L e ss o n 2

EVOLUTION OF
TRADITIONAL
TO NEW MEDIA
SPECIFIC LEARNING OUTCOMES

a. Determine how the evolution of media developed

b.Identify traditional media and new media
c. Explain the roles and functions of media in the community
d.Assess the type of media in the Philippines vis-à-vis the
normative theories of media
• Create a video presentation of your lecture on being a social
media responsible
MOTIVATION
Study the media forms indicated in the first column on the table
below. Put a check mark on the corresponding cell identifying
whether the media form is traditional or new.
MEDIA FORM TRADITIONAL NEW
Magazine    
Tabloid    
Broadsheet    
Paperback Novel    
Radio    
Television    
Online Video Games    
Online Video Portals    
Web Video Portals    
Online Telephony and    
Messaging Capacity
The McLuhan Mantra

• Marshall McLuhan, who is famous for the phrase “the

medium is the message” and is the proponent of media theory
on technological determinism.
• McLuhan (2007) explains that society adapts to advances in
technology, thus, changing cultural, political, and even
historical aspects of that society.
•  The picture above illustrates McLuhan’s (1962) view of
the evolution of media and communication technology.
• The internet is not exactly an original concept but rather
a hybrid or derivative of the older forms such as print
media, broadcast media, and film. The mobile phones are
built on the old idea of telephony, and smart phones and
tablets, on the idea of Internet and computer technology.
Hot and Cold Media
Hot and Cold Media
• In the language of McLuhan, “hot” media refer to forms
requiring little involvement from the audience and
examples include film and television.
• Cool” media are those with high-level user interactivity,
where the experience is more dynamic and the audience
is more involved. Media forms that utilize animation,
such as video games, or provide participation, like
online media platforms, are examples of cool media.
Milestone in Media Evolution
• For McLuhan (1962), the three most significant inventions in
communication would be the phonetic alphabet, the printing press,
and the telegraph. Each of them linked one period to another. As
mentioned earlier, the most recent form of media carries the features
of the older media.
There are four period in history of communication and these are:
1. Tribal age
2. Literacy age
3. Print age
4. Electronic age
Milestone in Media Evolution
Tribal age
where hearing is the most predominant and most valuable sense of
reception. Early human ancestors relied heavily in the sense of hearing to
hunt for food and to stay alert from danger.
Literacy age
where the sense of sight was dominant. If the tribal age was highly
acoustic, the literate age was highly visual.
Milestone in Media Evolution
Print age
• The printing press was invented. which meant mass-producing
written texts. Having most copies of these texts gave humans the liberty to
read them at their own pace and to share them others.
Electronic Age
In this period, the telegraph was invented which paved
the way to the invention of more technologies such as the
telephone, television, mobile phone, and the Internet. The
communication technology at this time led humans to
instantly connect to each other even in great distances. An
example is when you log on to play in an online video
game while simultaneously chatting with other players
from other parts of the world.
Information age
When the world entered into a new era of media experience in the
21st century. Also known as the digital or new media age, this is a time
human history where everything relied heavily in the use of computers
to run major industries.
Infrastructure age.
A car with global positioning system built with it, a railway system
which runs digitally, or even simple appliances or gadgets at home that
can be controlled using the Internet are all examples of infrastructures
in this age. There is more involvement in the cyberspace. Internet
banking transactions and online purchases are other proofs to this.
Culture Space Technology

Cultural determinism explains that culture and

society shapes technology. According to Winston
(1986), a media scholar who advanced the idea of
cultural determinism, society is still in control of
technology and the innovations over time do not
dictate how it must adapt and function in relation to
these technologies. The radical potential of a given
technology to affect change may be suppressed by
societal factors.
Traditional vs. New Media
• Traditional media are those forms in the earlier periods of
McLuhan’s media map. They are traditional because of the
specific characteristics that they offer. According to McQuail
(2005), traditional media is one-directional. The media
experience is limited and the sense receptors used are very
specific (i.e., print media requires sense of sight, radio requires
sense of hearing, and television and film require both).
What is New about New Media
There are four main categories of new media and all of them share
“certain channel similarities and are approximately differentiated
by types of use, content, and context,” according to McQuail.
1. Interpersonal communication media. Examples would be
telephone, mobile phone, and e-mail where “content is private
and perishable and the relationship established and reinforced
may be more important that the information conveyed.”
2. Interactive play media. Video and computer-based games, plus
virtual reality devices compose this category.
What is New about New Media
3. Informational search media. The internet and the World Wide
Web become repositories or sources of a vast collection
information that can be accessed real-time despite geographical
location. Broadcast teletext and radio data services are also
examples.
4. Collective participatory media. This refers to use of Internet for
“sharing and exchanging information, ideas, and experiences and
developing active (computer-mediated) personal relationships
(McQuail, 2010).
Functions of Communication and Media
Media, whether traditional or new, has a role to play in the proper
functioning of a democratic society such as the Philippines. In order
for a democratic society to function in an ideal way, media and
communication must fulfill its mandate. According to McNair,
communication and media function to
1. Inform citizens of what is happening around them (also called
monitoring function)
2. Educate the audience as to the meaning and significant of the “facts”;
Functions of Communication and Media
3. Provide a platform for public political discourse, facilitating
the formation of “public opinion” and feeding that opinion
back to the public from whence it came, [including] the
provision of space for the expression of dissent;
4. Give publicity to governmental and political institutions
(known as the “watchdog” role of journalism); and
5. Serve as a channel for the advocacy of political viewpoints.
Authoritarian (communicationtheory.org)
 All forms of communications are under the control of the
governing elite, authorities, or influential bureaucrats.
 Controlling the media is necessary to protect and prevent the
people from national threats through any form of communication
(information or news)
 The government has all the rights to restrict/censor any sensitive
issue from press to maintain peace and security in the nation.
• Different types of censor include political censor, moral censor,
religious censor, military censor, and corporate censor.
Soviet Media (communicationtheory.org)
 The government undertakes or controls the total media and
communication to serve [and educate] working classes and their interest.
 The state has the absolute power to control any media for the benefits of
the people.
 The state puts an end to private ownership of the press and other media.

 Government media provides positive thoughts to create a strong

socialized society as well as providing information, education,
entertainment, motivation, and mobilization.
• The public is encouraged to give feedback which would be able to create
interests toward the media.
Libertarian (communicationtheory.org)
 Liberalism means information is knowledge and knowledge is power.
 Libertarianism is free from any authority or any control or censorship
and is an idea of individualism and limited government which is not
harmful to another.
 The people are more than enough to find and judge good ideas from
bad [because] people are rational.
• The press should not restrict anything, even a negative content may
give knowledge and can help make better decision during worst
situations.
Social Responsibility (McQuail, 2005, pp. 171-172)
 Social Responsibility should be reached by self-control, not government
intervention.
 View media ownership as a form of public trust or stewardship, rather than as an
unlimited private franchise.
 Media has obligations to society, and media ownership is a public trust.
 Media should follow agreed codes of ethics and professional conduct.
 The government must not merely allow freedom; it must actively promote it
when necessary; therefore, the government should act to protect the freedom of
its citizens.
• Under some circumstances, the government may need to intervene to safeguard
public interest.