QUARTER 1
LESSON 3
EVOLUTION OF TRADITIONAL TO NEW MEDIA
The term “media” is described as means of communication for people which includes newspapers, radio,
televisions, and the internet. In the advent of the “new normal”, the role of media has been highlighted more than
ever.
The society relies heavily on media and information technology, not only for communication, but also for
information dissemination, distance learning, work at home, etc. With the attainment of technological
advancement, people wondered how media changes throughout time and what forms of media exist in different
ages. To answer these queries, let us now discover how media have evolved from pre-industrial age to
information age.
Pre-Industrial Age (Before 1700s)
During pre-industrial age, about 4.5 million years ago, the early hominids discovered fire, developed paper
from plants, and built weapons (Teaching Guide for Senior High School Media and Information Literacy, p.
20). The prehistoric inhabitants used stone tools and metals as part of their daily activities like hunting and
gathering. They also used crude stone tools to create things considered rock art. These prehistoric arts such
as petroglyphs and pictographs were considered the earliest forms of traditional media
• Cave paintings (35,000 BC) • Clay tablets in Mesopotamia (2400 BC) • Papyrus in Egypt (2500 BC) • Acta
Diurna in Rome (130 BC) • Dibao in China (2nd Century) • Codex in the Mayan region (5th Century) • Printing
press using wood blocks (220 AD)
Industrial Age (1700s - 1930s)
The industrial age occurs during the industrial revolution in Great Britain. This period brought in economic and
societal changes, such as the substitution of handy tools with machines like the power loom and the steam
engine. The transformation of the manufacturing industry, and commercial enterprise for mass production of
various products occurred. Also, long-distance communication became possible via telegraph, a system used
for transmitting messages.
• Printing press for mass production (19th century) • Newspaper- The London Gazette (1640) • Typewriter
(1800) Telephone (1876) • Motion picture photography/projection (1890) • Commercial motion pictures (1913)
• Motion picture with sound (1926) • Telegraph • Punch Cards
Electronic Age (1930s - 1980s)
The electronic age started when people utilized the power of electricity that made electronic devices like
transistor radio and television work. The creation of the transistor piloted the rise of the electronic age. The
power of transistors was used in radio, electronic circuits, and early computers. In this period, people made
use of air access to communication.
• Transistor Radio • Television (1941) • Large electronic computers- i.e. EDSAC (1949) and UNIVAC 1 (1951)
• Mainframe computers - i.e. IBM 704(1960) • Personal computers - i.e. HewlettPackard 9100A (1968), Apple
1 (1976) • OHP, LCD projectors Information
Information Age (1900s - 2000s)
The information age is a period also known as the digital age. This period signified the use of the worldwide web
through an internet connection. Communication became faster and easier with the use of social networks or
social media platforms such as Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Twitter, among others. The rapid technological
advancement and innovation with the use of microelectronics lead to the development of laptops, netbooks
mobile phones, and wearable technology.
• Web browsers: Mosaic (1993), Internet Explorer (1995) • Blogs: Blogspot (1999), LiveJournal (1999), Wordpress
(2003) • Social media: 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), tablets
(1993) netbooks (2008), • Smartphones • Wearable technology • Cloud and Big Data
QUARTER 1
LESSON 3
THE INFLUENCE OF MEDIA ON THE VALUES AND NORMS OF PEOPLE
Norms are society’s expected behaviors, shaped by tradition and social standards (e.g., respect, education,
marriage, gender roles).
Media expands exposure beyond local social groups to global cultures with diverse values and behaviors.
Social media promotes freer communication, allowing people to challenge conventional beliefs and adopt new
perspectives.
Movements like women’s rights and LGBTQ+ advocacy gain visibility through media, influencing public
understanding and acceptance.
Media plays a growing role in modern life, giving access to previously restricted ideas.
Arias (2016) identifies two media effects:
o Individual/direct effect — influencing personal beliefs and behaviors
o Social/indirect effect — shaping shared societal norms through widespread information.
Information dissemination builds shared knowledge, which strengthens its impact on collective values.
Media functions as an educational model, aligning with Bandura’s Social Learning Theory.
These models convey societal values and behaviors, helping people understand and adopt shared beliefs.
Publicly accessible information fosters common understanding, promoting societal change and adaptation.
