

The internet has almost completely removed the need for that. The fact you can go on openai. com and ask chat gpt how to build a boat hull out of fiberglass and it will explain everything you need to know as if you're learning from some old boat builder who helped in the war or whatever 😂 is so fucking crazy I think most people can't even begin to process it.

The internet caused the biggest societal shift humanity has almost certainly ever seen.

It changed how we eat, date, communicate, learn, dictate morals, debate, define success, define what is normal, agree on what IS and ISN'T. And that's just the basic things. Printing press was a big deal but let's not forget, most people couldn't read and write until less than 200 years before the internet was available to regular consumers. 😂

purplepoppy · Accepted Answer

Internet. Back then huge swathes of the population were illiterate, printing was slow and expensive. Its true it greatly increased the availability of the printed word but what was printed was extremely limited and not well distributed.

With the Internet any idiot with a computer could get his message out to the entire world. Science was no longer the domain of the educated, the world could be flat, square, triangle, we muddied the waters between fact and lunacy. We can turn elections in other countries, cause civil unrest, riots, and worse. We gave billions of monkeys typewriters expecting Shakespeare and got chaos.

Kelley1 · Accepted Answer

The printing press. That allowed people to have access to books and learn to read. Before the printing press, most people were illiterate.

Simslover92 · Answer

The internet. While we certainly wouldn't have the things we do now without the printing press, the internet has changed a lot of things in such little bit of time. It's only been what, 40-50 years with the internet but many years with the printing press and yet we've transformed so much in that little bit of time with the internet and will continue to do so.

DryGermanGuy · Answer

The printing press has made people smarter. The internet has made (a large number of) people dumber. So, as a German, I cheer for the positive changes of a German invention.

Massageman · Answer

The printing press made reading materials widely available. Until then, scribes had to produce copied manually. Relative to the "technology of the day", the printing press made a bigger difference. With the Internet, AI and all that, it's just a matter of making data travel faster and with more variants, many totally useless and wasteful. I remember when we had a 56K modem on our computer at home. Our daughter went to college where they had the latest- one-meg internet access. Responses popped up (almost) before you hit the keys! Of course, users found a way to waste that speed with gratuitous graphics and useless junk, so , do we ever make a REAL gain with that extra processing power? hmmmmmmmmmm

Genie23 · Answer

Internet. It has changed the world for sure... But it also messed few things up. Hope you've been well, bro!

MrChinaski · Answer

My vote is for agriculture. Then electrification.  The internet seems like more of a passing phase.

RandomGirl42 · Answer

The internet 'cuz like, it would prolly take me a really long time to type out this reply on a printing press and stuff and texting would be a lot slower too.

Maybe_Maybe_not · Answer

I mean without printed press there would be no internet. So surely printed press introduced more changes in the end lol

AviatorTom · Answer

Before the printing press, most people could not read. It opened the world to books and more inter-personal communication. Without the printing press, the Internet would it have happened.

fonduegirl · Answer

Internet. For books, you had to be curious and literate. Now? Even a stupid delusional person has an opinion on the net

msc545 · Answer

At this point in time, I would say it would be the printing press just because it's been around longer than the internet.

Anonymous · Answer

The internet 😋 the printing press just another journalists tool piece to manipulate good brains to become negative Nancy's :(

MissSunshine2 · Answer

Definitely the internet. For better and for worse.

exitseven · Answer

The internet. It has changed the way we learn, do business, find recreation, communicate, create art and music and literature.

LC75LC71 · Answer

The internet by far for the last 20 years! It was a lot more fun as an escape instead of an actual necessity.

Anonymous · Answer

Printing press for the better, internet for the worse.  It's not the invention, it's the people who make some things bad.

Jennz6 · Answer

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