LESSON 3 - FROM WRITINGS ON THE WALL TO various parts of the world, both economically
SIGNALS TRAVELING IN THE AIRWAVES: and politically.
A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF COMMUNICATIONS Communication theorist Denis McQuail cites
that the newspaper is a more significant
From Papyrus to Paper innovation than the book. It provided a new
Around 100 AD, Christian invented the codex, a function for a distinct class that will give rise to
document which can be rightfully referred to as developments in the economic sphere,
the prototype of a book. specifically industrialization, and the rise of the
By the 15th century, the technology was already nation-state. He also cites the following
paper. defining features of a newspaper: regular
Also in the 15th century, Johann Gutenberg appearance, commercial circulation, serving
(1394–1460) invented the printing technology multiple purposes (information, education,
that would eventually be called the movable entertainment, advertising, diversion, and even
type machine. gossip), and its unrefutably public character.
The Gutenberg printing process launched what In the Philippines, the rise of the newspaper
could be considered the first medium truly came about in the first decades of the 19 th
designed for the masses. century. In December 1, 1846, La Esperanza,
Gutenberg printing process was a revolutionary the first daily newspaper, was published in the
invention, particularly for Europeans, as the country.
printed materials that they saw and became One of the most popular newspapers in history,
part of their lives radically altered the church,
the La Solidaridad (1889), was actively used to
science, arts, and politics, accelerating
developments that would see its pinnacle in campaign for reforms for the Philippines from
the Industrial Revolution of the 17th century. the Spanish rule. Additionally, in January 18,
Meanwhile in the Philippines, the first book 1896, the Katipuneros published Ang Kalayaan
printed is believed to be Doctrina Cristiana a as the official revolutionary newspapers of the
treatise on the teachings of the Roman Catholic Kataastaasang Kagalang-galangang Katipunan
Church, written by Fray Juan Plasencia, an
ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK). Others are Diario
Augustinian priest.
de Manila and Boletin Oficial de Fiiipinas.
Nation-States and the Rise of Newspapers
From Static to Moving Images
After the 17th century, the first newspaper was
Several inventions intersected and gave rise to film as a
reportedly produced in England (although it
mass medium:
was restricted because of the apprehension by
George Eastman invented the film and built a
the ruling monarchs).
company that would be known as Kodak.
By 1700, the idea of a free press, independent
Thomas Edison and his assistant, William
from the control of the government, emerged
Dickson, turned the use of the photographic
as a strong rhetoric against authoritarian
film, (now in a strip) into a material that can be
states.
moved in front of a lens at a constant speed to
Around this time, it is also important to note
result into several photographs, each one
the rise of an adversarial press, defined as a
different from the other one because of a slight
press that had the ability to conduct dialogue
change in the movement of the subject. When
and even argue with the government.
that strip was developed and viewed by the
The first newspapers were patronized by
naked eye, it gave the illusion of a moving
merchants because, as perennial travelers, they
object.
were very interested on what was going on in
Frenchmen Louis and Augusto Lumière further
developed the technology of film projectors.
Edison would still improve the technology By 1969, the ARPANET was created and
developed by the Lumière brothers with large considered as the predecessor of the internet.
screen projecting. It was a large area-wide network created by the
By 1896, the Edison vitascope was on a public US military, specifically the US Defense
debut in New York, where it showed a film Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) to
entitled Rough Sea at Dover by Robert Paul. serve as a ground for networking technologies
By 1907, the word “television” was already that will link the military to various federal
used in a magazine called the Scientific agencies, even the universities.
American. In 1971, the transition from ARPANET to
By 1928, the first telecast of a television Internet commenced to serve more purposes
program took place, transmitting from the other than catering to the military. The first
experimental studio of General Electric in New innovation was the TCP/IP architecture as
York City. proposed by Stanford University. It is
By 1930, the Radio Corporation of America considered the standard protocol by which
introduced electronic scanning, a much networks communicate.
improved technology from the mechanical By 1983, the Internet was universally adopted.
scanning introduced earlier. Commands for electronic mails were
By 1939, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt standardized, thereby making it a lot easier for
became the first president to appear on the the layman to navigate the increasingly
tube. complex world of the Internet.
In Europe, the Nazi authorities in Germany The Internet enabled the development and the
operated the world’s first regular television unabated growth of the new media because it
service, using it as a platform for propaganda. democratized the platform for creating,
Commercial television came into being in the producing, and disseminating information.
United States only in 1946.
In the Philippines, an American engineer, James Timeline of Internet in the Philippines
Lindenberg, began assembling transmitters in In 1986, the first local Bulletin Board System
Bolinao, Pangasinan in 1946. He was not fully (BBS) was used in the Philippines. BBS is a
successful with his attempt to establish a computer system running a software that
television station but soon he was able to team allows users to connect and exchange
up with Antonio Quirino, and together, they messages and information using a terminal
would establish the Alto Broadcasting System program.
where he would serve as the general manager. By 1987, inter-BBS connectivity was enabled
Their first official telecast was in October 23, through the Philippine FidoNet exchange. One
1953. bulletin board system in Metro Manila was now
able to connect to other bulletin board systems
The Rise of New Media in the same area.
The invention of the transistor radio in 1948 By the early years of the 90s, email gateways
signaled the development of semi-conductor and services broadened, courtesy of some
devices, considered the foundation of modern multinational corporations operating in the
electronics, as it led to the invention of Philippines.
integrated circuits, a technology that will be By 1993, the government would figure as a
critical in the development of the computer. major player, mostly of the role discharged by
By 1953, IBM has already shipped its first the Department of Science and Technology
electronic computers called 701 in the industry. (DOST). With the support from the Industrial
It sold 19 machines to research laboratories, Research Foundation (IRF), the PhilNet project
aircraft companies, and the federal was launched, consisting of representatives
government. from various universities such as the University
of the Philippines–Diliman, University of the
Philippines–Los Baños, De La Salle University,
and Ateneo de Manila University. They would
team up with Dr. Rudy Villarica who would
represent the Industrial Research Foundation.
By July 1993, with full funding from the DOST,
the PhilNet project scaled up. Students from
the participating universities were able to
connect to another gateway at the Victoria
University of Australia.
By November 1993, an additional grant of
₱12.5M enabled the purchase of equipment
and lease of communication lines.
By March 29, 1994, the Philippines was
formally connected to the Internet, using the
PLDT network center in Makati City.
On the same day, the First International E-mail
Conference was being held at the University of
San Carlos in Cebu. Dr. John Brule, a professor
emeritus from Syracuse University, announced
“We’re in!” as the PhilNet connection
successful linked up with the global Internet.
