What separates today and 1933? Oh, not much…except for the total overhaul of communication.

Oh yeah; and pants. Have you seen how high-waisted men's pants were back in the day?

But we digress.

On March 12th 1933, families across the nation huddled in their living rooms to listen to FDR's speech through the radio. After the speech, they couldn't go online to hear it again on YouTube, or re-read part of it on Wikipedia, or see what ten thousand other people thought of it on Twitter.

Because of this technological difference, the way people processed and responded to information was very different. The most important impact of this is that people developed their opinions and outlooks without seeing tons of other opinions—if they felt uplifted and hopeful after hearing FDR, they probably stayed that way…as opposed to seeing countless critiques and Debbie downer remarks online.

The point is this: FDR's "First Fireside Chat" had a different immediate impact on society in 1933 than it may have today. In a similar way, you could think about how the world responds to information today, as opposed to just a nation. When U.S. politicians give speeches today, the whole world knows about them…thanks to our friend the internet.

Back in FDR's day, Americans would have heard the speech, and maybe a handful of nations in Europe. But that was about it. There simply wasn't the spread of mass communication back then like there is today.

But despite the fact that it was given via a medium that even your grandparents think of as antique, the "First Fireside Chat" (and the slew of chats in general) are still a powerful force in American memory today.

While they might not be directly referenced all that much, the ideas behind them are often emulated by government leaders. FDR pioneered the concept of reaching out to the public on a friendly, conversational level. He popularized referring to the public as "my friends," and including a wide audience by speaking in a straightforward way using words the majority of people would understand.

Future presidents who were famous for their speeches (looking at you, JFK) took cues from Roosevelt. More recently, President Obama referenced the "fireside" aspect of FDR's speeches, with a modern twist. (Source)

Yeah; the fireside Google Hangout just doesn't have the same ring.