is the oldest form of writing in the
The Evolution of
Traditional to New
Media
I. PRE-HISTORIC AGE
● People discovered fire, developed
paper from plants and forged
equipment or weapons through
stone, bronze, copper and iron.
● Before human beings created
languages and alphabets, they
communicated with both sound and body
language.
● SMOKE SIGNAL - a column of smoke used as a
way of conveying a message to a distant person.
● CAVE PAINTINGS - (also known as "parietal art")
are painted drawings on cave walls or ceilings. o
The oldest cave paintings to be dated are located
at El Castillo Cave, Cantabria, Spain.
● PETROGLYPHS - used to describe any image
created on a rock surface by scouring,
scratching, engraving, chiseling, carving or any
similar method. Note, however, that painted
or drawn images on rocks are not classified as
petroglyphs: instead, they are defined as
pictographs.
o In the Philippines, Angono Petroglyphs,
which was discovered by Carlos
Botong Francisco in 1965, was
believed to be 5000 years old. It
contains 127 figures of
people and animals.
● PAPYRUS IN EGYPT - a material prepared in
ancient Egypt from the pithy stem of a water
plant, used in sheets throughout the ancient
Mediterranean world for writing or painting
on and for making rope, sandals, and boats.
● CLAY TABLETS IN MESOPOTAMIA -The main
writing material used by the scribes of early
civilizations. Signs were impressed or inscribed
on the soft clay, which was then dried in the
sun.
o Cuneiform is an ancient writing system
that was first used in around 3400 BC.
Distinguished by its wedge-shaped
marks on clay tablets, cuneiform script
world, first appearing even earlier
than Egyptian hieroglyphics.
● HIEROGLYPH was a character of the ancient
Egyptian writing system. Logographic scripts
that are pictographic or picture symbols
represent a combination of alphabet and
syllabic sounds together with images that
determine or clarify meaning and depictions
of actual objects which are the spoken word
of the thing they represent.
● BAYBAYIN - The pre-colonial ancient writing
script of the Philippines. It has been the soul
interconnectivity of our ancestors through
writing. o Baybay means “to spell”.
o Our ancestors used it to sign
documents, write poetries,
communicate, and write letters to one
another.
● DIBAO IN CHINA - were a type of publications
issued by central and local governments in
imperial China. They contained official
announcements and news. This was
considered as the oldest newspaper.
● CODICES IN THE MAYAN REGION - are folding
books written by the pre-Columbian Maya
civilization in Maya hieroglyphic script on
Mesoamerican bark cloth.
o Codex Sinaiticus or "Sinai Bible" is one
of the four great uncial codices,
ancient, handwritten copies of a
Christian Bible in Greek.
● WOODBLOCK PRINTING - is a technique for
printing text, images or patterns used widely
throughout East Asia and originating in China
in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles
and later paper.
o Japanese adapted this technique and it
has evolved to what is known now as
Ukiyo-e, meaning pictures of the
floating world.
 III. INDUSTRIAL AGE
II. MIDDLE AGE MEDIA
- In the Middle Ages the importance of public
speaking grew less. Not only was there little to
no communication science in the Dark Ages, the
communication landscape had also changed
drastically since Roman times. Alfabecy numbers
had dropped rapidly since the decline of Rome.
Almost none could write or read with perhaps
some exceptions among the ruler and religious
elite. But even among them evidence suggests
readership was not 1 high and probably very
limited to those of very high stations or devoted
to academic life in a monastery.
● PAROCHIALISM - The idea of parochialism
communication as a medieval medium of
communication played an important role in how
people get information for one of the reasons
why the Catholic Church became the most
powerful institution of the medieval period. The
official speech of events happening in the
society during those times is held in churches or
parish.
● VISUAL COMMUNICATION – During this period,
people used illuminated manuscripts and
printed pamphlets with etchings or other
figurative depictions were sometimes used.
● HERALDS - originally messengers sent by
monarchs or noblemen to convey messages or
proclamations—in this sense being the
predecessors of modern diplomats.
o The Greek heralds, who claimed descent
from Hermes, the messenger of the
gods, were public functionaries of high
importance in early times. Like Hermes,
they carried a staff of olive or laurel
wood surrounded by two snakes (or
with wool as messengers of peace).
- People used the power of steam, developed
machine tools, established iron production
and manufacturing of various products
(including books through the printing press).
● Johann Gutenberg - invented the movable
type machine in the 1400s called Gutenberg
Printing Press
o The Gutenberg Bible was among the
earliest major books printed using
mass-produced movable metal type in
Europe.
● DOCTRINA CRISTIANA - The first book
printed in the Philippines. Written by
Fray Juan Plasencia, an Augustinian
priest. Contained the rules, doctrines
and practices of the Catholic church.
● THE LONDON GAZETTE - One of the first
newspapers to be mass published with
the help of the printing press in the
1640’s.
● TYPEWRITER - Pellegrino Turri, an Italian inventor,
invented a mechanical typing machine, one of
the first typewriters, at the start of the 19th
century for his blind friend. The American
inventor Christopher Latham Sholes read an
article in the journal Scientific American
describing a new British-invented machine and
was inspired to construct what became the first
practical typewriter. In 1873 he signed a contract
with E. Remington and Sons, gunsmiths, of Ilion,
New York, for manufacture. The first typewriters
were placed on the market in 1874, and the
machine was soon renamed the Remington.
● TELEGRAPH - a system for transmitting messages
from a distance along a wire, especially one
creating signals by making and breaking an
electrical connection.
o Samuel F.B. Morse developed the Morse
Code to transmit messages through telegraph.
o The first message sent via telegraph was
“What hath God wrought”
 ● COMMERCIAL MOTION PICTURES – a series of
IV. ELECTRONIC AGE
pictures projected on a screen in rapid
- People harnessed the power of electricity
succession with objects shown in successive
that led to electrical telegraphy,
positions slightly changed to produce the optical
electrical circuits and the early
effect of a continuous picture in which the
large-scale computers. In this age, long
objects move. The Roundhay Garden scene from
distance communication became
1888 – the world’s earliest surviving motion
possible.
picture.
● TRANSISTOR RADIO - May 1954 – the first
● KINETOSCOPE - Invented by Thomas Alva Edison
transistor radio was manufactured. Named the
in 1889. The prototype for the modern-day
Regency TR-1 by its inventors from Texas and
projector/VR goggles
Indiana, USA.
● PUNCHED CARD - A punched card or punch card is
● TELEVISION - First successfully invented from an
a piece of stiff paper that can be used to contain
experiment of Philo Farnsworth in 1927. He was
digital information represented by the presence
21 that time. He wanted to make a machine that
or absence of holes in predefined positions. The
translated radio waves into sounds and moving
information might be data for data processing
pictures. The electronic television was
applications or, in earlier examples, used to
“perfected” in 1941. Most households in
directly control automated machinery.
America had a black-and-white television.

● PHONOGRAPH - Thomas Alva Edison discovered
the secret to recording sound while
experimenting with a stylus (hard-pointed
instrument like a large needle) on a tinfoil
cylinder.
o The first song ever played on the
phonograph was “Mary Had a Little
Lamb.”
● ENIAC - stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator
and Computer. Weighed 27 tons and took up an
entire room. Primary purpose was to calculate
an artillery firing table. 20 hours of human
calculation = 30 seconds of ENIAC processing.
o ENIAC - Invented by John Mauchly and
John Presper Eckert for the United
States Army. Invented in 1946.

● TELEPHONE - Antonio Meucci, an Italian ● IBM 704 - One of the first mainframe computers.
immigrant, began developing the design of a The first mass-produced computer. Designed for
talking telegraph or telephone in 1849. In 1871, engineering and scientific purpose. Sold 140
he filed a caveat (an announcement of an units from 1955- 1960.
invention) for his design of a talking telegraph.
o Alexander Graham Bell filed the patent ● HP 9100A - The 9100A was the world's first
for his telephone at the U.S. Patent programmable scientific desktop calculator.
Office on February 14, 1876—just two
hours before a rival, Elisha Gray, filed a
declaration of intent to file a patent for ● OVERHEAD PROJECTOR - A device commonly
a similar device. used in education to assist in teaching. Started
o “Mr. Watson, come here; I want you.” getting popular in the 1950’s. Utilized acetates
was the first message sent via telephone which are transparent sheets. Whatever is
written or printed on the acetate is projected on
● PHOTOGRAPH - Johann Zahn designed the first the screen.
camera in 1685. But the first photograph was
clicked by Joseph Nicephore Niepce in the year
1814.
o Ancestors of the photographic camera,
camera obscura/the pinhole camera
date to back to the ancient Greeks and
Chinese.
 ● BLOGS - A discussion or informational website that
V. INFORMATION AGE
usually follows either an informal diary-style
– People advanced the use the
entry or a formal magazine-like article. Often
microelectronics in the invention of
covers a single topic.
personal computers, mobile devices and
wearable technology. In this age, the
● SOCIAL NETWORKS - Any platform that connects
Internet paved the way for faster
people and allows interaction over the internet.
communication and the creation of the
social network. Moreover, voice, image,
o FRIENDSTER - The first social media site that
sound and data are digitalized.
reached 1 million members in its time. First
launched in 2002. Most users were
● COMPUTER - an electronic device for storing and
Southeast Asians.
processing data, typically in binary form,
o FACEBOOK - Launched on February 4, 2004 by a
according to instructions given to it in a
variable program. Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg. Was only
intended at first for Harvard students but reached
popularity in 2006.
● MOBILE PHONE - a telephone with access to a
cellular radio system so it can be used over a
● MICROBLOGS - Same mechanics as a blog, but
wide area, without a physical connection to a
network. smaller content. Allows users to exchange small
elements of content such as short sentences,
individual images, or video links.
● LAPTOP - A small, portable personal computer that
o TWITTER - A microblogging platform that
combines the components, inputs, outputs and
capabilities of a desktop computer in a small allows users to send out tweets, a
chassis. The Osborne 1 (1981) is the first laptop. 140-character text post. Founded March
2006 by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone,
and Evan Williams. The “SMS of the
● NETBOOK - A classification of small, lightweight
Internet”. With over 41 million tweets, the
and inexpensive laptops introduced in 2007.
most discussed topic ever on Twitter was the
Offers a lower processing power than a laptop.
"#ALDubEBTamangPanahon" of AlDub on
● CHROMEBOOK - A web-browser-based laptop run
Oct. 24, 2015.
by Google’s Chrome OS.
● TABLET - A portable personal computer that uses a
● MEDIA SHARING SITES – websites that enable
touch screen to operate.
users to store and share their multimedia files
(photos, videos, music) with others
● SMARTPHONE - A device that offers the features
o YOUTUBE - A video-sharing website that
of a cellular phone and a personal computer.
allows users to view, upload, favorite,
comment on videos and subscribe to other
● INTERNET - The internet was first launched in
users. Founded Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and
August 30, 1969. Jawed Karim – in February 2005.
o March 29, 1994. 10:18 AM – The first o INSTAGRAM - a free photo and video sharing
internet connection was established in the app available on Apple iOS, Android and
Philippines. It was a 64 kbps connection Windows Phone.
between the Syracuse University, USA and
University of San Carlos, Cebu, Ph.
● SKYPE - An instant messaging app that allows
● WEB BROWSERS - Programs that allowed data online text messaging and video chat services.
viewing and exchange through the internet Mosaic First released on August 2003.
(1993) & Internet Explorer (1995)
● WEARABLE TECH - A device that needs to be worn
● SEARCH ENGINE - A software that allows people
for it to serve its intended function. Designed to
to search for data in the World Wide Web. The
incorporate practical functions and features.
results are presented in a line of results.