Marconi #11

I end this series of posts with some of the author's (Marc Raboy) reflections on Marconi and his legacy.

"Marconi was without a doubt the dominant – as well as most enigmatic and controversial – figure in the pioneering stage of the information age. After a certain point, it does not really matter who did what; it is impossible to speak about the history of modern communication – from the wireless telegraph to radar, the cellphone, GPS, and the Internet – without paying close attention to Marconi and his career" (Marconi 673)

Quoting a historian: "Marconi's inventions, modifications, and improvements fit into a small box, at that time dubbed Marconi's 'secret-box' or 'black-box.' When Marconi 'opened' this 'black-box' by publicizing his first patent in 1897, people were amazed and intrigued by its simplicity. The solutions appeared so simple and obvious that many began to wonder why no one else had come up with them" (673).

"Marconi thus personifies the paradox of communication. His ambivalence is ours. How does a technology that promotes and facilitates contact, openess, and human potential become an instrument for domination, manipulation, and control?" (677).

Thank you, Mr. Raboy.