As media and information evolve throughout history, it provides people with better and faster access to information
that is easier to adopt and to manipulate.
Below are the different tools that were used in various eras in the history of communication.
Pre-Industrial Age
Pre-Industrial Age (Before the 1700s) - People discovered fire, developed paper from plants, and forged weapons and
tools with stone, bronze, copper, and iron.
Cave paintings (also known as “parietal art”) are numerous paintings and engravings found on cave walls or
ceilings around 38,000 BCE.
Clay tablets are used as a writing medium, especially for writing in cuneiform. Cuneiform is one of the oldest
forms of writing. This means of communication was used for over 3,000 years in 15 different languages.
Papyrus is made from pith of papyrus plant. It was used in ancient times as a writing surface to designate
documents written on its sheets, rolled up to scrolls.
Printing press using wood blocks (220 AD). This 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. As a method of printing on cloth, the earliest surviving examples from China date to before 220 AD.
Other examples:
• Acta Diurna in Rome (130 BC)
• Dibao in China (2nd Century)
• Codex in the Mayan region (5th Century)
Industrial Age
Industrial Age (1700s-1930s) - People used the power of steam, developed machine tools, established iron production,
and manufactured of various products (including books through the printing press).
• Printing press for mass production (19th century). A printing press is typically used for texts. It is a device
that applies pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (like paper or cloth).
• Telegraph is used for long-distance communication by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between
stations.
• Motion picture (also known as film or movie) is a series of still photos on film, projected in rapid succession
onto a screen by means of light.
• A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical machine for writing characters similar to those produced
by printer’s movable type. A typewriter operates by means of keys that strike a ribbon to transmit ink or
carbon impressions onto paper. Typically, a single character is printed on each key press
Other Examples:
• Newspaper- The London Gazette (1640)
• Telephone (1876)
• Motion picture photography/projection (1890)
• Commercial motion pictures (1913)
• Motion picture with sound (1926)
• Punch cards
Electronic Age
Electronic Age (1930s-1980s) - The invention of the transistor ushered in the electronic age. People harnessed the
power of transistors that led to the transistor radio, electronic circuits, and the early computers. In this age, long-
distance communication became more efficient.
• Transistor Radio (1954). By early 1954, Texas Instruments (TI) had perfected production to the point that
transistors became cheap enough for use in consumer items. TI decided that a portable, handheld radio offered
the most mainstream application of the new technology and approached several large corporations about
producing the radio.
• Television (1941). The television began its popularity in the 1940s. It was a novel item that everyone wanted
to have. People were amazed that they could go from simply hearing voices on the radio to seeing their faces
as they spoke. The television opened the doors for a variety of new experiences for all Americans. This
technology seemed like a large leap for society at the time as it began to shape daily routines.
• Apple 1 Computer (1976). April 11, 1976 – Apple releases its first Computer the Apple 1. Designed and
handbuilt by Steve Wozniak, the computers are sold wholesale by “Steven” Jobs. To finance their
manufacturing, Wozniak sells his HP-65 calculator for $500, while Jobs sells his VW van.
Other Examples:
• Television (1941)
• Large Electronic Computers
• Mainframe Computers
• Personal computers - i.e. Hewlett Packard 9100A (1968), Apple 1 (1976)
• OHP, LCD projectors
New Age or Information Age
Information Age (1900s-2000s) - The Internet paved the way for faster communication and the creation of social
networks. People advanced the use of microelectronics with the invention of personal computers, mobile devices, and
wearable technology. Moreover, voice, image, sound, and data are digitalized. We are now living in the information
age.
• The computer. The computer considered by most historians to be the first truly portable computer was the
Osborne 1. Thai-born book and software publisher Adam Osborne (1939–2003) was the founder of Osborne
Computer Corp, which produced the Osborne 1 in 1981.
• Social Media. Facebook is an American company offering online social networking services. Facebook was
founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes, all of whom
were students at Harvard University. Facebook became the largest social network in the world, with more than
one billion users as of 2012, and about half that number were using Facebook every day. The company’s
headquarters are in Menlo Park, California.
• Smart Phones. A smartphone is a cellular telephone with an integrated computer and other features not
originally associated with telephones such as an operating system, web browsing, and the ability to run
software applications. Smartphones can be used by individuals in both a consumer and a business context and
are now almost integral to everyday modern life.
Other Examples:
• Web browsers: Mosaic (1993), Internet Explorer (1995)
• Blogs: Blogspot (1999), LiveJournal (1999), Wordpress (2003)
• Social networks: Friendster (2002), Multiply (2003), Facebook (2004)
• Microblogs: Twitter (2006), Tumblr (2007)
• Video: YouTube (2005)
• Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality
• Video chat: Skype (2003), Google Hangouts (2013)
• Search Engines: Google (1996), Yahoo (1995)
• Portable computers- laptops (1980), netbooks (2008), tablets (1993)
• Smart phones
• Wearable technology
• Cloud and Big Data
