The framing of the internet by the traditional mass media: From 1988 to 1995

This is a comprehensive study of how traditional mass media portrayed the internet from 1988 through 1995. This study examines the way the internet was framed and the implications of the way traditional mass media portrayed the internet. The social construction of technologies has a direct impact of how such a technology is diffused. More than 900 articles were examined for textual cues and metaphorical framing. Textual analysis provided the data set for this study. This study found that the traditional mass media consistently portrayed the internet as a dangerous new technology throughout the time frame. As society became more familiar with the technology, the traditional mass media's textual portrayal of the internet remained constant. The traditional mass media has a profound effect on the way new technologies are viewed. This study shows that the traditional mass media did not reflect the way society viewed the internet, but rather chose to frame it in a negative way, thereby slowing the diffusion of the technology.