Still a niche communications medium
The diffusion and uses of the telephone system in interwar Britain
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8418552 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peter Scott (0000-0003-1230-9040, a School of Management, Henley Business School at the University of Reading , PO BOX 218, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AA, UK, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 801-820 |
| Publication date | 2011-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Business History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-6791 • E-ISSN: 1743-7938 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00076791.2011.578131 |
| OpenAlex | W2103122552 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 26 |
This article examines the socio-economic diffusion of the telephone in interwar Britain and its dominant uses. Even in the late 1930s the top 5% of the income distribution still constituted the majority of residential subscribers. Meanwhile, in contrast to the United States and Canada, British telephone use remained largely restricted to brief, informational, and relatively urgent calls. This can be partially explained in terms of Britain's high telephone charges. However, cultural factors also appear significant, particularly the impact of previous slow diffusion and high charges in inhibiting ‘social learning’ regarding using the phone for in-depth conversations
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| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2023 (4) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |