As stated in the question above, I would like to know, what did not exist without the book printing. (of course only suspected). I also ask myself if there are laptops, computers or cell phones.
(Of course, I know that if Johannes Gutberg had not invented the printing press, someone else would have done it, but just assumed it was.)
Books in large edition
➡️ Education for all
➡️Lesser philosophers and revolutionaries
➡️ simple-minded stupid people
➡️No revolution and probably still monarchy and the associated exploitation
➡️ Industrialization would have become very difficult
It's based so much on book printing, it's almost as if humankind had never learned how to build huts
The historical meaning of Gutenberg lies in the fact that with the printing press he triggered the third media revolution of humanity.
Media are of evolutionary importance to humanity as they enable us to transfer our complex communication - which has helped us to become a species - to others. The development of language and the development of writing systems are considered the 1st and 2nd media revolution.
The development of books had brought about the social change that enabled people in distant places to receive the same information. The book is the first mass medium and is characterized above all by the quantity of its recipients.
What in my opinion would not exist without Gutenberg would be scientific development in all areas, ie relevant areas of medicine, physics, chemistry and biology, and also in social science - democracy would not exist without Gutenberg.
Furthermore, without Gutenberg, we would not be able to implement a broad, broad education system in which students will receive the same content and thus the same opportunities as everyone else, making society a fairer righteous.
In that sense I would say that without Gutenberg we would probably still live in medieval conditions.
Regarding your question if without Gutenberg there would be no cell phones, laptops, etc.
You can't say that from my point of view. In media studies, it has long been debated whether individual access devices such as smartphones or laptops have not already triggered a new media revolution. If that's true, then they will join the line of inventions that serve to spread the media, and thus into the same rank as Gutenberg, but the need for humanity to get better media that will help us get and share information would still be there that's a lot bigger than a single inventor in history. But there's no contextual, causal connection between Gutenberg and the digital mass media today.
