Why was the telegraph considered the Victorian internet?

It is somewhat uncanny how similar the internet and the telegraph really are in.  The telegraph had a mass explosion, changed the era, and created jobs.  The internet has done the same thing.

The telegraph exploded in popularity.  It started with just one line running from Baltimore to Washington D.C.  Soon people seen the possibilities and a lot of time, effort, and resources went into building the telegraph into a large web of lines connecting the United States and eventually the world.  The internet did the same thing.  It exploded in popularity and has become something amazing in a short period of time.

The telegraph ended the pony express just like the internet and email has destroyed the postal service.  The pony express took 10 days to deliver a message to the west.  The telegraph could get a message delivered within hours.  The famous pony expressed ended.  The United States Postal Service is hurting because mail revenue is down.  Mail revenue is down because digital delivery is common place.  Very similar.

The creation of jobs of messengers is similar to the new careers that have sprung up from the internet age.  The perks of being a messenger for the telegraph stations were great.  They had an opportunity for advancement and would get extra pay or product from certain business owners.  Many jobs available today are technology and internet based.

The smileys used on the internet in chat and messaging is similar to the common abbreviations used with the telegraph.    Today we make images using letters, numbers, and symbols.  We use abbreviations like “lol” and “brb.”  They used similar abbreviations like “g.m.” for good morning.  A small similarity but it’s still an uncanny one.