The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those

who cannot
learn, unlearn, and relearn. - Alvin Toffler, American Futurist, Writer of the Future sock and the Third
wave 1970

Nowadays, every information is in the hand of every individuals. Johannes Gutenberg (Born Feb 3, 1468)
a German blackswithand publich who was responsible for shaping the nature of the society by
establishing the first form of spreading information. This is called as the Guterberg Principle, where the
distribution of information become possible, but expensive and yet institutionalized. According to
researchers, this principle has been fixed and all pervasive that it has become like a hidden foundation
and standing as we are now, in the twilight of this era, it is still difficult to appreciate the extent to which
it has shaped the fabric of our world. However, it was the advent of a new world, where in the
information does not coincide with the Gutenberg Principle.

Guterberg principle has a great impact to shape our world at the present time - most likely characterized
as the Post-Guterberg era (the world of what is currently called social media). Identifying both the ways
in which organizations will feel its impact and also the ways in which organizations will have to adapt in
order to survive where power will not lie in the institutionalized capability to control access to
information.

THE PRE-GUTENBERG WORLD

In early times, books were created manually by hand. They were transcribed through clay, papyrus, wax,
and parchment. Besides, governments chose only to whom will be given the education to read. They
were scared that the influence of mass communication will be the hindrance in their ruling. The
transmission of information relied only through "word-of-mouth" channels. In 1440, the first printing
press was built through Johannes Guterberg which heralded the start of mass communication. However,
it took hundred years for this to spread.

THE GUTENBERG REVOLUTION

"The printing press was an important step towards the democratization of knowledge" - Eisenstein,
1969.

According to the researchers, Gutenberg Revolution is a term used to express the democratizing effects
of the invention of the printing press among society. The invention of the printing press allowed for
worldwide changes to take place. Democracy was born through the invention of the printing press and
the effects it had on society. It allowed people to have a voice who weren't able to spread their
messages before. Although the distribution of information becomes possible, it is expensive and only a
few can afford it. Hence, to satisfy the needs of every one, distribution of information was
institutionalized and mediated.

THE POST-GUTENBERG WORLD

On the other laws, the dispersal of information took a long timr through printing press. In 1920, the
radio broadcasting was introduced. It marked a significant jump in the speed of communication. It made
the spreading of information even more quickly and widely. However, in the 1970s, the Information Age
accelerated global communication. It started when the microprocessor began and took it as the
introduction to the Internet Browser, which made the Information Age significant to up to this day.

In the early time of the internet, it still follows Gutenberg Principle. Both money and expertise are
required for you to be able to access the internet and spread information and was therefore still the
greater access to information was not fulfilled. However, the speed in accessing the informatoon through
internet was great. For that reason, many investments appears to serve and create opportunities with e-
commerce as the major new web - based phenomena.

According to Stacy (2008), the developmeny of internet in our world, changed 2 major expansion:

First, uploading and downloading of different forms of media, such as image, videos, and audios, were
now possible through internet access. Second, spreading and publishing of information were now much
easy because of different tools.

This time, information can now be on the hand of every individual and all the potential individuals. This
is called as the Post - Gutenberg Principle or Social Information Principle (Stacy, 2008).

INFORMATION AGE

Man has always the need for communication and continuous exchange of information. This need is
motivated by man's need of belongingness to a society, giving, and receiving instructions and
precautions, giving comfort and encouragement and improving everyday ways and means. But it was not
easy to do this especially in the early times because of distance, time, and location that communication
and exchange of information can take a long time before it gets to the receiving end.

Man has employed different strategies to combat this issue by using different signals such as fire, flags,
drums, and writings on clay or stone tablets. Some even employed some animals to deliver messages like
horses with a rider messenger or a messenger pigeon. But still, waiting for the message to reached the
receiver, and waiting for the response to come was not always easy.

The discoveries and inventions on communication and information technology have greatly helped to
this constant need of man. There are three distinct historical periods for this revolution of information
technology (Washington, DC. Office of the Assistany Secretary of Defense (OASD), Command & Control
Research Program (CCRP), 1997). The first modern information revolution began in the mid-nineteenth
century and includes telegraph, telephone, and radio. These three inventions have greatly helped in
improving the people's lives. Businesses, government, military, and foreign policy establishments were
able to communicate easier.

The second modern information revolution followed the first one and extended until the mid-20th
century and includes television, early generation computers, and satellites. These inventions have greatly
improved communication and have bypassed even further distances in a faster time. The industrial
society and governmental affairs have greatly benefited from this, saving so much money that was at
first spent over communication and exchange of information.
The third modern information revolution probably began in the 1980s and has surpassed the two other
revolutions. This age which includes our time is now called as the "knowledge revolution". This includes
advance information technologies and has a remarkable impact in the politics, economics, sociology, and
culture of knowledge creation and distribution.

The information age has a big impact in the society in that a lot of money usually spent on ensuring that
the message has reached the receiving end and that deciphering the message is correct is now saved.
Communication has become more effective and efficient. Goods are easily made by the producers and
easily sold to the wholesalers then to the retailers and finally to the individual consumers. Businesses
flourished and it has greatly helped improve every nation's economy. Governments have also improved
their ways of handling their political affairs be it locally or internationally. Military affairs have become so
much easier as well. A lot of wars were prevented because of more effective and timely communication.
Lay people also experienced the instant messaging world that loved ones living far away can now
instantly be reached by one click.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS IMPACT TO THE SOCIETY

According to Brown (2018), among the three billion people around the world, 40% uses online social
media. Social media users spend an average of two hours every day tweeting or liking posts in different
platforms. Social media has become a form of virtual reality and a form of escapr from the tyranny of
life. Geographical distance is no longer a hindrance in communicating with other people around the
globe. Ideas become more fluid making censorship next to impossible.

According to Merriam-Webster (2016), social media is defined as a form of electronic communication

wherein the users share information, ideas and even videos by creating online communities. It is an
internet-based medium intended for sharing information. Social media is not only a communication tool
but it also serves as an avenue for collaboration and reviewing of information an opinions. In commerce,
social media also serve as a brand monitoring tool that help boosts their sales. The entertainment and
gaming industry has already joined the wagon.

Mark Schaefer (2011), an author, blogger and Social Media Marketing consultant cited a summary in his
blog how the world has changed because of social media.

 Social media made the society less individualistic and traditional groups more reinforced.
 In education, including informal learning, social media served as an imporant catalyst.
 Selfies shared in social media send different messages worldwide.
 In the world of social media, online equality is different from offline equality.
 Not the company, but the people who uses social media define its functionality.
 The public social media can be viewed as traditionalist or conservative.
 Posted photos and use of emojis in social media has shifted human communication.
 The world became less homogenous because of social media.
 Personal commerce has been greatly promoted with the help of social media.
 Group-communication arise because of social media.
 Social media, for some, served as their online "homes".
 Gender Relations has been profoundly affected by social media.
  Human conversations and relationships are now polymedia.
 Memes in social media served as Moral Police that has set the standards of normal behavior
among the general public.
 Social media is a privacy threat, but not for the non-users.

In general, social media and the advancement of information technology has greatly influenced daily
living of people. May it serve as an advantage or disadvantage, the society must learn how to still
manage to be in control in all of this.