Media and

Information
Literacy
Module 1: The Evolution of Traditional Media
to New Media

Student Teacher: Crystal Mae A. Agan

The Evolution of Traditional Media to New Media

Media have evolved throughout time – from pre-industrial age to information age. The
evolution of traditional to new media depicts the records of the past on the progress of
media technology which helps people communicate and disseminate information in the
fastest and efficient ways. Furthermore, media also shaped the values and norms of
people and society.

What’s In

In the previous lesson, you have learned about the introduction of media and
information literacy. To test your understanding of the lesson, I want you to determine
the word/words being described by rearranging the letters to form the correct word/s.

Activity 1

1. It is the capacity of an individual to comprehend the functions of media and

determine the relevant use and worth of media platforms

I D A M E C E R A T I L Y

2. It involves a thorough way of gathering information, data, or facts which relate to

the use of media information.

M I O N A T O N F R I C E R A T I L Y

3. It refers to the skill of an individual to manipulate technology independently or

with the assistance of others in using technology in an efficient and suitable way.

C H O L O G Y T E N C E R A T I L Y

4. It covers the necessary skills that let a person interact using different media
platforms and get access to information around the globe.

I D A M E A N D M I O N A T O N F R I C E R A T I L Y

5. This refers to a person who has huge followers who share their posts on social
media to reach more people.

I A L S O C I D A M E E N C E R I N F L U
The 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.

What is Traditional Media?

 Traditional media thus represents a form of communication employing vocal,
verbal, musical and visual folk-art forms, transmitted to a society or group of
societies from one generation to another. They are indigenous modes and have
served the society as tools/medium of communication for ages.

PRE- INDUSTRIAL AGE (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
(Magpile , 2016, p 17-18).

THE INDUSTRIAL AGE (1700S – 1930s)

People use power of steam, developed machine tools, iron production, and manufacturing
of various products.

ELECTRONIC AGE (1930S – 1980S)

The invention of the transistor ushered in the electronic age. People harnessed the power
of transistor that led to the transistor radio, electronic circuits, and the early computers.
Communication became more efficient.
What is New Media?
New media are forms of media that are computational and rely on computers and the
Internet for redistribution. Some examples of new media are computer animations,
computer games, human-computer interfaces, interactive computer installations,
websites, and virtual worlds
INFORMATION AGE (1900s – 2000s)
The internet paved the way for faster communication and the creation of the social
network. 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.
INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)
Is the network of devices such as vehicles, and home appliances that contains electronics,
software and connectivity which allows these things to connects, interact and exchange
data. Involves extending internet connectivity beyond standard devices, such as desktop
laptops, smartphones and tablets, to any range of traditionally dumb or non-internet-
enable physical devices and everyday objects. These devices can communicate over the
internet, and they can be remotely monitored and controlled.

Here are the lists of media that have evolved throughout the four ages in history.
Pre-Industrial Age (Before 1700s)
• 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)
• 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
Electronic Age (1930s-1980s)
• 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 Age (1900-2000s)

• 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
What I Can Do
Activity 2. Data Retrieval
Complete the table below by providing examples of media in each column. Then,
answer the questions that follow.
Pre-Industrial Age Industrial Age Electronic Age Information Age

The influence of media on the values and norms of people

Norms are standards of behavior that are expected in a society based on their customary
laws or conduct. These norms entail conformist behavior following social standards like
respect for elders, obtaining education, getting married, and gender roles. The set of
norms begins at home and continues to develop as we expand ourselves to the social
world.
With the use of social media, people are no longer limited to his/her social group and
become more readily connected to global societywith diverse values and norms. With the
advent of the information age, media become more influential in different aspects of
people’s lives. Media provide access to ideas that are restricted in the past. Due to
people’s capability to relate, deliberate, and communicate freely online, the conventional
ideas are challenged. For example, there are different women's rights organizations that
share worldwide awareness of woman equality in our society through online platforms.
Similarly, the LGBTQ plus movement advocates gender equality and acceptance in
society. This results in the development of new social norms to conform to in search for
equal opportunity and tolerance.

What I Have Learned

Activity 3
Q and A: Answer the following questions and start your answer with the statement
I believe…
1. Given the available media that we have now, what are its roles and functions
to our society?
I believe _____________________________________________________________
2. How do social media affect the values and norms of the people around me?
I believe _____________________________________________________________
3. How do media influence my values?
I believe _____________________________________________________________
4. What are the positive effects of media to me?
I believe _____________________________________________________________
5. What are the challenges of media to me and how can I cope with this?
I believe _____________________________________________________________

Think About This!

Activity 4

How do social media affect you personally, academically, and socially?

A. Personal

B. Academic

C. Social
Assessment

Multiple Choice: Choose the letter of the best answer.

1. Which of the following describes the pre-industrial age?
a. the early hominids used stone tools and metals
b. the substitution of handy tools with electrical machine
c. the utilization of electrical power to run devices
d. The use worldwide web through an internet connectivity

2. Which of the following describes the industrial age?

a. the early hominids used stone tools and metals
b. the substitution of handy tools with electrical machine
c. the utilization of electrical power to run devices
d. The use worldwide web through an internet connectivity

3. Which of the following describes the electronic age?

a. the early hominids used stone tools and metals
b. the substitution of handy tools with electrical machine
c. the utilization of electrical power to run devices
d. The use worldwide web through an internet connectivity

4. Which of the following describes the new information age?

a. the early hominids used stone tools and metals
b. the substitution of handy tools with electrical machine
c. the utilization of electrical power to run devices
d. The use worldwide web through an internet connectivity

5. The following are forms of media during the pre-industrial age EXCEPT:
a. Papyrus
b. Clay Tablet
c. Photography
d. Cave Paintings

6. What changes have occurred during the industrial revolution??

a. societal and physical changes
b. political and economic changes
c. economical and societal changes
d. physical and behavioral changes

7. Which of the following substituted the handy tools during the industrial age?
a. machines
b. stone tools
c. metal tools
d. electrical devices

8. Which period is defined as the substitution of handy tools with electrical

machines?
a. Prehistoric Age
b. Industrial Age
c. Electronic Age
d. New Information Age

9. The following are forms of media during the industrial age EXCEPT:
a. Newspaper
b. Computer
c. Typewriter
d. Printing press

10. Which of the following periods in human history started when electronic
devices like computers were used?
a. Prehistoric Age
b. Industrial Age
c. Electronic Age
d. New Information Age
11. Which is NOT true about electronic age?
a. People can access internet connectivity.
b. People use electronic circuits and early computers.
c. People apply the power of transistors for radios.
d. The creation of transistor piloted the rise of the electronic age.

12. The following are forms of media during electronic age EXCEPT:
a. OHP
b. Radio
c. Television
d. Internet Explorer

13. The Information age is also known as ______________.

a. Bronze Age
b. Digital Age
c. Old Stone Age
d. New Stone Age

14. The following described information age EXCEPT:

a. the used of stone tools
b. the used of world wide web
c. the used of fast internet connection.
d. the used of the social network sites
15. Which of the following is NOT a form of media in the information age?
a. Twitter
b. Facebook
c. Telegram
d. Instagram

Performance Task

Personal Technology Timeline

Make a timeline of the means of communication that you have used.

You can draw or paste cut-outs of pictures from magazines or
newspapers.

For example: