Synthesis for the First Module
I swear, the quality of the photo of my timeline about the evolution of mass communication is normal when viewed on my laptop, I just don’t know why the quality of the photo above is not really as good, but I guess the quality gets affected when uploaded on Tumblr. Anyway, I will just discuss the evolution of mass communication on the following paragraphs.
The first is oral culture, where people relied on hand gestures and voices to convey information. Literacy culture followed, giving birth to carvings, paintings, and drawings. During this period, alphabet was used by people to form words and sentences.
Traditional media from 15th to 17th century involved print media (newspapers, books, magazines). From 1920 to 1940, television became a popular contraption to gain information.
In convergent media, from 1880s to 1940s, computer and binary code were developed. From 1970s to 1990s, E-mail, the internet, and smartphones were utilized to deliver and acquire messages as well as pertinent information about education, business, and many more. Changes to media have a significant impact on society and culture, because actors of the society engage with the media - in turn, actors of the society can be influenced by what they consume. In politics, for example, when election time is near, prospective candidates use media to promote their platforms. However, as individuals of the society, one must scrutinize what is being given and filter the truth from false information to form a smart decision.
What causes the transitions from one media to another? Based on observation, media changes in accordance to technological advancements. For example, sending handwritten letters was replaced with sending e-mails, because the computer was developed, paving the way for a more convenient flow of messages. Technological advancements also play a role in shaping the landscape of communication - as time passes, more inventions are manufactured for humans to maneuver in order to attain their future.
Nevertheless, old and new media are both very powerful tools for communication. Cultural works formed under the two media are continuously being utilized and passed to the next generation, establishing their dialogic relationship. In the current times, media combines all demonstrations of past, present, and future cultures in one digital cosmos.
At this point, I’ll guess what communication will be like 50 years from now. I think the people will be able to view reality in a different way using their gadgets. One can possibly visit another place without personal travel and view real-time digital information through their devices only.
References
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Maroon book icon. [Online image]. IconSDB. https://www.iconsdb.com/maroon-icons/book-icon.html
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Red letter icon. [Online image]. IconSDB. https://www.iconsdb.com/red-icons/letter-a-icon.html
Red newspaper icon. [Online image]. IconSDB. https://www.iconsdb.com/red-icons/newspaper-icon.html
Smartphone. [Online image]. Creative Market. https://creativemarket.com/TeaGraphicDesign/758516-Smartphone-icon-with-wifi-red
Talking mouth flat. [Online image]. Vexels. https://www.vexels.com/png-svg/preview/201212/talking-mouth-flat
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Television icon. [Online image]. KindPNG. https://www.kindpng.com/imgv/imJxwiR_transparent-circle-clip-art-television-icon-png-png/
Web browser. [Online image]. PNGWing. https://www.pngwing.com/en/free-png-yulof