Ola Khalil Abbas

11831515
Instructor: Hasan Fakih
July 21, 2022
Research Paper
Evolution of Media is a useful supplement for foundational courses in mass
communication and communication history as well as a primer for anyone
interested in understanding the big picture of communication media.

The evolution of media has transformed the way we interpret the world around us.
It gives us a new perspective by allowing us to interact with one another through
the Internet. Media has become much more personal and diverse as user generated
content becomes more prominent in our lives. We are exposed to assorted types of
viewpoints that shape our understanding and knowledge of the social world.
Moreover, change in technology has brought advancement to transportation
methods, which makes it very easy and fast to go long distances than before. It has
also brought change in communication, with the development of the mobile
phones, where the communication is now more efficient. Technology has also
brought changes in education where students can do online courses, take exams,
quizzes, do assignments and even discuss with the classmates the related topic of
each week as if you were in the actual classroom. The changes of technology play
a big part in the media and how it is used. The technological changes made
throughout these time periods have made communication and the media widely
spread.

Prehistoric Age (Before 1700)

Back when there were no newspapers, radio, television around, people found ways
to tell a story. Humans shared information by talking and making sounds, and it
developed into something later on. The prehistoric age of media basically consisted
of records created by ancestors, long even before writing was even invented. They
have made use of stone tools to craft and thus leave a record of their lives back in
the old days.

The first traditional communication tools came in the form of art the music poetry
spoken, the images and scriptures which our ancestors had written to pass relevant
knowledge to future generation. The simple talking and symbols evolved into
something more complex in order to meet the needs of the society.
For instance, the Egyptians were among the first to use symbols as a form of
written communication. There was also the cuneiform used by the Sumerians
which they used not just to jot down important details, but also to write relevant
literature, among them the famous epic of Gilgamesh. Later on, ancient
civilizations used written communication in order to make the trade more
convenient.
This what the Phoenicians became well known for; a society that survives through
trade, they formed the alphabet which was adopted by the Greeks, who further
developed it by adding vowels. The spread of news was mainly by mouth; not
everyone was able to read or write, hence there were heralds who announce
relevant events. In the Philippines, the town crier served as the messenger to the
people, making them aware of new laws or policies implemented by the datu.
Rome and China began to develop their own forms of written news. Rome’s
written news came in the form of acta, their daily handwritten new sheets, which
were posted by the Roman Forum to inform people of subjects such as political
events, trials, scandals, military campaigns and executions. china, on the other
hand have the tipao, which were government produced new sheets circulated
among officials during the Han dynasty.
The German metallurgist Johanees Gutenberg was known for creating an important
milestone in the history of printing: the movable metal type, a relevant invention
that helped in the development of mass communication. While printing has been a
known technology in Eastern Asia since the ancient times it was around mid 1440s
in the Europe that the mass production of words became 40,000 books published
all over Europe. This revolutionary invention made it possible for more people to
learn.

Industrial Age (1700s-1930s)

The Industrial Age was said to have begun around the 18th century in Great
Britain. It was a period that was characterized mainly by the revolutionized way of
mass production, as hand tools were gradually replaced by power driven machines
like the steam engine. During this period, there was a remarkable shift from
agriculture and handcraft to machine and machine manufacturing.
From transportation ( steam locomotives, steamship, and automobiles ) to
machines utilizing new sources of energy ( coal, steam, engine, electricity,
petroleum, and combustion engine), the Industrial Age was a brilliant age for
numerous inventions which changed peoples lives.
Media further developed in the 1800s with the Thomas Edison’s invention of the
phonograph and it was also during this period that William Dickinson devised
motion picture camera.
In 1836, Samuel F.B. Morse along with Joseph Henry and Alfred Vail further
advanced the way people communicate with the invention of an electrical telegraph
system that enabled people to send messages from distant places.
Around this time books, newspapers and magazines became relevant in the spread
of information. Education became mass based, hence there were more literate
people than in the past ages. This paved the way to further development in
technology, media, and information.

Electronic Age (1930s to 1980s)

When humans have further advanced in terms of technology, it was inventible that
the media had to keep up. In 1895, Guglielmo Marconi transmitted the first two
waves. By 1901 he was able to perfect a radio system which transmitted the Morse
Code system across the Atlantic Ocean. Communication was expedited in 1876,
when the Scottish born American scientists named Alexander Graham Bell was
granted the first official patent for the telephone. This invention further
revolutionized the spread of information. The era of television began in 1927,
when the use of the first electronic television designed by Philo Taylor Farnsworth
was successfully demonstrated. It became an important medium of information and
entertainment ever since.

Information /New Media Age (1900s-2000s)

In 1969, New media started out its development as internet was first created to aid
the US military in disseminating information. During this period communication
has become cheaper and better, thus making information faster and more
widespread than ever before. In 1998, the telephone evolved into something more
portable, that is the cellular phone. But it didn’t take long until the internet grew
into one of the most important platforms for digital media today, an essential
pathway which helped spread information through millions of people every day.
With computers and internet, we are able to do more than just access information.
We are able to include it on our daily lives, from online shopping, conducting
business transactions, even for entertainment. Social networking (SNS) also
occurred during this period. Facebook, twitter, Instagram, and other websites allow
people all over the world to communicate and interact with others online, creating
friends and other forms of connection via internet.
In the age of New Media, people continuously disseminate information in all parts
of the world, making life faster better, and more efficient than ever. And despite all
these things, mass media still continuous to evolve.

NEWSPAPERS

Newspapers spread information about local events and activities. The Stamp Tax
of 1765 raised costs for publishers, however, leading several newspapers to fold
under the increased cost of paper. The repeal of the Stamp Tax in 1766 quieted
concerns for a short while, but editors and writers soon began questioning the right
of the British to rule over the colonies. Newspapers took part in the effort to inform
citizens of British misdeeds and incite attempts to revolt. Readership across the
colonies increased to nearly forty thousand homes (among a total population of
two million), and daily papers sprang up in large cities.

RADIO
Radio news made its appearance in the 1920s. The National Broadcasting
Company (NBC) and the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) began running
sponsored news programs and radio dramas. Comedy programs, such as Amos ’n’
Andy, The Adventures of Gracie, and Easy Aces, also became popular during the
1930s, as listeners were trying to find humor during the Depression ((Figure)).
Talk shows, religious shows, and educational programs followed, and by the late
1930s, game shows and quiz shows were added to the airwaves. Almost 83 percent
of households had a radio by 1940, and most tuned in regularly.

TELEVISION

Television combined the best attributes of radio and pictures and changed media
forever. The first official broadcast in the United States was President Franklin
Roosevelt’s speech at the opening of the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. The
public did not immediately begin buying televisions, but coverage of World War II
changed their minds. CBS reported on war events and included pictures and maps
that enhanced the news for viewers. By the 1950s, the price of television sets had
dropped, more televisions stations were being created, and advertisers were buying
up spots .

NEW MEDIA TRENDS

The invention of cable in the 1980s and the expansion of the Internet in the 2000s
opened up more options for media consumers than ever before. Viewers can watch
nearly anything at the click of a button, bypass commercials, and record programs
of interest. The resulting saturation, or inundation of information, may lead
viewers to abandon the news entirely or become more suspicious and fatigued
about politics.
The availability of the Internet and social media has moved some control of the
message back into the presidents’ and candidates’ hands. Politicians can now
connect to the people directly, bypassing journalists.

Media enables open communication, which helps organizations to understand

customer needs and motivates them to respond proactively and efficiently to those
needs. For any technology to be successful and to have an impact on organizational
performance, it has to be properly adopted by organizations. With increasing and
widespread usage of social media, interest in the factors that contribute to
successful organizational integration of social media has also increased. While
previous research has investigated technology adoption in many contexts and has
identified numerous factors that lead to various technology usage, social media is
unlike any other IT innovations or Internet-based systems. Social media is a more
open and public-oriented system, which has both advantages and disadvantages,
but the extent to which social media benefits organizations is still not clear. Hence,
the authors of this study explored the technological, organizational, and
environmental factors that might affect the adoption of social media in
organizations, and examined the benefits of introducing social media into
organizations.

Organizations who adopt social media may benefit from increased interaction, two-
way communication, and improved relationships with a greater number of
stakeholders and competitors, thus creating competitive advantage. Whether or not
an organization adopts social media is influenced by the relative advantages its
usage is expected to provide, such as ease of obtaining and inputting data, and
whether it helps form or enhance business connections, and relationships.
Similarly, the decision to adopt social media is influenced by its compatibility with
existing technology, culture, values, and work practices; level of interactivity, or
extent to which social media enables two-way communication; and institutional
pressure from external parties, such as competitors and customers.

Media is the bread and butter of a PR agency therefore it is of utmost importance

to PR professionals to maintain good and healthy relations with their media
contacts. To get their clients’ coverage done, be it in print, online or electronic
media, it is the journalists in various media houses that PR executives deal with.
There are various things related to an organization that need to be informed to the
public or sometimes to be curbed down if it has a negative angle attached to it, it is
then that a PR firm comes into action. It may be any activity, announcement,
inauguration, honor, or any other event that PR persons need to convey to their
client’s target audience through media. The sole objective of media relations is to
get good and positive coverage for your client without paying anything. It can
either be through advertising as well.
It is not that easy for PR professionals to deal with media people as it involves lots
of challenges. One of the ways to ensure a positive relationship is to become
familiar with the beats they cover and drop in to introduce yourself and your
clients with them.
A PR agency maintains a compiled media list consisting up of various newspapers,
magazine, electronic, radio and online media.  Therefore upon occurrence of any
event specific media people can be contacted and press release can be shared with
them to get the coverage done.
Media acts as an intermediary between an organization and its target public that
creates awareness for the organization with an ability to create a positive impact
for the chosen audience. In this way organizations build public support as they are
able to reach out to their audience.
PR experts contact media for various occasions related to their client:
- Launch of a new product/service
- Initiation of new outlets
- Organization sponsored events
- Launch of organization’s promotional campaigns/activities
- Recent disasters, strikes or organizational closures Awards/accolades for the
company
- Company dignitaries/celebrities visits
- Involvement in social activities Community Engagement
Thus, a PR firm needs to maintain healthy media relations.
References 
https://opened.cuny.edu/courseware/lesson/249/student/?task=4

https://www.sutori.com/en/story/the-evolution-of-the-media--k479GCosm3sdpmFmZw2fTfpe

https://opentextbc.ca/americangovernment2eopenstax/chapter/the-evolution-of-the-media/

https://www.bloomads.com/blog/how-does-social-media-affect-advertising/

https://www.prprofessionals.in/blogs/role-of-social-media-in-public-relations/