Facebook Concept Was Used By 16th Century ScholarsReported by Huffington Post on Thursday, 28 June 2012 (on June 28, 2012)
|
According to new research, society's social networking obsession may not be exclusive to the 21st century.
Now, researchers believe the concept can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries as part of the Italian Academies, where scholars created nicknames for themselves, developed emblems and mottos to form groups for information exchange.
Renaissance specialists first came across the network while cataloging and researching for the project, "The Italian Academies 1525–1700: The first intellectual networks of early modern Europe' -- a joint four year research project between the British Library, Royal Holloway, University of London, and Reading University.
"Just as we create user names for our profiles on Facebook and Twitter and create circles of friends on Google plus, these scholars created nicknames, shared – and commented on – topical ideas, the news of the day, and exchanged poems, plays and music," said Professor Jane Everson, Principal-investigator in a press statement. "It may have taken a little longer for this to be shared without the Internet, but through the creation of yearbooks and volumes of letters and speeches, they shared the information of the day."
The 500 Italian Academies were comprised of members ranging from pioneering scientists to writers, artists, political thinkers and representatives of both sexes and all social classes.
Members participated in debate and discussion in a variety of disciplines including language and literature, through the visual and performing arts, to science, technology, medicine and astronomy.
The Italian Academies project explains on its website:
International in membership, and in correspondence with scholars across Europe, they were fundamental to the development of the intellectual networks later defined as the République des Lettres, and to the dissemination of ideas in early modern Europe.
Links:  Full news story
|
|
|
| Recent related news |
| |
guardian.co.uk
29 minutes ago | For Philip Larkin, DH Lawrence was 'England's greatest writer', but his critical standing has... |
This is
2 hours ago | This is Cornwall --
Say the word exhibition and you would usually imagine artworks showcased... |
guardian.co.uk
3 hours ago | Field Day | Haim | Fucked Up, Metz, Titus Andronicus | Parker Edwards & Prévost | Tom Harrell... |
guardian.co.uk
15 hours ago | Past scandals, bad photos, critical comments: the internet has a long memory. As the EU considers the... |
Business Insider
15 hours ago | The Irish potato famine that caused mass starvation and approximately 1 million deaths in the... |
| |
guardian.co.uk
17 hours ago | MIF's flagship show is a tantalising team-up between moody musical pioneers Massive Attack and The... |
guardian.co.uk
1 day ago | Breaking news is no longer the preserve of established broadcasters, thanks to the camera phone and... |
Huffington Post
2 days ago | Saudi Arabia, under domestic and international pressure to grant women sporting rights, is creating... |
Huffington Post
3 days ago | If you know, or once knew, a thirteen-year-old-boy, chances are you know what Axe Body Spray smells... |
PRWeb
4 days ago | Jill Milan’s first brand-dedicated retail outlet to open in San Francisco Centre May 24
SAN... |
| |
|
|
Facebook
E-mail
Twitter
Mixx
StumbleUpon
FriendFeed