Broadsides Then and Now
For over 300 years, the public relied on street literature to find out what was going on, the most popular form of which was the 'Broadside'- the tabloid of the day. Over time, Broadsides have evolved into newspapers, which then onto the internet and today's social media. The following but are people so different between then and now? Many of the topics of yore mirror what's popular today as well.
Medium
Nowadays, people are more likely to find their news on mobile apps and social media. Despite this, the shape of the new page has not changed much, only now it's pixels instead of ink.
Aesthetics
Early Broadsides were usually printed in black ink, with later ones sometimes using two colors. The rare illustration were usually cheap woodblock prints used over and over, even the broadside bore no relation to the picture. However, news aesthetics in the digital age has undergone major changes. With the change in technology, people have come to expect colorful information, engaging typography, pictures, video, and integrated social media.
Information
Publication of non-factual news stories or 'fake news' is a phenomenon with a long history. However, in many Broadsides the 'fake news' are clearly jokes and parodies, unlike modern social media where fake news stories are more widespread and harder to distinguish from truth.
Themes Then and Now
The key themes from the Broadsides, were murder, trials, love, and songs. These themes reflect the interests of the people at the time and show that as a society the things that peak our interests have not changed too much over the past 400 years:
Murder
The most talked about topic throughout the Broadsides was murder. Not only were they obsessed with it, but it was also a much more common artefact in their lifestyle. Additionally, especially in the earlier years of this dataset, and not nearly as frowned upon as it is today. Having said that, people of today are not very different. We obsess over serial killers, reflected in the viewer ratings of the latest Netflix documentary, or the popularity of the most recent true crime podcast.
Trial
Trials were another hot topic in the Broadsides, this is unsurprising due to their intrinsic link to murder. Trials occurred for all matter of sins, often ending in execution or transportation to foreign lands. Although modern day trials in Scotland are fairer and carry sentences that are less life-threatening, big trials are still documented by the media with utmost scrutiny (eg. Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard).
Love and Courtship
Broadsides included love letters and wedding announcements, as well as details of murderous lovers and affairs. As they were written and published more locally than today's global news platforms the reader would likely know of the protagonists, making the articles akin to a magazine's gossip column. Their interest in gossip and other people's affairs is another facet of society that has been retained over the years. Modern television is inundated with an endless amount of dating shows, from 'Love Island' to 'First Dates'. And, although people from the 1700s might not be bothered by the concept of 'Married at First Sight', I am sure that they would be more than a little taken aback at the prospect of 'Naked Attraction'.
Songs and Poems
Songs and poems are timeless, but what also has not changed over the past 400 years is the use of songs and poems to not only share messages of romance, but also to share important messages throughout the community. At the time of the Broadsides, not everyone would have been literate so important messages would have to be shared by word of mouth, and we all know that a song is much more likely to get stuck in our heads! We found Broadsides in our collection containing songs about both Cholera and Cholic, and we cannot ignore the similarities that these have with modern day viral dance videos being used to spread messages about topics such as Covid on social media.