Week 4 MIL

Evolution of Media from Traditional to New Media

          How many Facebook “friends” do you have? How many people would you call if you told them about
Coronavirus 19? You may simply keep in touch with your family, friends, and even classmates from primary school
using various media. As media has developed over time, so has the way you view and engage with one another.
Through the usage of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you can get a glimpse into
other people's life wherever they are, whereas decades ago, people were unaware of the events in other regions of the
world.

          Media is a term that refers to all print, digital, and electronic means of communication. When no known
civilization existed, people found ways to communicate their thoughts and feelings through early technological tools
like fire and stone tools. As we study the evolution of media, we also learn about its relationship with technology and
how the two interweave. E-mails, video conferencing, billboards, and social networking sites like Facebook and
Twitter are all examples of ways we can communicate utilizing various forms of media and technology.

          Now, let us look into the milestones in the evolution of media. Here we describe how media transition from the
prehistoric age to the infrastructure age and how these transitions significantly shape the values and norms of
individuals and society.

Media in the Prehistoric Age

 
       Tribal Age. Human beings are social beings. Their innate nature to connect with others is first
manifested in cave paintings and stone carving. As hunting for food was the essential activity to
survive, primitive men’s sense of hearing, touch, and smell were used far beyond the ability to see
Characteristics:
 Dependence on others. With the absence of technology, ancient people would do things and go places in
tribes or groups. They relied on the co-presence and involvement of others in every aspect of their lives.
 Highly volatile communication. During this age, communication was spontaneous, instantaneous, and highly
volatile. Whenever communication took place, they had to be with their tribes or groups; otherwise, they
would be excluded from the information chain. 
    Literacy Age. This is where the ancient form of writing came into the picture. Clay tablets,
Papyrus, Acta Diurna, Maya codices, Wooden blocks, and Dibao, were instruments that allowed
ancient scribes to preserve history through early forms of manuscript. Furthermore, the invention of
the phonetic alphabet allowed early humans to read. This age is highly visual.

Characteristics: 

 Independence. With the creation of the phonetic alphabet, people could go somewhere and could still retrieve
the information because it was written or inscribed. This started primitive people to become independent as
 they no longer had to be with their tribes all the time. At this age, people started exploring other places
without being cut off from the information chain.

          Media during this age, Premodern men, communicated through cave painting and stone carving, inscription,
and writing using papyrus.

Media in the Industrial Age

          The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1450 paved the way for a more
literacy-oriented society. People began to read; that is why many libraries and learning repositories
were built during this age. As books were manufactured and mass-produced, so were other
products. In this age, hand tools were replaced by power-driven machines. The sense of sight is the
most dominant sense receptor.

Characteristics:
Individualism. People became more individualistic as they can learn by themselves.
 Literacy-oriented. As more books, newspaper and similar products were manufactured, more people
naturally became literate. Individuals who were not as privileged and wealthy as other individuals could still
gain knowledge due to the availability of materials.
 Commercial expansion. As books and other products were mass-produced, the demands extended across
borders.

          Media during this age: Telegraph, Printing Press, Typewriter, Motion picture projector

Media in the Electronic Age

          In this period, the power of transistors was harnessed. This age is considered a
widespread revolution in communication as communicating over a long distance became
possible. This age is highly auditory as more people communicate through telephones, radio,
and television. This period marks the rise of visual media through television and films. This
kind of media provides a powerful socializing effect on society.
Characteristics:

 Connectedness. People worldwide could communicate and get information more efficiently than before using
the telephone, radio, and television.
 Extension of Literacy: People could learn about various things in the comfort of their homes at this age. 
 One-dimensional Communication: People were mere recipients of information on television and radio. 
There was less interaction between the users and producers of media content.
  Immediacy. Telephone, Radio and Television have the immediacy factor that newspaper could not offer.

          Media during this age: Telephone, Radio, Television, Early Computers, Projectors 

Media in the Information Age 

          This is the New Media. It encompasses all interactive forms of information exchange.
This includes social networking sites, blogs, podcasts, and other communication tools for
video conferencing and video creation. Communication and information system become more
efficient. Unlike traditional media, which was evident in the prehistoric, industrial, and
electronic ages, the new media is multi-dimensional. It serves as a platform for
communication, business, and learning.
Characteristics:
 Multimodal. This age has produced a global community of users engaged in various activities such as storing,
retrieving, sharing information, communicating with other people, learning various things, computing, and
doing business. In this period, people acquire multitasking skills.
 Efficiency. Business, Education, Health Care, and other fields rely heavily on the use of computers and the
internet to increase productivity, get the desired result, and enhance their system.
 Interactivity. Producers and users of media content communicate instantaneously. Feedback is readily
available. There is an interplay of the senses due to its pervasive nature.

          Media during this age: Mobile phones, computer, laptop, desktop, tablets

Media in the Infrastructure Age   

          The infrastructure age is an extension of the pervasive and digital nature of the information age. We are already
in the infrastructure age as self-automated, sensor-embedded products surround us. Its ubiquitous nature gives
individuals and society effortless convenience. Automated homes, intelligent and responsive home and office
appliances, self-sustaining power source and solution, self-driving cars do not just exist in movies. They are the reality
now. The interaction is between and among machines, with the help of humans.
Characteristics: Pervasiveness, Convenience, and Automation
  As you can see, understanding how media evolved over time provides us with a clear picture of how they arrived at
their current state.  The evolution of traditional media to new media has implications on how communication takes
place, how information is processed, and even how literacy is acquired.
Technological Determinism
          In our quest to become media and information literate, we look back at how media evolved throughout the ages.
This way, we don’t lose sight of the profound impact of media on our lives and society. As we study how the
evolution of media shapes the values and norms of individuals and society, we reflect on this question: Does
technology shape society? The man responsible for the term “technological determinism,” Thorstein Veblen, believes
so. 

          Marshall Mcluhan (2007, as cited by Liquigan, 2016) explains that society adapts to advances in technology,
thus, changing cultural, political, and even historical aspects of that society. This theory underscores the influence of
technology on how we think, act, communicate and learn, which eventually shapes the values and norms of society.

Illustration
          For instance, the case of computer and the internet in the aspect of learning.  How did these two change the way
people learn? With access to the internet, we can now experience learning anywhere. It is no longer confined in a
traditional classroom but expands its boundaries to the virtual environment through an online degree program,
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), or simply through YouTube, podcasts, blogs, and social media, encouraging
self-paced, independent and more interactive learning. As the internet and media interweave, opportunities for
learning and communication grow exponentially. Although online learning started years ago, its importance is more
evident now than before due to the significant surge in usage since Coronavirus 19 outbreak.

          While the internet has an impact on how learning is delivered, it also has an impact on the teachers and
students’ roles in learning. Traditionally, teachers are the primary source of information, and students are the
recipients. However, with the creation of the internet, students take more responsibility for their own learning. They
do not solely rely on the teachers but make use of the internet to reinforce their learning.

          The process of distributing information has also been altered by the evolution of media from traditional to new
media. From the prehistoric age until the electronic age, producers and users of information were two different
entities. The process is one dimensional, having no instantaneous feedback for the information produced on one end
and received on the other end. In today’s time, people are producers and consumers at the same time. Moreover,
hierarchies and boundaries are broken down. No longer does information comes from parents, from teachers, or the
authorities all the time.  The evolution has created a playing field in terms of information ownership and construction. 
We are witnessing ordinary individuals becoming social media influencers and entertainers. We see concerned
citizens feeding information to large media organization to be used in news reporting. People have started to become
comfortable sharing their daily activities and other information about themselves with many people online. We are
now part of a community with shared experiences. It has opened its doors for anybody who wants to be heard or seen.
Indeed, the evolution of media has transformed the concept of “stranger” during the prehistoric age into a network
society in the information age.  As media continuously evolves, so does the process of sharing information and human
interaction.
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