What was the impact of technology on society, particularly in relation to leisure time?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. The creation of a consumer culture was not new, but in the late nineteenth century, participation in cultural and recreational activities increased dramatically. This was facilitated by urbanization, better transportation, a more socially upward class in white-collar professions, technology's effect on decreasing the number of work hours, and more disposable income. People were now free to spend less time working and more time enjoying the fruits of their labor. Technology affected cultural dissemination because advances in transportation and photography made it possible to see the cultural productions of other areas. Electricity transformed the possibilities of nightlife, with clubs, cafés, and dance halls lit by electricity. The international transmission of culture included popularity of foreign dance exhibits such as the flamenco and the tango. Magic lantern slide shows projected images of exotic locales. Cinema houses showed new places, stories, and events. Perhaps most emblematic of this is the Great Exhibition in London in 1851.