According to archaeologists, the Prehistoric Age occurred some 4.

5 million years ago or

approximately 30,000 years ago. This era is divided into two periods: the Stone Age and the

Metal Age. They are called as such because of the kind of tools that the prehistoric people used

during those times.

• As the tools were relatively crude, archaeologists believe that a system of writing had not

yet existed during this era. As prehistoric men learned how to sharpen their tools and use them

for hunting, they also acquired the knowledge on how to use these materials in carving stones.

Eventually, this paved the way for them to create a system of writing, which marked the start

of the historic period.

Prehistoric Art as the Earliest Form of Traditional Media

By using sharpened tools made of stones, prehistoric men also learned how to etch on

caves. These caves served as their big canvas while the sharpened tools became their pen.

Prehistoric men drew on caves what they see around them, such as animals and nature.

During the Stone Age, prehistoric people also used these crude stone tools to create

objects, which are now considered rock art. Two kinds of rock art during the Stone Age are

petroglyphs and pictographs.

Petroglyphs can be carvings or engravings in rocks or caves while pictographs represent

words or phrases through images or symbols, Pictographs used to refer to sketches or paintings

that usually depict nature, giving us a glimpse of the early people's way of life. For example,

the images of some wild animals and men carrying hunting tools make an impression that

most people during the Stone Age used to be hunters. Moreover, cave paintings that show

men on boats or holding jars imply that they also practiced other forms of livelihood aside

from hunting.

The Manunggul jar was excavated from the Tabon Caves

in Palawan. This artifact dates back from 890 to 710 BC.

Archaeologists believe that the Manunggul jar represents the

beliefs of the early Filipinos about death. The two figures at the

top of the jar's handle represent the journey of the soul in the

afterlife.

Apart from cave paintings, prehistoric men also created

megalithic art. This art involves the process of arranging or

stacking together artistically the stones or big rocks for a certain

purpose, which still remains a mystery to most archaeologists.

The Stonehenge, located at the Salisbury Plains in England,

Manunggul jar

is a perfect example of megalithic art. It dates back to around

3000 to 2000 BC. Archaeologists believe that the Stonehenge is either a burial site or a place

used by the early settlers to learn about astronomy.

There is no concrete system of writing during the Prehistoric Age so people communicated

their way of life, beliefs, and other practices through music and dance. For example, the oyayi

or hele of the early Filipinos represents a mother's care and love by singing her child to sleep.

Meanwhile, dance was used to express a tribe's religious beliefs. The tribes from the Cordillera

Administrative Region perform the cañao as a form of offering.

INDUSTRIAL AGE

Most people associate factories and machines to industries. How do you think factories

and machines are related?

An industrial city pertains to a place where several factories are located or built. These

factories hire people within the locality as laborers or skilled workers. Different factories also

manufacture different products, such as textile, paper products, electronic parts, and chemical

products, among others.

The Industrial Age began in the 18th century in Great Britain when the country made

drastic reforms to improve their economy. During this period, technology shifted from using

hand tools to operating power-driven machines. Examples of these machines are the power

loom and steam engine, which made the production and operation of factories faster and

more efficient.

Selling of goods boosted during the Industrial Age. The concept of mass production or

manufacturing of goods in large quantities was introduced, increasing the demand for bigger

and better machines. Special equipment were fabricated to meet the specific needs of different

factories

In a lot of ways, the Industrial Age has improved the people's way of living as new

inventions, such as steamboats and steam locomotives, made transportation faster.

However, some business owners during this era focused only on earning profit so they took

advantage of the poor economic condition of the working class. Some of the laborers back

then had to work under dangerous circumstances, in exchange of very low salary.

When the steam press was invented, the printing of materials like newspapers became

much faster, cheaper, and easier. Before this development, publishers used to receive financial

support from political parties and rich patrons so the latter can be featured in the newspapers.

When the printing cost was marked down, publishers started to print articles for the common

interest of the public. The earlier injustices experienced by the laborers were also published in

the newspapers.

Communication during the Industrial Age also became viable because of the invention of

the telegraph. A telegraph is a system used for transmitting messages from a distance along a

wire. In 1837. William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone patented the first commercial electric

telegraph. By 1840, new railways were built using the Cooke-Wheatstone System and in

1866, a telegraph cable was successfully laid across the Atlantic.

ELECTRONIC AGE

The word electronic is usually associated with the things that work using electricity.

Desktop computers and television sets are examples of electronic devices. However, what does

electronic exactly mean?

Electronic refers to an object that has electronic components, such as sensors and

microchips, which functions once it is connected to an electrical outler.

The Industrial Age and the Electronic Age are quite similar in the sense that they thrived

in the manufacturing industries in a faster and more efficient way with the help of equipment

that are operated by machines. However, they can also be different because the equipment in

the Electronic Age are more complex as they run on electricity instead of fuel.

The Electronic Age marked the beginning of modernization since electronic equipment

are more functional and reliable. For example, the first train invented during the Industrial

Age is a more efficient mode of transportation than a horse-drawn carriage that can carry only

a few passengers and take days to travel. However, the vehicles that we have today are even

faster as their engines are powered by electricity.

INFORMATION AGE

In Lesson 1, information has been defined as the specific data acquired for a specific purpose.

Gaining information is a vital part of people's lives because it makes them knowledgeable and

enhances their understanding of the world. Due to this, more inventors want people to have

an easier access to information.

We now live in the Information Age, so we can easily gather information just about

anywhere with the use of technology.

Thus, people can visit websites of online newspapers or institutions that provide the

particular information that they need. Nowadays, important details are not only expressed

through texts, but also in the form of images, videos, and music.
New media platforms are also made available online, as well as the installed applications

on the latest gadgets like iPads and tablets. With these, information can now be personally

stored, downloaded, and shared in public.

Furthermore, the Information Age is also labeled as the Computer Age or the New Age

because it gave birth to new media and digital technology. Although most devices still run on

electricity during this time, their multifunctional capabilities make them different from the

machines used in the Electronic Age.

For example, a person who would like to communicate with a friend living in another

city can reach him via telephone. The telephone's main function is to make and receive a

call. However, the mobile phones that we are using today can now be used in sending text

messages, making video calls, listening to music, playing games, and even watching movies.

Therefore, the Information Age has upgraded what it can offer to consumers in terms of

gadgets and devices that can make their way of life not only functional and comfortable, but

also offer endless possibilities.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRADITIONAL MEDIA

AND NEW MEDIA

In the present time, new media is undeniably very useful, but this does not mean that

traditional media has already become obsolete. Traditional media is still valuable and influential

because it has a wider reach and market.

3. Contingency Theory. Based on Joan Woodward's work in 1958, the Contingency

Theory argued about the influence of technology and other variables in organizations.

Contingency Theory notes that a variable can change the behavior and the structure

of an organization in order to complete a task.

4. Media Naturalness Theory. This theory was proposed by Nereu “Ned" Kock based

on the concept of human evolution. In this theory, Kock suggests that face-to-face
communication is the most natural method of communication. Media Naturalness

Theory also proposes that communication is better established and that the message

Is more clearly understood if people talk in person. It argues that the farther the

sender is from the receiver, the harder it is to process informa

cceiver, the harder it is to process information and comprehend

the message.

Media Synchronization Theory. According to this theory, it is better if people who

need to communicate are all present and available in real time. In this way, they will

be able to note immediate feedback and responses since they are fully engaged in the

conversation. Media Synchronization Theory also emphasizes that communication

involves interaction as it has two processes: conveyance and convergence. Convey

means to make something known to another person, while converge means to come

together to set a common interest, purpose, or goal.

Channel Expansion Theory. Proposed by John Carlson and Robert Zmud in 1999,

the Channel Expansion Theory suggests that an individual chooses a type of media

to use for communication based on his experience in handling that type of media

alongside the person he needs to speak with and what their topic is all about.