UNIT 1: DIGITAL MEDIA FUNDAMENTALS

MODULE 1: UNDERSTANDING DIGITAL MEDIA

GENERAL OBJECTIVES
On completion of this Module, students should:

1. develop an understanding of digital media;

Evolution of Digital Media
2. describe the evolution of digital media;

Digital media is any form of media that uses electronic devices for distribution that
provides users with high levels of control and interactivity.

Digital Media is the convergence of digital arts, science, technology and business
for human expression, communication, social interaction and education.

Nature and Features of Media

Media can be characterized by the following nature and features:

• Media is dynamic and constantly changing with the advancement of

technology and society.
• Media is diverse and offers a variety of choices and options for the users and
audiences.
• Media is powerful and can shape the public agenda, set the norms and
standards, and create the reality and perception of the world.
• Media is ubiquitous and pervasive and can reach and impact people
anywhere and anytime.

The evolution of mass media is an elongated, marked with milestones journey that
is still being continued. The evolution of mass media occurred due to the need to
pass on a message. In ultra-modern times the line between necessity and luxury is
getting blurred but the bloom of mass media keeps on growing.

Mass media and its evolution came into being as one of the direst necessities of
mankind that were to stay informed and connected in a way that was beyond the
capability of humane physical senses.
The earliest form of information for the masses was inscribed on stones, caves and
pillars, there always has been necessary to pass on important information through
generations along with spreading it to the masses.
The modern mass communication bloomed with the printing press and it has not
stopped since. In this article, we will see the chronological order of the evolution of
mass media throughout the ages.

Assignment
Conduct research on the assigned era and identify the most significant changes
in technology and media.
Identify three (3) of the most significant changes, explain their importance and
impact on society.

Time periods:

1. Pre-Industrial and Industrial Era (1000 - 1929)

2. Electronic Age (1930 -1989)

3. The Evolution (1990 -2000)

4. The Age of Media Convergence (2000 -2010)

5. The Age of Media Convergence to Age of Generative A.I (2010 - present)

You are allowed to utilise different modes of communication (Voice, video or

images) or any combination of the three to communicate your ideas.

Pre-Industrial Age
1. 1041: Movable Clay Type Printing in China

Development: Bi Sheng invented movable clay type printing, which allowed

for the more efficient production of written materials.

2. 1440: The First Printing Press by Johannes Gutenberg

Innovation: German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable

type printing press, revolutionizing the production of books and spreading
knowledge widely.

3. 1477: First Printed Advertisement by William Caxton

Advertising: William Caxton printed the first advertisement in a book,

marking the beginning of print advertising.
Industrial Age (1700 to 1930)
1. 1774: Invention of the Electric Telegraph by George Louis Lesage

Communication: George Louis Lesage invented the electric telegraph, a

significant advancement in long-distance communication.

2. 1829: Invention of the Typewriter by W.S. Burt

Writing Technology: The typewriter, invented by W.S. Burt, facilitated faster

and more legible document production.

3. 1876: Invention of the Telephone by Alexander Graham Bell

Telecommunication: Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone

transformed personal and business communication.

4. 1877: Invention of the Phonograph by Thomas Edison

Audio Recording: Thomas Edison’s phonograph allowed for the recording

and playback of sound, laying the foundation for the music industry.

5. 1894: Invention of Radio by Guglielmo Marconi

Broadcasting: Guglielmo Marconi’s development of the radio marked the

beginning of wireless communication.

6. Early 1900s: The Golden Age of Television, Radio, and Cinema

Entertainment: This period saw the rise of television, radio, and cinema as
popular forms of mass entertainment and information dissemination.

7. 1923: Launch of TIME Magazine

Print Media: TIME magazine, the first news magazine, was launched,
providing in-depth news analysis.

8. 1927: First TV Transmission by Philo Farnsworth

Television: Philo Farnsworth made the first successful TV transmission, a

major milestone in broadcast media.

Electronic Age (1930s to 1980s)

1. 1937: Walt Disney produces the first animated feature [Snow White]

2. 1950: Black and White TV Becomes Mainstream

Television: Black and white television sets became widespread, transforming

home entertainment.
3. 1956: Elvis Presley receives his first Gold Record (over 1 million sold)
4. 1958: The Semiconductor
The microchip and semiconductor were invented
5. 1960 Moore’s Law defined

6. 1960: Rise of FM Radio

Radio: FM radio gained popularity, offering better sound quality compared to

AM radio.

7. 1962: Spacewar

The first computer game is widely accepted to be Spacewar, developed by

Steve Russell for the PDP-1 minicomputer at MIT in 1962;

8. 1963: Introduction of Audio Cassettes

Music: The audio cassette revolutionized personal music consumption by

making it portable and convenient.

9. 1969: ARPANET

ARPANET, experimental computer network that was the forerunner of the

Internet. The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), an arm of the U.S.
Defence Department, funded the development of the Advanced Research
Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) in the late 1960s. Its initial purpose was
to link computers at Pentagon-funded research institutions over telephone
lines.

10. 1971: Invention of the Microprocessor

Why Significant: The invention of the microprocessor by Intel revolutionized
computing, making it possible to process digital data quickly and efficiently.
Microprocessors became the brains of digital devices, from computers to
mobile phones.
Impact and Implications: Microprocessors enabled the miniaturization of
technology, leading to the development of personal computers (PCs) and a
surge in consumer digital electronics. This marked the beginning of the
digital media age, allowing individuals and businesses to produce, edit, and
distribute digital content.
11. 1971: Email

Ray Tomlinson invents email at ARPANET At the time, you could only leave
messages for people using the same computer. Tomlinson created a program
 that gave users the ability to send messages between connected computers
on the ARPANET system

12. 1972: Development of Email by Ray Tomlinson

Digital Communication: Ray Tomlinson’s invention of email transformed how

we communicate electronically.

13. 1973: First Handheld Mobile Phone

Telecommunication: John Mitchell and Martin Cooper developed the first

handheld mobile phone, heralding a new era of mobile communication.

14. 1975: Digital Camera

The first actual digital still camera was developed by Eastman Kodak
engineer Steven Sasson in 1975. Kodak's prototype had a resolution of 0.01
megapixel. It also took 23 seconds to snap the first digital photograph.

15. 1975: Introduction of VCRs

Home Entertainment: The VCR allowed people to record and watch

television programs at their convenience.

16. 1980: Colour Television Becomes Mainstream and First Online Newspaper

Television: Colour TV sets became common in households. The "Columbus

Dispatch" became the first online newspaper.

17. 1980: First online newspaper [Columbus Dispatch]

18. 1981: IBM Personal Computer Introduction

Computing: The introduction of the IBM PC marked the beginning of

personal computing, revolutionizing both business and personal life.

19. 1982: The Compact Disc (CD)

Why Significant: The Compact Disc (CD) was the first popular digital storage
format for audio, using digital encoding for music. This format replaced
analogue mediums like vinyl records and cassette tapes.
Impact and Implications: The CD demonstrated the advantages of digital
over analogue, such as better sound quality, durability, and portability. It also
set a precedent for future digital storage formats (e.g., DVDs, Blu-ray) and
facilitated the shift toward digital distribution of content, impacting music,
film, and software industries.
20. 1985: Launch of Microsoft Windows
 Operating Systems: Microsoft launched Windows, a graphical operating
system that made computers more user-friendly.

21. 1986: MCI Mail - First Commercial Email Service

Email: MCI Mail became the first commercial email service, making electronic
communication more accessible to businesses.

Evolution of New Media (21st Century)

1. 1990s to 2000s: The Digital Revolution

Internet: The invention of the internet, the birth of social networking sites,
and the emergence of social media fundamentally changed how we
communicate and consume information. 1990s saw the Rise of talk radio and
the Rise of independent film
2. 1991: World Wide Web by Sir Timothy John-Berners Lee
Internet: Tim Berners-Lee developed the World Wide Web, making the
internet accessible to the public and businesses.

Why Significant: The Internet's commercialization and the development of

the World Wide Web (WWW) transformed how people access, create, and
share information. It became a global platform for digital content
distribution, e-commerce, and communication.
Impact and Implications: The Internet democratized information access and
created new business models for media, such as digital advertising, e-books,
online streaming, and social media. It also disrupted traditional media
industries (newspapers, television, radio) by shifting consumption to digital
platforms and enabling user-generated content.
3. The Advent of Digital Photography (1990s)
Why Significant: The development of digital cameras and image sensors
marked a shift from analogue film to digital photography. It allowed images
to be captured, stored, and transmitted in digital formats.
Impact and Implications: Digital photography revolutionized the
photography industry by reducing costs and making photography more
accessible to the general public. It also impacted industries like publishing,
advertising, and journalism, where digital images could be edited and
distributed more quickly and widely than analog photos.
4. 1992: Text messaging
 Neil Papworth, a 22-year-old software programmer from the UK, sent the first
ever text message from a computer to his colleague Richard Jarvis. Neil had
been working as a developer and test engineer to create a Short Message
Service (SMS) for his client, Vodafone.

5. 1993: Marc Andreessen creates predecessor to Netscape browser

6. 1993: MP3 made

7. 1994: Mobile phones

8. 1994: Direct Broadcast Satellite service is launched

9. 1995: Launch of Microsoft Internet Explorer

Web Browsing: Microsoft introduced Internet Explorer, popularizing web

browsing.

10. 1995: Yahoo & Ebay

11. 1995 Amazon: The Launch of Amazon
Amazon was founded in the garage of Bezos' rented home in Bellevue.
Bezos' parents invested almost $246,000 in the start-up. On July 16, 1995,
Amazon opened as an online bookseller, selling the world's largest collection
of books to anyone with World Wide Web access.

12. 1997: DVDs Replace VCRs

Home Media: DVDs replaced VCRs, offering better video quality and
durability.

13. 1997: Titanic records global box office sales of $1.8 billion

14. 1998: Google founded

15. 1999: Tivo

The TiVo it was one of the first two digital video recorders (DVRs), the other
being the digital video recorder from ReplayTV, which was introduced at
almost the same time. Tivo have also affected normal television watching
practices, making it possible to skip through commercials and to post
recorded television shows on the Internet.

16. 1999: P2P file sharing, Napster

P2P file sharing was introduced to the general public in 1999 when American
college student Shawn Fanning created the music-sharing service Napster. It
 employed a centralized index server, which users would search on the basis of
song title or artist name.

2000’s Age of Media Convergence

17. 2001: iPod and debut

18. 2000’s Broadband’s arrival

19. 2001:itunes & Wikipedia

20. 2001: Instant Messaging Services

Communication: The rise of instant messaging services like AOL Instant

Messenger changed how people communicate online.

21. 2002: Launch of Satellite Radio

Radio: Satellite radio, offering a wide range of channels and better signal
quality, became available.

22. 2002: TV standard changes to digital

23. 2003: Skype

24. 2004: Facebook

Social Media: Facebook was launched, revolutionizing social networking and

digital communication.

25. 2004: Broadband is in half of American homes

26. 2005 Internet users reach $1 billion worldwide

27. 2005: YouTube

Video Sharing: YouTube’s launch allowed users to upload, share, and view
videos, creating a new platform for content creators.

28. 2006: Twitter

Microblogging: Twitter introduced a new form of microblogging, enabling

real-time updates and communication.

29. 2007: Tumblr

Blogging: Tumblr provided a platform for short-form blogging and social

networking.

30. 2010: Instagram

 Photo Sharing: Instagram, a photo-sharing social media platform, was
launched, quickly gaining popularity for its visual content.

31. 2010: Reddit

Discussion Forums: Reddit, a platform for user-generated content and

discussion forums, gained traction for its diverse communities and
information-sharing capabilities.

32. 2010: Quora

Q&A Platform: Quora was launched, providing a space for users to ask
questions and share knowledge on various topics.

33. 2011: Snapchat

Messaging App: Snapchat introduced ephemeral messaging, where photos

and messages disappear after being viewed, revolutionizing digital
communication.

34. 2013: Telegram

Messaging App: Telegram, known for its strong encryption and privacy
features, became popular for secure communication.

35. 2016: TikTok

Short-Form Video: TikTok was launched, quickly becoming popular for its
short-form video content and viral trends.

Generative AI Era

2022 – Present

1. 2022: November, OpenAI

OpenAI launches ChatGPT, a ground-breaking generative AI chatbot,
marking a significant advancement in natural language processing and
generative AI capabilities.
2. 2022: December ChatGPT
reaches 1 million users in just 5 days after launch, setting a record for the
fastest-growing consumer application.
3. 2023: Generative AI:
becomes a central focus across industries, influencing a wide range of
applications from content creation to business analytics. This year also sees a
 surge in regulatory discussions and ethical considerations around AI,
reflecting its growing influence and the need for frameworks to ensure
responsible use.
4. 2023: Meta’s LLaMA:
(Large Language Model Meta AI) model is leaked, sparking debates around
open-source AI development.
5. 2023: Amazon’s Bedrock
Amazon announces Bedrock, its large language model for code generation
and understanding.
6. 2023: Midjourney
The AI-powered image generation tool, gains significant traction and
popularity.
7. 2023: Google’s Gemini
Google introduced Gemini, its largest and most capable AI model to date.
8. 2024: OpenAI’s Sora
OpenAI releases Sora, an AI assistant focused on open-ended dialogue and
task completion.
9. 2024: Meta’s LLaMA 3
Meta launches LLaMA 3, its advanced open-source large language model

Conclusion
The timeline of mass media evolution showcases the incredible advancements from
the invention of the printing press to the digital age. Each milestone reflects a
significant leap in how humans share information and connect with each other. As
technology continues to advance, the media landscape will undoubtedly evolve,
bringing new and innovative ways to communicate and share our stories.