News traveled at a much different pace before the Internet came of age. In 18th century England, town criers rang bells on street corners — “Hear ye! Hear ye!” — and shouted the city’s announcements to passers-by. In Holland, they banged gongs from rooftops and bellowed news out to the market shoppers below. That time period — not unlike quill pens and powdered wigs — has long been sketched in the history books. And while a handful of cities do still employ town criers, it’s more an expression of tradition than functionality, meant to highlight the past in novelty form for tourist bucks. In short: It’s old, old news. Or is it? In a way, social media works on the same principle. We use it to “bellow,” share and comment on things that we find interesting or newsworthy.