The Rise of Television in the 1950s
Taylor Hoff
Senior Division
Website
Process Paper
Taylor Hoff
Senior Division
Website
Process Paper
How I chose my topic:
I originally wanted to do my NHD project on the 1950s as an entire decade. However, this seemed much too broad and I decided to narrow it down to the thing in the 50s that interested me most. Television is near and dear to me in my daily life and while I was researching, I found out that the color television was invented around 1950-1951. While it didn’t become widespread or mass-produced until years later, this marked the beginning of the “Golden Age” of television in America. So I decided to research the impacts of the rise of TV in America in that time period.
How I conducted my research:
First I looked around for good sources on the Internet and took notes on each one, giving myself a better understanding of my topic and just how much it really influenced in America. I also interviewed my grandmother who was born in the 1940s and was spent her early years experiencing the “Golden Age” of television. Then I began putting the things I had learned into separate categories and researched for more specific information relating to each of them. I also watched a lot of videos on different websites to familiarize myself with some of the smaller aspects of television I was never able to experience.
How I selected my presentation category and crafted my project:
I consider myself really tech savvy, and lacking in the physical creative department so I fought with myself between choosing a website or a paper. I love writing and can go on for pages about things that interest me but I also love putting together websites and working on them to make them look very presentable. In the end, I chose a website because it allows for more information and catches the eye a considerable amount more than a bland research paper. And I was right in thinking it would be fun to work on. I chose a layout that reminded me of the look of film and grain and used all of the tools that Weebly provides to add videos, pictures, and quotes to the information that I provide on each of the pages. All of the pages highlight different things and I’ve worked hard to make it interesting and fun to read. I even worked hard on the ease of navigation.
How my project relates to the NHD theme:
It is very plain to see that the television in the modern day is a huge deal. It rules our lives and we live heavily dependent on it. However, this wasn’t always the case. Television’s rise in the 1950s marked a major turning point in American culture, whether you relate it to the home life of Americans, the boom in Hollywood, or our diplomatic and political relations, television changed America in huge ways and I would consider one of the most major turning points in the last century of American history.
I originally wanted to do my NHD project on the 1950s as an entire decade. However, this seemed much too broad and I decided to narrow it down to the thing in the 50s that interested me most. Television is near and dear to me in my daily life and while I was researching, I found out that the color television was invented around 1950-1951. While it didn’t become widespread or mass-produced until years later, this marked the beginning of the “Golden Age” of television in America. So I decided to research the impacts of the rise of TV in America in that time period.
How I conducted my research:
First I looked around for good sources on the Internet and took notes on each one, giving myself a better understanding of my topic and just how much it really influenced in America. I also interviewed my grandmother who was born in the 1940s and was spent her early years experiencing the “Golden Age” of television. Then I began putting the things I had learned into separate categories and researched for more specific information relating to each of them. I also watched a lot of videos on different websites to familiarize myself with some of the smaller aspects of television I was never able to experience.
How I selected my presentation category and crafted my project:
I consider myself really tech savvy, and lacking in the physical creative department so I fought with myself between choosing a website or a paper. I love writing and can go on for pages about things that interest me but I also love putting together websites and working on them to make them look very presentable. In the end, I chose a website because it allows for more information and catches the eye a considerable amount more than a bland research paper. And I was right in thinking it would be fun to work on. I chose a layout that reminded me of the look of film and grain and used all of the tools that Weebly provides to add videos, pictures, and quotes to the information that I provide on each of the pages. All of the pages highlight different things and I’ve worked hard to make it interesting and fun to read. I even worked hard on the ease of navigation.
How my project relates to the NHD theme:
It is very plain to see that the television in the modern day is a huge deal. It rules our lives and we live heavily dependent on it. However, this wasn’t always the case. Television’s rise in the 1950s marked a major turning point in American culture, whether you relate it to the home life of Americans, the boom in Hollywood, or our diplomatic and political relations, television changed America in huge ways and I would consider one of the most major turning points in the last century of American history.
(495 words)