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by Alex Nuti – de Biasi, Journal Opinion
| The postcard is an archaic vestige of the past. But it was not always so. At one time, it was a viral modern medium propelled by technology, marketing, self-expression, and whimsy. Public Domain Review: “The postcard became a sign of modernity even as its permeation through society allowed for a range of parodies.” The modern home had postcard closets, while enthusiasts suffered from a malady that “affects the heart” and “paralyzes the reasoning faculties.” “While some commentators on the postcard craze foresaw the demise of writing, others saw the new medium as fuel for a fast-spreading wildfire of textual exhibitionism.” The frenzy spread from Europe to United States, although privacy issues delayed the postcard’s proliferation. “In 1872, the Burlington Weekly Free Press included the following explanation for the delay: ‘visions of libelous and insulting messages, as well as over curious letter carriers and post office clerks seem to haunt the legislative brain,'” wrote Larry Coffin in 2021 for the Journal Opinion. |
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