Media and Information Literacy 1st Quarter Module (Week 3 and 4)

The Evolution of Media

Marshall McLuhan (born July 21,
1911, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada—
died Dec. 31, 1980, Toronto) -
Canadian communications theorist
and educator, whose aphorism “the
medium is the message” summarized
his view of the potent influence of
television, computers, and other
electronic disseminators of
information in shaping styles of
thinking and thought, whether in
sociology, art, science, or religion. He regarded the printed book as an institution
fated to disappear.

McLuhan was still a twenty-year old undergraduate at the University of

Manitoba, in western Canada, in the dirty thirties, when he wrote in his diary
that he would never become an academic. He was learning in spite of his
professors, but he would become a professor of English in spite of himself. After
Manitoba, graduate work at Cambridge University planted the seed for
McLuhan’s eventual move toward media analysis. Looking back on both his own
Cambridge years and the longer history of the institution, he reflected that a
principal aim of the faculty could be summarized as the training of perception,
a phrase that aptly summarizes his own aim throughout his career.

The shock that McLuhan experienced in his first teaching post propelled
him toward media analysis. Though his students at the University of Wisconsin
were his juniors by only five to eight years, he felt removed from them by a
generation. He suspected that this had to do with ways of learning and set out
to investigate it. The investigation led him back to lessons on the training of
perception from his Cambridge professors, such as I.A. Richards (The Meaning
of Meaning, Practical Criticism), and forward to discoveries from James Joyce,
the symbolist poets, Ezra Pound; back to antiquity and the myth of Narcissus,
forward to the mythic structure of modern Western culture dominated by
electric technology.

Understanding Media, first published in 1964, focuses on the media

effects that permeate society and culture, but McLuhan’s starting point is
always the individual, because he defines media as technological extensions of
the body. As a result, McLuhan often puts his inquiry and his conclusions in
terms of the ratio between the physical senses (the extent to which we depend
on them relative to each other) and the consequences of modifications to that
ratio. This invariably entails a psychological dimension. Thus, the invention of
the alphabet and the resulting intensification of the visual sense in the
communication process gave sight priority over hearing, but the effect was so
powerful that it went beyond communication through language to reshape
literate society’s conception and use of space.

Understanding Media brought McLuhan to prominence in the same

decade that celebrated flower power. San Francisco, the home of the summer of
love, hosted the first McLuhan festival, featuring the man himself. The saying
“God is dead” was much in vogue in the counterculture that quickly adopted
McLuhan but missed the irony of giving a man of deep faith the status of an icon.

Spectacular sales of Understanding Media, in hardback and then in

paperback editions, and the San Francisco symposium brought him a steady
stream of invitations for speaking engagements. He addressed countless groups,
ranging from the American Marketing Association and the Container Corporation
of America to AT&T and IBM. In March 1967, NBC aired “This is Marshall
McLuhan” in its Experiment in TV series. He played on his own famous saying,
publishing The Medium is the Massage (co-produced with Quentin Fiore and
Jerome Agel), even as he was signing contracts for Culture Is Our
Business and From Cliché to Archetype (with Canadian poet Wilfred Watson) with
publishers in New York. Dozens of universities awarded McLuhan honorary
degrees and he secured a Schweitzer Chair in the Humanities at Fordham
University. At the University of Toronto’s Centre for Culture and Technology,
where McLuhan was director, a steady stream of visitors arrived from around
the world to absorb his lessons on media, or just to see him and be seen with
him. Andy Warhol was scheduled to visit but did not show (when McLuhan
finally met him some time later, he pronounced him a “rube”); John Lennon and
Yoko Ono arrived unannounced.

Understanding Media, which was eventually translated into more than

twenty languages, overshadowed the only McLuhan book-length publication
from the 1960s that took him back squarely to his roots as a professor of English
literature, the two-volume Voices of Literature (edited in collaboration with
Richard J. Schoeck). By the time the decade ended, he had collaborated with
Canadian artist Harley Parker on Through the Vanishing Point: Space in Poetry
and Painting and once more with Quentin Fiore and Jerome Agel on War and
Peace in the Global Village. This popular paperback, exploding at every page with
McLuhan’s observations juxtaposed to a visual chronicle of twentieth century
happenings, bore the improbable subtitle, an inventory of some of the current
spastic situations that could be eliminated by more feedforward. The book looks
and feels light years away from the Cambridge University of the 1930s where
McLuhan trained, but that was just where he had picked up the idea
of feedforward from his teacher I. A. Richards.

McLuhan wrote with no knowledge of galvanic skin response technology,

terminal node controllers, or the Apple Newton. He might not have been able
even to imagine what a biomouse is. But he pointed the way to understanding
all of these, not in themselves, but in their relation to each other, to older
technologies, and above all in relation to ourselves our bodies, our physical
senses, our psychic balance. When he published Understanding Media in 1964,
he was disturbed about mankind’s shuffling toward the twenty-first century in
the shackles of nineteenth century perceptions. He might be no less disturbed
today. And he would continue to issue the challenge that confronts the reader at
every page of his writings to cast off those shackles.
History of Mobile Devices

In the 1940’s AT&T (formerly known as Bell Labs) was the first company
to commercialize mobile telecommunication. In 1947, the service simply known
as “Mobile Telephone Service” (MTS) was launched. By the end of the year,
MTS spread to more than a hundred towns and highway paths. MTS heavily
relied on an operator to connect both incoming and outgoing calls. The
disadvantage of the MTS was that it used a half-duplex “press to speak” system
where the caller would have to release the button to hear the other person.

The improvement for MTS arrived in 1965. AT&T released the “Improved
Mobile Telephone Service” (IMTS) which features user dialing and removed
operator forwarding. It also increased the area coverage and increased the
number of possible subscriber and calls by adding two radio channels. However,
since IMTS is limited by the technology of its time the maximum subscribers
nationwide was limited to 40,000 and it took an average of 30 minutes to place
a call. This is the reason why MTS was used in the US until the 1980’s.

The breakthrough in mobile technology was ushered in by Dr. Martin

Cooper when in 1973 he was able to call on a handheld mobile phone. This was
considered as an achievement because during the time mobile phones could only
be used in vehicles and with this their portability is limited. The other landmarks
in mobile phone history are: In 1979, Japan became the first country to have a
city-wide commercial cellular mobile phone network. Meanwhile, In 1981, the
Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) system was launched in Denmark, Norway,
Sweden and Finland. And in 1983 the first ever mobile phone to be approved by
the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) in the USA was the Motorola
DynaTac.
The advancements mentioned are now known as the 1G or 1st generation
mobile phones. In Addition, the first generation of cellular networks paved the
way to the networks we know and use today. Use of multiple cell tower sites,
each connected through a network, allowed users to travel and even switch cell
towers during a call. The 1990’s gave birth to the 2G or 2nd generation mobile
phones, which featured two new digital technologies. The European GSM
standard and the North American CDMA standard. Demand grew and more and
more cell tower sites were built. In addition to technological improvements in
batteries and internal components, this allowed for much smaller mobile devices.
It was also the time when the introduction of SMS Messaging, with the first
computer generated SMS sent in 1992 in the UK. A year later in Finland, the
first person-to-person SMS was delivered using GSM technology. As popularity
grew, pre-paid mobile phones and plans emerged in the late 1990s which further
popularized SMS amongst all ages.
The 3rd generation mobile phones or 3Gtechnology was launched in 2001
and allowed operators to offer video calling and data transmission. 3G
transformed the mobile phone industry and enabled widespread mobile Internet
and the transmission services like TV and Radio for the very first time. Handset
manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon and smartphone use took off. By
around 2005 3G had evolved a step further, leading many to coin the terms
“3.5G” “turbo 3G” and “3G+” in reference to HSPDA (High Speed Downlink
Packet Access), HSPA and HSPA+.
The 4th generation mobile phones or 4G is still evolving although it marks
the switch to native IP networks, bringing mobile Internet more in-line with wired
home internet connections. 4G became commercially available in the UK in late
2012 and offers super fast connections and similarly speedy downloads.
The Emergence of Smartphones and Tablets

What is a smartphone? The actual definition of the term, no matter the

source is vague. Merriam-Webster defines it as “a cell phone that includes
additional software functions” while Oxford says that it is “able to perform
many of the functions of a computer, typically having a relatively large
screen and an operating system capable of running general-purpose
applications.” Either way, you would be able to know the difference between a
smartphone and a basic phone because ofdifference in features.

The first smartphone was released in the market back in 1992. It was the
IBM’s Simon Personal Communicator. Simon had a monochrome
touchscreen, a stylus, and a charging base station. When using data, you
could expect to charge the phone after about 60 minutes of use. It sold 50,000
units but the manufacturer decided against continuing the product due to
operation costs. In 1996, Nokia released the Nokia 9000 Communicator, a
1.5-inch thick, 397g phone with an outward facing dial pad, navigation keys,
and monochromatic display. Along the left edge, however, was a hinge which
opened to a full QWERTY keyboard and physical navigation buttons flanking a
much larger display. It was capable of email, fax, Web, word processing, and
even spreadsheets.

Meanwhile in 1997, the word “Smartphone” will be officially coined by the

company Ericsson when it released the GS 88 concept, otherwise known as
Penelope. Its outward appearance and design were strikingly similar to that of
the 9000 Communicator, though it housed a touchscreen on the inside and came
with a stylus.

In the early 2000s, Symbian, BlackBerry OS, Palm OS, and PocketPC
2000 (know known as Windows Mobile) became increasingly popular. They are
gadgets with capabilities such as email, fax, Web browsing, and other features.
Between 2000 and 2006, cell phone manufacturers eagerly explored dozens of
different form factors to capitalize on the new mobile functionality. Sliding and
flipping keyboards, rotating displays, wafer-style phones with displays
positioned above permanent, vertical keyboards, and even phones
with multiple keyboards abounded.

The smartphone industry that we know today started in January 2007

when Steve Jobs, then chief executive of Apple unveils the iPhone which he says
is "a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any
other mobile phone". Meanwhile in November 2007, Google announced that it
would offer the Android mobile operating system for free. This means that anyone
can use it and modify it. By default it will also use Google services for search,
email and video. On the other hand, the Tablet or Tablet PC is not a recent
invention. In reality, it is a result of many years of advancement and evolution.
In definition, a tablet or tablet PC is basically a computer which is integrated
into a touchscreen device. Basically, it falls in between a smartphone and a
laptop in usability and functionality.

The first recorded invention which has the first detailed concept for a tablet
PC occurred in the form of the Dynabook. Plans for the Dynabook were drawn
up by Alan Kay in 1968. Kay envisioned the Dynabook as a portable computer
with a nearly unlimited power supply that could be used as an educational tool
for children. Although, The Dynabook never progressed beyond the conceptual
stage since the technology available at the time could not support it. 20 years
later, Jeff Hawkins and his company the GRiD Systems became the first
company to offer an actual portable tablet-based computer 1989 when they
introduced the Gridpad. The Gridpad relied on MS DOS (Microsoft Disk Operated
System) as its OS. In 1993, Apple began its own entry in the then emerging
Tablet market. Their product was known as NewtonMessagepad. Although it
was originally designed to be a larger computer, it eventually shrunk down to a
more pocket-friendly size because it became a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)
Device.
By 1997, Palm proved very successful during this time with its line of PDA
devices. The most successful being the Palm Pilot. This device proved that
people wanted a third type of mobile device between a cell phone and a laptop, if
it was affordable and was easy to use. It was also the first to use the touchscreen
technology and not rely on a stylus for interaction with the device.
Another major change for the tablet PC came in 2001 when Bill Gates
announced the Windows XP Tablet Edition. This was a major change for the
tablet PC since in the past, tablets had relied on proprietary operating systems
like PenPoint OS and Palm OS. These systems were generally simpler and less
graphics intensive than those found on standard computers. This new version of
Windows XP promised all the looks and functionality of Windows in a format
better suited to a touchscreen interface. By 2010, the iPad arrived, with
touchscreen that people had grown accustomed to from the iPhone and iPod
touch. By October 2012, it had sold 100 million units. This successful sales
figure had spawned competitors to make the tablet PC market competitive. The
Samsung Galaxy Tab, Amazon Kindle Fire, Sony S2 and Microsoft Surface
tablet are just a few products that has emerged due to the success of the iPad.

Types of Media
1. Hot Media - Based on the language of McLuhan, hot media refer to form
requiring little involvement from the audience. They called it hot because it is
relatively passive and static.

2. Cold Media - There is high level user interactivity, where the experience is
more dynamic and the audience is more involved.
1. INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET (IPA) - The International Phonetic
Alphabet was invented in the age of literacy, where all humans are allowing to
learn on how to read.
2. PRINTING PRESS - The printing press was invented in the print age, which
meant mass-producing written texts.
3. TELEGRAPH - The telegraph was invented in the electronic age, which paved
the way to the invention of more recent technologies such as the television,
mobile phones, and the Internet.
1. Tribal Age - It begins with the Tribal Age where hearing was the
predominant and most valuable sense of reception.
2. Literacy Age - The next period is the Literacy Age where the sense of sight
was dominant.
3. Print Age - The Print Age is the third period or this is the time that printing
press was invented.
4. Electronic Age - At this time, the communication technology led humans to
instantly connect to each other even in great distances.

Activity 3
Essay (10 points)
Answer thoroughly. Rubrics for the activity are: Content 6 points. Minimum
number of sentences 2 points. Grammar 2 points.

Does the culture shape technology or the technology shape the culture?
INFORMATION AGE
The Information Age, also called the Computer Age, the Digital Age and the
New Media Age, is coupled tightly with the advent of personal computers, but
many computer historians trace its beginnings to the work of the American
mathematician Claude E. Shannon. At age 32 and as a researcher at Bell
Laboratories, Shannon published a landmark paper proposing that information
can be quantitatively encoded as a series of ones and zeroes. Known as the
"father of Information Theory," Shannon showed how all information media, from
telephone signals to radio waves to television, could be transmitted without error
using this single framework.

By the 1970s, with the development of the Internet by the United States
Department of Defense and the subsequent adoption of personal computers a
decade later, the Information or Digital Revolution was underway. More
technological changes, such as the development of fiber optic cables and faster
microprocessors, accelerated the transmission and processing of information.
The World Wide Web, used initially by companies as an electronic billboard for
their products and services, morphed into an interactive consumer exchange for
goods and information. Electronic mail (email ), which permitted near-instant
exchange of information, was widely adopted as the primary platform for
workplace and personal communications. The digitization of information has had
a profound impact on traditional media businesses, such as book publishing,
the music industry and more recently the major television and cable networks.
As information is increasingly described in digital form, businesses across many
industries have sharpened their focus on how to capitalize on the Information
Age.

Companies whose businesses are built

on digitized information have become
valuable and powerful in a relatively short
period of time. In "The companies that define
the Information Age are the ones that know
consumers the best," author Larry Allen of
Real Media Group points out that just as land
owners held the wealth and wielded power in
the Agrarian Age and manufacturers such as Henry Ford and Cyrus McCormick
accumulated fortunes in the Industrial Age, the current Information Age has
spawned its own breed of wealthy influential brokers, from Microsoft's Bill Gates
to Apple's Steve Jobs to Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.
INFRASTRUCTURE AGE
The infrastructure age is about where we expect computers to live. The so-
called internet of things is a big part of this. Our computers aren’t living in
isolated boxes on our desktops, and they aren’t going to be inside our phones
either. The apps in your phone won’t always suck you into virtual worlds, where
you can escape to build treehouses and tunnels in Minecraft. Instead, they will
control your home, your transit, and even your body. At this time we will be more
involved in cyberspace.
 Brian Winston (November 7, 1941 – April 9, 2022)
- has been involved with media since joining
Granada TV’s World in Action in 1963. He has also
worked for the BBC in the UK and in 1985, he won
a US prime-time Emmy for documentary
scriptwriting at WNET, New York. In 2010, he
scripted the documentary feature on Robert
Flaherty "A Boatload Wild Irishmen" for TG4. He
has written widely on media technology -
"Technologies of Seeing" (1996), "Media, Technology
and Society" (1998); and free expression - "A Right
to Offend" (2012) as well as on documentary where
he is the author of "Claiming the Real" (1995, 2008)
and "Lies, Damn Lies and Documentaries" (2000).
Most recently he has edited "The Documentary Film
Book" (2013). "The Act of Documenting" (with Gail Vanstone & Chi Wang) is
published in January, 2017. He has been a governor of the BFI, sits on the
editorial board of the British Journalism Review, is a visiting professor at Beijing
Normal University and holds the Lincoln Chair at the University of Lincoln, UK
From the tapes then made at the Canadian National Film Board through
to today’s collaborative digital web/i-docs sites, helping people use documentary
to aid and illuminate their own socio-political situation has challenged
Griersonian patriarchal assumptions about the role of a documentary film
director as a person "to command the minds of a generation" (as he put it). There
is a line here directly from the 17th Century solicitation of news reports from
their readers (aka 'correspondents') by newspaper printers through to the
veteran documentary film director George Stoney’s regret, in the 1970s, that he
had spent his life ‘making films [for people] who should have made their own’ to
today’s rhetoric of ‘interactivity’, 'participation', 'co-creation' (and, it can be
added, 'citizen journalism'). How real the redistribution of editorial power is (or
can be) is the focus of this talk.

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION MEDIA- “content is private and

perishable and the relationship established and reinforced may be more
important than the information conveyed.” (telephone, mobile phone & e-mail)
INTERACTIVE PLAY MEDIA- “Video and computer-based games, plus virtual
reality devices compose this category.
INFORMATION SEARCH MEDIA- The Internet and the World Wide Web become
repositories or source of a vast collection of information that can be accessed
real-time despite geographical location.
COLLECTIVE PARTICIPATORY MEDIA-This refers to the use of the Internet for
“sharing and exchanging information, ideas, and experiences and developing
active (computer-mediated) personal relationships.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF NEW MEDIA

• Interactivity
• Social presence (sociability)
• Media richness
• Autonomy
• Playfulness
• Privacy
• Personalization

FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION & MEDIA

1. Inform citizens of what is happening around them
2. Educate the audience as to the meaning and significance of the “facts”
3. Provide a platform for public political discourse, facilitating the formation
of public opinion
4. Give publicity to governmental and political institutions
5. Serve as a channel for the advocacy of political viewpoints.