Evolution of Communication and Media Study

Media Evolution

• Objectives include identifying traditional and new media, different information sources across ages, and evaluating internet information.
• The evolution of media involves several stages: pre-industrial, industrial, electronic, and new/information ages.
• Pre-industrial Age (before 1700s) saw people discover fire, develop paper from plants, and forge tools with various materials.
• Cave paintings were a form of early artistic expression (parietal art) dating back to around 38,000 BCE.
• Clay tablets were used as writing mediums, particularly for cuneiform, an ancient writing system used for over 3,000 years in 15 different languages.
• Papyrus, a writing material made from papyrus plant pith, was used in ancient times to create scrolls.
• Examples of other pre-industrial media include Acta Diurna in Rome (130 BC), Dibao in China (2nd Century), and Codex in the Mayan region (5th Century), Printing press using wood blocks (220 AD).

Industrial Age

• The Industrial Age (1700s-1930s) saw advancements in technologies and manufacturing, including the power of steam.
• Machine tools and iron production emerged, leading to the mass production of various products, including books through the printing press.
• The invention of the printing press for mass production emerged.
• The printing press, a device that applies pressure to an inked medium (like paper or cloth), became a significant tool.
• Relevant examples of Industrial Age media include newspapers like The London Gazette (1640), typewriters (1800s), the telephone (1876), and the motion picture (1890s).

Electronic Age

• Electronic Age (1930s-1980s) - The transistor ushered in a new era of technology.
• People harnessed transistor technology, leading to devices like the transistor radio, electronic circuits, and early computers, making long-distance communication more efficient.
• Electronics Age included radio and television (1941), personal computers (HP 9100A 1968, Apple 1 1976), and other electronic devices.

New/Information Age

• The Information Age (1990s-2000s) saw the rise of the internet, revolutionizing communication through social networks, microblogs, video-sharing, augmented reality, virtual reality, video chat applications and more.
• Modern technologies like the internet, laptops, wearable technology, Cloud and Big Data also characterize this era.

Media Functions

• Media play multiple functions.
• Monitoring: Informing citizens about events around them, a critical role of keeping the public informed.
• Information: Educating the audience about the importance of facts, adding context to the news.
• Opinion: A platform for public political discourse & facilitating expressions of dissent; enabling differing perspectives and viewpoints.
• Watchdog Role: Journalism plays a vital role in holding governments and private entities accountable, driving positive change.
• Advocacy: Media channels facilitate the presentation of political viewpoints, allowing for public engagement in important societal debates.

Sources of Information

• Indigenous media: Forms of media created, produced, and transmitted by indigenous communities, preserving and adapting cultural knowledge.
• Libraries: Gatherings of artistic, literary, musical and reference materials accessible for use, including various specific libraries like academic, public, special, and school-focused libraries.
• Internet: A global computer network offering information and communication, characterized by standardized communication protocols, enabling users to access a vast expanse of information.

Information Evaluation Criteria

• Currency: Timeliness of information.
• Relevance: Significance of information to the user.
• Authority: Source of information— credibility, reliability.
• Accuracy: Closeness to factual data.

Determining Information Reliability

• Check the Author: Examining the contributor's qualifications.
• Check the Date of Publication or Update: Evaluating when the information was last updated, showing validity.
• Check for Citations/Sources: Examining references to verify the reliability of the information.
• Check the Domain/site: Reviewing and understanding the type of website- .com (Commercial), .gov (Government), .edu (Educational), .org (Nonprofit)