New Media Timeline (1971)

IBM introduces 8-inch computer floppy or memory disks.

Ray Tomlinson sends one of the first ARPANET electronic mail messages. He creates a program that takes existing computer time-sharee-mail technology and adapts it to ARPANET networked computers. Tomlinson’s new e-mail program uses the ” @ ” symbol to separate the user’s log-in name and the host computer’s name. E-mail quickly becomes the most popular application for ARPANET.

Newspapers are changing from mechanical to computer production systems. The introduction of computers in the production process is a crucial step in the evolution of new media and online journalism.

The Mitre corporation begins testing a videotex system funded by the National Science Foundation. It lasts until 1973.

The Project Gutenberg electronic book collection begins on a mainframe computer at the Materials Research Lab at the University of Illinois.

News Example:
July 1, 1971 —
“Supreme Court, 6-3, Upholds Newspapers on Publication of Pentagon Report,”
New York Times.
(Abstract available from
the Infobank database service.)