THE EVOLUTION OF MEDIA
ASYNCHRONOUS ACTIVITY #2 PICTURE ANALYSIS
Analyze the picture and answer the question that follows.
What does the picture tell you? Explain your answer.
Th e
Evolution of Media
Media as a mode of communication for humans has evolved over thousands of years. Each day, new
knowledge is obtained from individuals investigating how communication works and through which
media. While scanning the internet for additional information, I came across an article that was entitled,
"The 3 Eras of Communication According to McLuhan & Innis." McLuhan, expanding on Innis' concepts,
split human history into three distinct periods depending on their media's sensibilities. These are the
first era, that of the oral tradition, the second era, the age of literacy, and the third era, that of the
electric flow of communication.
The first era, that of the oral tradition, begins when humans first learned to speak, which emerged at the
beginning of literacy and lasted until around five thousand years ago. It is when they discover
communicating with other people through verbal means. The second era, the age of literacy, includes
the period from the invention of writing to the discovery of electricity and its use in the form of the
telegraph. The era of writing is separated into three periods: written symbols, phonetic alphabet, and
printing press. The third communication era, that of the electric flow of information, covers the period
from the first use of the telegraph in 1844 to the present. "We live today in the Age of Information and
Communication because electric media instantly and constantly create a total field of interacting events
ASYNCHRONOUS ACTIVITY #2 PICTURE ANALYSIS
Analyze the picture and answer the question that follows.
What does the picture tell you? Explain your answer.
Th e
Evolution of Media
Media as a mode of communication for humans has evolved over thousands of years. Each day, new
knowledge is obtained from individuals investigating how communication works and through which
media. While scanning the internet for additional information, I came across an article that was entitled,
"The 3 Eras of Communication According to McLuhan & Innis." McLuhan, expanding on Innis' concepts,
split human history into three distinct periods depending on their media's sensibilities. These are the
first era, that of the oral tradition, the second era, the age of literacy, and the third era, that of the
electric flow of communication.
The first era, that of the oral tradition, begins when humans first learned to speak, which emerged at the
beginning of literacy and lasted until around five thousand years ago. It is when they discover
communicating with other people through verbal means. The second era, the age of literacy, includes
the period from the invention of writing to the discovery of electricity and its use in the form of the
telegraph. The era of writing is separated into three periods: written symbols, phonetic alphabet, and
printing press. The third communication era, that of the electric flow of information, covers the period
from the first use of the telegraph in 1844 to the present. "We live today in the Age of Information and
Communication because electric media instantly and constantly create a total field of interacting events
