![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/dictator-charlie-chaplin.jpg\")
Charlie Chaplin Claimed The Cinema Was “Just A Fad” In 1916<\/h2>\n
Some just love to hate something because it is a direct competitor to their particular industry. Enter Charlie Chaplin in 1916, a respectable stage actor who was new to the cinematic industry. Cinema was relatively new in the early 1900s and they slowly began to take audiences from the theatre.<\/p>\n
That led to Charlie saying: “The cinema is little more than a fad. It’s canned drama. What audiences really want to see is flesh and blood on the stage.”<\/em><\/a> Charlie eventually gained national fame in America due to “The Tramp”<\/a> character and other movies he took part in during the 1920s and beyond.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It’s crazy but true that some people were against something considered a must-have in a home for more than 6 decades, indoor plumbing<\/a>. It could have been even bigger at a much faster pace if not for certain critics at the start of the 20th century that battled against it.<\/p>\n People freaked out about new technology a lot during this point, but this was one of the worst cases yet. Several felt that a direct connection to city sewer systems would allow for sewer gases to travel into homes and thus spread disease. This never happened and never made sense.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the first home cassette recorder came out in the 1960s but new tech in the field led to widespread use in the 1970s. These little things were a huge problem to some, however. Enter the British Phonographic Industry in the 1980s which looked to ban the recorder on anti-copyright infringement<\/a> moves.<\/p>\n BPI feared that people could simply record music from the radio with them. They assumed that it would result in the death of the music business as well because people would record music rather than buy full albums. Of course, music sales during the 1980s & 1990s actually did very well and slightly improved.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A study<\/a> conducted on emails by King’s College & London University in 2005 claimed that emails, texts, and phone messages are a greater risk to IQ and concentration than using cannabis. The trial was done on 1,100 people who seemed to demonstrate how emails have an addictive grip. They were forced to answer questions while new emails dropped into their inbox. Productivity at work was said to be damaged and the effect on the staff was equivalent to a loss of a night’s sleep.<\/p>\n It resulted in the study saying that “IQ dropped 10 points due to emails,” while cannabis studies saw a 4-point loss. Of course, they ignored how pretty much any distraction can cause concentration issues. Plus, IQ is not exactly an easy thing to measure in this format. They also ignored how cannabis also does not relate to this either.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Phonograph was basically the early version of what would one day be the record player. In one of the weirdest periods when people freaked out about new technology, the New York Times<\/em> went after the Phonograph inventor, Thomas Edison, hard in a story published in 1878<\/a>.<\/p>\n Edison’s phonograph had not been released for more than a year when the Times assumed the phonograph will destroy society. They claimed everyone will be too afraid about being recorded by one to ever trust anyone else. More than 140 years later, society hasn’t broken down yet. The key part of that is “yet,” however.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When electricity became a popular trend for the masses, homes all over the country were beginning to use electrical power. However, there were critics of the overall electric concept<\/a>, especially when it came to homes. Their reasoning behind this went from understandable to downright weird!<\/p>\n While people have freaked out about new technology from Thomas Edison in the past, this might be the craziest yet! Some insane critics claimed that electricity will lead to predators attacking both women and children who could now see them in a well lite home. Of course, they ignored how daylight could result in the same thing by their logic.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Elevators began running well over a century ago in an effort to move heavy objects from one place to another. However, the passenger elevator we see in buildings today began during the Industrial Revolution with a few popping up in the 1820s, 1830s, and 1840s. Yet it was the 1850s when they truly took off.<\/p>\n New technology like elevators were popular topics<\/a> in the ever-evolving 1800s. However, scare tactics at the time claimed the elevator could drop people to their death. Due to this, people became overanxious and would get dizzy and\/or nauseous when they rode on one.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Virtual Reality has actually been around since the 1970s and early 1980s. This was mostly in arcades at places like your local mall. It became so impactful that Back to the Future II<\/em> (1989) felt it would have a big role in our society by 2015. They were not too far with this.<\/p>\n However, author Howard Rheingold wasn’t a big fan of it. He felt people were not considering that actions in VR could mirror real life. He once asked: “If you are in a virtual world and you have a model of your office and you pick up a virtual shotgun and blow your boss away because it might be amusing, then does that blur the line between activities you do in fantasy and the activities you do in real life?”<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Telegraph may not technically be used today but it’s alive and well in the telephone and cell phone. Several inventors can claim some credit for their inventions, but all used some form of Morse Code. This was invented by Samual Morse from the 1830s through the 1840s, allowing the telegraph to become a useful tool for long-distance communication.<\/p>\n It became such a huge thing that in 1889, Spectator Magazine<\/em> wrote about the “constant diffusion of statements in snippets”<\/em><\/a> the use of telegraphs was leading to. They assumed it could become a larger problem and even affect language at a deeper level. If only they could speak to young people in 2019 to learn the telegraph was the least of their concerns. Come on Spectator<\/em>, OMG ROFL 😀<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Social Networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are massive additions to our lives. They allow us to communicate and share information in a huge space and converse with people all over the world. Yet some people freaked out about new technology like the world of social media in a major way. Dr Aric Sigman was one of the biggest, who claimed in 2009<\/a> that social networks will reduce face-to-face contact.<\/p>\n Sigman felt that this will contribute to cancer and heart disease because humans are social creatures in need of social interaction. Without it, we can possibly develop various health problems. The concept is flawed due to the idea that “social” networks give people the social interaction they need without being in-person. This is similar to those who said online school wasn’t possible.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While it’s weird to even consider the “bound book” as a technology<\/a>, it technically is. All books today use some form of binding to remain together. Yet most of the writing was handled by those in religious sectors and some scribes. Trithemius of Sponheim was a noted lexicographer, chronicler, cryptographer, and occultist during the German Renaissance.<\/p>\n He among others had a deep distrust of the printing industry. He claimed in 1492 that “printed books will never be the equivalent of handwritten codices because scribes display more diligence and industry than printers.”<\/em><\/a> We’d still be writing all books by hand if he had his way.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We all know AT&T is not the most beloved company, but what they said about answering machines was kinda nuts. However, there is some weird history behind the device too. It was actually semi-illegal for many homes to have them during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Apparently, they posed a hazard to the line repairman.<\/p>\n This even led to several companies banning them. Yet it was AT&T who made a bold claim in the 1950s, saying “there is no need for the device.”<\/em><\/a> The FCC finally permitted the machines for homes in 1975. AT&T even brought the first affordable and proper model to the market in 1983. We thought there was no need for them though…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you can believe it, the original computer models were too big for homes. In 1822, Charles Babbage made likely the first mechanical computer, “The Difference Machine.”<\/a> It was simplistic but could compute numerous sets of numbers, making hard copies of the results. Yet it was absolutely massive! While the Enigma Machine from Alan Turing and other early computers just showed how the world could eventually lead in this direction, many scoffed at such a concept.<\/p>\n This includes IBM Chairman and CEO Thomas J. Watson. IBM had been known for its computing scale, bar code, and automated teller machines (ATM). Yet Watson claimed in 1943, “there is a world market for about five computers.”<\/em> IBM went go on to invent the floppy disc, DRAM, and original hard drives for millions of computers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rumors began spreading about hybrid vehicles in the mid-2000s. One of the most popular claimed they were dangerous due to their electromagnetic field radiation. Apparently, their concept was that their big batteries and electric motors gave off unsafe and high EMF radiation.<\/p>\n To be fair, they were giving off EMF radiation. However, ALL electronic devices do this, from your phone to the random living room lamp. This is rarely dangerous for most humans. A study done on these cars as early as 2002 by the National Institutes of Health said: “the overall scientific evidence for human health risk from EMF exposure is weak.”<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Autotune<\/a> is used on pretty much every single album you hear today. This is mostly used on voices to help singers completely tune with the instruments or other sounds on various songs. It seemed like a great idea but some felt it would result in the death of music as we know it.<\/p>\n They felt it would come off more robotic and unrealistic. However, the robotic issue has never been present unless specifically designed for it. This even helped to give rise to EDM, a major style dominating music today. Not only has autotune been useful for artists on their albums, but it may have changed music for the better, not for the worse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bicycles have been around for over 100 years now. Advancements were consistent in the industry ever since. However, The Washington Post<\/em> was unwilling to believe in them. In one of the most insane times when people freaked out about new technology, the Post went after bikes big time!<\/p>\n Bikes were kind of a fashion statement<\/a>, considered quite trendy in the late-1800s. Thus, the Post felt they would fall out of popularity like other trends. Despite claiming that biking was the national sport in 1896, by 1902 the Post claimed that “the popularity of the wheel is doomed.”<\/em> Clearly, they were very off with that statement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you grew up in the late 1800s during the boom era of the telephone, you were apparently aiding Satan. Well, at least that is what some people in Sweden seemingly thought. It was not uncommon to see European areas get freaked out about new technology during this period.<\/p>\n However, Sweden was weird to see in this ordeal. In 1885, they actually had the most telephone penetration in the world. After debuting in Stockholm in 1877<\/a>, love for them resulted in Sweden’s major telephone station. The problem was that the new tech was made of metal, and could attract lightning. Some then believed telephones were instruments of the devil<\/a> as a result.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Normally, we’d never call out specific genders or sexes at Science Sensei. <\/em>However, we must bring something up for historical reasons. It stands out as one of those times people freaked out about new technology that most of us look back and laugh at. Back in the 1990s, there were several phobias that were becoming relatively popular about computers due to a lack of understanding. This led to a book called Women and Computers<\/em><\/a>, published in 1996.<\/p>\n They are actually the ones that appear to be the first to coin the “computerphobia” term too. They were not sure about how sturdy the product was, with one portion of the text asking if touching it will damage what was inside. The book also mentioned how computers could cripple mankind and enslave society. You know, light stuff.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the movie theater (or Nickelodeons)<\/a> began to become a top place for people to visit in the early 1900s, this was a big problem for stage theatre. Stage entertainment was the big family place people went to for literally centuries, so what changed? Basically, movie theaters. Naturally, the youth of the world will lean toward new technology.<\/p>\n Yet this took away business from the stage, so the theatre had to do something. This led to a number of different campaigns, one of which claimed in the 1910s that kids who go to the movies will grow up to be sickly adults. They had nothing to back up their claim, obviously.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ancient Philosopher Socrates was certainly a brilliant man. One thing he is most notable for saying is: “I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing<\/a>.”<\/em> Based on his hatred for writing and text, this isn’t far off. Writing had been around for hundreds of years prior but scrolls and codices were being used far more during his era.<\/p>\n Socrates was against it because, as he says, “[writing] will create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they will not use their memories. They will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves [and] will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing; they will be a tiresome company, having the show of wisdom without reality.” <\/em>Of course, we know this because someone wrote it down.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The original automobile<\/a> was nothing like what we’d see it become. In 1902, the New York Times<\/em> even called them impractical. They broke down, required significant fueling, and were not worth the trouble for some. This is why the NY Times<\/em> did not feel the same as some reporters and analysts who claimed it was the next big thing in transportation.<\/p>\n The Biking Boom of the 1890s made it weird to assume something else could take its place. Plus, automobiles weren’t cheap by any means. The Times once said in the early 1900s that the price of cars “will never be sufficiently low to make them as widely popular as were bicycles.”<\/em> We cannot blame them for their issue here but clearly, they turned out to be incorrect.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Back in the 1800s, everything was a work of the Devil if people didn’t understand it. Sometimes we can understand it, but it often got out of hand. The worst part is being a person who invents something amazing and sadly feels you only made the world worse. That is exactly what Guglielmo Marconi<\/a>, the inventor of the radio, assumed.<\/p>\n He admitted in a speech given to Sir James Irvin that he once thought: “Have I done the world any good, or only added to its menace?”<\/em> Marconi invented wireless technology in 1895 but it took around 20 years for it to be used the way we know it to be in play today. This man second-guessed himself for years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors were the common computer monitors people were buying in the 2000s. However, by the mid-2000s period, major concerns came about regarding them. It was said that these CRT monitors were causing miscarriages<\/a> in pregnant women somehow. That led to tests being done but when they were compiled, they found that a link could not be replicated.<\/p>\n Basically, there was seemingly no true link between the monitors and miscarriages. There was slight radiation because again, it’s STILL an electronic device, but nothing more. However, TC093 & TV095 safety standards were put into place anyway to ensure they reduced any CRT radiation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We mostly know the Nintendo company for its iconic consoles and electronics like the Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and the Gameboy. Yet they had more to give the world, which resulted in the Nintendo DS being released to the world in 2004. While the system was beloved by millions of people all over the world, some people lost their minds regarding it.<\/p>\n A newer feature of the system was the Pictochat<\/a>, which was basically text-messaging. As people do when they get freaked out about new technology they don’t understand, they immediately claimed child predators could use the Pictochat to prey on kids. This never happened.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A lot has been said about television over the years. However, there were attempts to censor TV because of very small actions by the creators at one point. Competitors from other industries did not help matters, as they attempted to kill TV. The radio was known as a huge opponent to the radio and attempted to cut it down whenever possible.<\/p>\n Media historian Ellen Wartella mentioned to Slate.com<\/em> that critics went after TV hard when it began to grow in popularity. They would at one point insist that TV will “hurt radio, conversation, reading, and the patterns of family living and result in the further vulgarization of American culture.”<\/em><\/a> This never truly happened, depending on your definition of these things.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2003, BBC News<\/em> ran a story<\/a> asking if texting would ruin the English language as we know it today. Several of the main texting abbreviations<\/a> began in the late 2000s and eventually the 2010s. In some ways, it did change our language. However, there’s a difference here. Yes, a small number of young people use text-speak in normal conversation.<\/p>\n However, this is not the way it is for a majority of people. We’ve always abbreviated words or tried to make things smaller to save space and time. In fact, words like “couldn’t,” “don’t,” and “won’t” are real words that put two different words together. We’ve had them in our language for decades. Therefore, in reality, texting has not changed our language much if at all. It certainly hasn’t ruined it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Versailles](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/versailles-toilet.jpg\")
When People Are Full Of Crap<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Cassette](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/cassette-recorder-old.jpg\")
Home Cassette Recorders Will “Kill The Music Business”<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Emails\"](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/emails.jpg\")
Emails Bring Down Your IQ?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Phonograph\"](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/phonograph.jpg\")
Thomas Edison’s Phonograph Will “Destroy Society,” Said The NY Times<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Lightbulbs\"](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/lightbulbs.jpg\")
Electricity “Will Lead To Predators Attacking, Women And Children”<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/woman-on-elevator.jpg\")
People Were Really Afraid Of Elevators In The 1800s<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Virtual](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Virtual-Reality.jpg\")
Some Were Not Falling For Virtual Reality<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Telegraph\"](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/telegraph.jpg\")
Spectator Magazine Felt The Telegraph Would Change Language <\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Social](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/social-media-icons.jpeg\"){kind=icon}
Social Networks Cause Cancer?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Book](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/shutterstock_477226462.jpg\")
“Bound Books Will Never Compare To Handwritten Codices,” Said Trithemius Of Sponheim<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Answering](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/answering-machine.jpg\")
AT&T Claimed: “There Is No Need For Answering Machines”<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"IBM](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/ibm-chip.jpg\")
“There Is A World Market For About Five Computers,” Said IBM In 1943<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Hybrid](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/hybrid.jpg\")
Hybrid Cars Are Dangerous Due To Electromagnetic Fields<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Music](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/music-studio.jpg\")
Autotune Will Kill Music<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/shutterstock_681778504.jpg\")
“The Popularity Of The Wheel Is Doomed” Claimed The Washington Post<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Telephone\"](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/telephone.jpg\")
Telephones Are Instruments Of The Devil?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Women](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/women-and-computers.jpg\")
A Women’s Book Did Not Seem To Understand Computers<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Kids](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/kids-at-the-movies.jpg\")
Kids Will Be Sickly Adults If They Go To Movie Theaters?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Socrates](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/socrates-statue.jpg\")
Socrates Was Against Writing And Books For The Dumbest Of Reasons<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Automobiles-Old\"](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/automobiles-old.jpg\")
“Cars Will Never Be As Widely Popular As Bicycles,” Said The NY Times<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Guglielmo](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/guglielmo-marconi.jpg\")
The Inventor Of The Radio Thought He Only Added To World’s Menace<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"CRT](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/crt-monitor.jpg\")
CRT Monitors Caused Miscarriages?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Nintendo](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/nintendo-ds.jpg\")
The Nintendo DS Let Predators Prey On Kids?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Television](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/television-set-old.jpg\")
Television Will “Further Vulgarization Of American Culture”<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/shutterstock_542452498.jpg\")
BBC Wondered If Texting Would Ruin The English Language<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Kid](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/kid-sitting-close-to-tv.jpg\")
Sitting Close To A TV Will Ruin Your Eyes<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Clones](\"https:\/\/dev.sciencesensei.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/clones-with-barcodes.jpg\")