First, print media became a large influence. While newspapers and magazines had been traditional sources of information for a while, they expanded into Americans buying about 200 million copies a year. More people bought more material, which meant more people were becoming more informed on common issues. This meant that borders that divided people started to fade away, leaving a more unified people based on a common understanding of events.
Next there was radio. The first commercial radio station was KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which broadcasted the results of the 1920 election. After that broadcast, people began to understand the potential of this medium. David Sarnoff was an especially influential figure in the world of radio. When the Titanic sank, he stayed at his radio post for 72 hours, relaying the names of survivors to land-bound relatives. After Radio Corporation of America bought the company Sarnoff worked for, he proposed that there was a nationwide broadcasting network. That led to the formation of the National Broadcasting Company, and then television was built off of that.
Finally, movies were a huge medium that developed during the twenties. The then silent films were a way of escaping the tragedies of World War I, and ticket sales rose higher than ever before. Once sound was added, the movies changed popular culture in waves. It was then when movie stars became the ultimate celebrities, and exposed people to new styles and ideas.
Not only did movies and radios help form a new era of pop culture but there was also a large spike in stunts and mobsters. The stunts took place all around the U.S where daredevils would try death defying acts. The pop culture that changed with the new mobsters was due to the fact that these men would end up controlling whole cities. This would lead to prostitution, bootlegging of alcohol, and gambling.
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