Old Timey Internet: Why was the telegraph considered the Victorian internet?

Technology can be used to further the range of communication. According to an article published in an 1852 edition of Scientific American, " no invention of modern times has extended its influence so rapidly as that of the electric telegraph" (Crowley 105). Similar to the internet, the telegraph was an invention that allowed people from all over the world to communicate and connect with each other. When the telegraph came along, the popularity of the medium was immediate and the impact was felt all over the globe. Like the internet, news and events could be transmitted right after they occur. Instead of waiting for the mail or the newspaper, this technology could leak the story to the public instantly. After the potential was realized, the telegraph wires quickly went all over the United States, then throughout other countries.