Evolution of media

Traditional to new media:

As time passed by media and information continues to evolve with it. This provides people to have
information in its finest and quicker pace. A media form that came from within an older form has its
features and format in a fundamental pattern from the one before it. Here are some categories of how
media and information evolved:

Pre-Industrial age

Before Pre-Industrial age was formed, “Tribal age” was known for the first age in the evolution of media.
According to “McLuhan’s Media Map”, Tribal age is where early human ancestors are highly dependent
with their sense of hearing. This is also known as the acoustic era, where the senses of humans were
more likely developed than the ability to visualize. In Pre-Industrial Age, this is the era where humans
begin to survive with inventions like forged weapons and tools, they also discovered fire and how to
make paper with the use of plants.

Here are some examples how Pre-Industrial Age write information:

 Cave Paintings, these are paintings drawn on rocks or the ceiling and walls of a cave, dating to
prehistoric times. Also known as the “parietal art”, that is generally considered to have a
symbolic meaning.
 Clay tablets, are used for as a writing medium during Bronze Age to the Iron Age. Cuneiform, is
a logo-syllabic script that is used in several languages in the Ancient Near East for writing and it
is also one of the oldest systems in writing information.
 Papyrus, which means paper in modern word, a writing material made from a papyrus plant
that grows around besides Nile River. Papyrus was a writing material around 3,000 B.C. in
ancient Egypt.

Industrial age

Is a period in history that began to have changes in economic and social organization. Machine tools,
establishing and manufacturing of different products began to spread information through the power of
stream. Below the Industrial Age is the “Print Age” by McLuhan’s Media Map. By the use of machines,
printing press was invented in Print age, which meant mass-producing written texts. This gives people
the liberty to read the information in their own pace and share it with others.

Examples of Industrial Age are:

  Printing Press, is a device that prints texts with the use of inks and paper. By applying pressure
to an inked surface on a paper, this allows the machine to produce printed text information.
 Telegraph, has the ability to receive a point-to-point text message. From 1840s to mid-20 th
century, they slowly began to replace other telecommunication. Telegraph helps expand the
territory and it helps connect others from far away distances via morse code.
 Typewriter, is a machine that produces letters on a paper when a person presses a key, which
transfer the inked key on the paper. Typewriters were used from late 1800s until late 1900s.
 Motion Picture, is a work of visual arts that is projected on a screen to present simulated
experiences that communicates through ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty or
atmosphere with the use of moving images. It is also known as a “Film” or “Movies”.

Electronic Age

According to the idea of McLuhan (1989), “Global Village” were in a community in the world is
interconnected through electronic media. In this period, electrical telegraph was invented which
opened the way to the invention of more technologies such as telephones, televisions, mobile phones,
and internet. The communication technology at this time led humans to instantly connect with others
even in a far distance.

New Age or Information Age

Refers to the period when the world dived into the new era of media in 21 st century. Also known as the
digital or new media age, this is a time in human history where most of us depends heavily in the use of
computers. Digital technology and Internet become extensive, which leaves most of us to engage with
modern era’s new media age.