Implications of New Communication Technologies and Media Evolution Theory

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the Media Evolution Theory, historical communication ages, digital convergence, internet communication models, and modern technological implications.

Marshall McLuhan

A Canadian media theorist who proposed that media extends human senses, introduced the phrase 'the medium is the message,' and coined the concept of the 'global village.'

The Tribal Village

The early era of communication rooted in oral tradition where people relied entirely on speech and auditory senses to interact, work, and maintain community, and where separation from the tribe meant exclusion from the communication chain.

The Age of Literacy

A communication era (around 2000/1500 B.C.) marked by the invention of writing forms such as Egyptian and Mayan hieroglyphics, requiring sight to acquire information and tribe-based collective interpretation of pictorial symbols.

Pictographs

The earliest attempt at written communication, defined as a symbol of an object used to convey an idea, originally inscribed onto heavy, non-portable tablets.

Papyrus

A writing surface invented by the Egyptians around 2500 B.C. made from a grass-like plant called sedge, which made writing much easier and more portable than stone tablets.

Phonetic Alphabet

A writing invention requiring both sight and hearing that established the eye as the primary organ for learning, ushering in rational space, linear thinking, and a shift from right-brain to left-brain cognitive dominance.

The Age of Print

The period beginning in 1450 AD regarded as the ultimate extension of phonetic literacy, in which the mass availability and portability of books enabled individual mobility, widespread literacy, and the rise of the Industrial Revolution.

The Electronic Age

An era that began with the telegraph in 1844, where electric media extended all human senses and returned humans to oral tradition patterns because literacy was no longer required to acquire information.

Global Village

A concept developed by Marshall McLuhan describing how electric mass media connects geographically separated people across the globe into a single, interconnected communicative community.

Convergence Theory

A theory formulated in 1978 by Nicholas Negroponte of MIT predicting the intersection of traditional media industries with the computer industry to produce entirely new modes of communication.

Tim Berners-Lee

The researcher who developed and introduced the World Wide Web (WWW) in 1989 while working in Geneva, Switzerland, making the modern internet functional and accessible.

Broadcast Model vs. Internet Model

A conceptual comparison where the broadcast model features one-way communication from few senders to many receivers, whereas the internet model features multi-directional communication among many senders and many receivers.

Media 1.0

The stage of digital communication where traditional media established an online presence on websites to provide multimedia contents such as texts and audiovisual information.

Media 2.0

The interactive stage of the web where audiences can actively engage with content using comments, RSS feeds, and personalized web portals.

Media 3.0

The mobile stage of digital media where smartphones allow users ubiquitous access to online media anywhere and at any time.

Media 4.0

The modern phase of media production and distribution driven by artificial intelligence, including AI-assisted production, automated distribution, personalized audience targeting, and cloud/data integration.

Telecommuting

Also called 'telework,' a work setup where employees carry out tasks in locations outside the physical office, supported by computers and internet technologies.

Digital Nomads

Professionals who rely on portable technology and the internet to carry out their work remotely from anywhere in the world.

Technological Literacy

The ability to responsibly use the appropriate technological tool to communicate, solve problems, analyze new data, and acquire new learning.

Hologram

A three-dimensional display technology highlighted as an emerging potential future medium for telecommunications and remote interaction.