During the years of the Polish People’s Republic, Poles were cut off from the western world. Travel was restricted, as was access to outside culture and goods. This unique situation led to a period of great ingenuity in the realm of new media. Not only were media adapted to suit Poles’ needs, but new technology was fashioned to gain access to western television, film and video games. Bringing people together, VCRs, computers and satellite television were thus a window to the outside world and contemporary to the mobilisation of Solidarity and the end of communism. As such, their diffusion is an important but largely overlooked aspect of Poland’s history. Acutely aware of this, the authors of this book recount new media behind the Iron Curtain in a way that will appeal to scholars and non-academic readers alike. Coupling archival research with in depth interviews, they bring to life the talent and determination of the PPR’s new media pioneers, compelling others to dig further.
Author(s): Piotr Sitarski, Maria B. Garda, Krzysztof Jajko
Publisher: Jagiellonian University Press
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 233
City: Kraków
Cover
Editorial Page
Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Part I. Piotr Sitarski NEW MEDIA AND THE FALLOF THE POLISH PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC
Introduction
Media in the society
New media
Extra-systemic media practices
The diffusion of new media in the Polish People’s Republic
Bibliography
Part II. Piotr Sitarski VIDEO IN THE POLISH PEOPLE’SREPUBLIC: TECHNOLOGYAND ITS USERS
The beginnings of video technology
Early conceptualisations of video technology in Poland
The videotape format war and the cultural adaptationof the videocassette player
Videocassette players in the 80s: users and sources of origin
Distribution development: sources of films and the emergenceof Polish-language cassette editions
Cassette cinema
Video exhibition circuits
Science fiction fan clubs
The Catholic Church
Conclusion: the decline of cassette cinema and the birthof the video rental shops
Bibliography
Part III. Maria B. Garda MICROCOMPUTING REVOLUTIONIN THE POLISH PEOPLE’S REPUBLICIN THE 1980S
Introduction
Methodology and review of the current state of research
On two sides of the Iron Curtain
Top-down and bottom-up computerisation
Breakthrough of domestication
Hobbyist movement
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Bibliography
Part IV. Krzysztof Jajko TELEVISION FROM THE SKYFOR EVERYONE
Cosmic television in Poland
The importers
The Antenna Guys
Cable television to the best of our possibilities
The satellite promised land
A window to the world for Poland B
A guide to the cosmos of television
Bibliography
INDEX
