INTRODUCTION
This report aims at providing a brief summary of some of the main technological developments that have taken place in information technology and how these developments have had an influence on the way we work and on society in general, from the 20th century.
Just like a baby is born been vulnerable, week, and lost more; he/ she gradually evolve from the tender stage of childhood to a matured adulthood so too is technology advancing from very primitive and rudimentary method of communication, all the attributes of technological innovations to very advanced, dynamic and sophisticated forms. This evolution of technology can be seen from following the evolutionary trend of technology transition from the pre-mechanical , mechanical, electro-mechanical eras until the modern days electronic era. With this one is going to see the tremendous development of technological devices and lots more
However, here we are not talking about the history of technological innovations but longing at how these innovations have impacted our lives over the pass 40 years.
QUESTION
How has the development of information technology influenced the common traditions of a society?
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
It will be imperative for us to understand the phrase “information technology”. Information technology is the technology used to store, manipulate, distribute or create information. The type of information or data is not important to this definition. The technology is any mechanism capable of processing this data.
Permit me use this words by Kathleen Guinee. He wrote, “By information technology, I mean the tools we use to perform calculations, to store and manipulate text, and to communicate. Some of these twentieth century tools include: the adding machine, slide rule, and calculator for performing calculations, the typewriter and word processor for processing text, and the telephone, radio, and television for communicating (http://www.benmeadowcroft.com/reports/impact/).
COMMON TRADITIONS
Tradition can be defined as, “An inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or a social custom). Cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions.”
SOCIETY
The third definition is of “society”. Society can be defined as a community, nation, or broad grouping of people having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and interests.
We are going to examine the effects of technology on the society from three broad perspectives:
1 CULTURAL COMMUNITIES
2 INSTITUTIONS
- Governments,
- Commercial businesses,
- News & Media organisations,
- Educational organisations.
3 COLLECTIVE ACTIVITIES AND INTEREST
- Work processes,
- Social.
Let us now examine the various categories
1 cultural communities : Social attitudes have changed with the effect that citizens of a society now expect the various elements of that society to be better informed than previously. They also expect to be able to access more information about a specific product, service or organisation so that they can make informed decisions with regard to their interactions with that entity.With just a phone call one can reach a friend or family member is the villages to perhaps inform them about an employment opportunity in the city at a very fast rate that even the faster alert (Usain Bolt) can not do within the allocated time.
2 institutions
- Government :developments in information technology has helped governments to improve their “service” to their citizens. Advances in Database technology for example have enabled the governments of various countries to collate and monitor statistical information that they can use to combat fraud, manage the economy in a more informed way.
Information Technology has also had a major impact on the defense capabilities of governments. This covers both a government’s capability to wage war and their intelligence gathering capability. Advances in weapons technology and weapons design has increased the effectiveness of various governments’ armed forces. with the help of computer programming most countries have designed faster means and weapons of fighting their enemies like the B2 Bomber . The advance of information technology has also led to a need for new legislation to be introduced, for example in the United Kingdom the Data Protection Act of 1998. The governments data protection act Web Site gives the following eight rules regarding personal information:
- It must be fairly and lawfully processed;
- Processed for limited purposes;
- Adequate, relevant and not excessive;
- Accurate;
- Not kept longer than necessary;
- Processed in accordance with the data subject’s rights;
- Secure;Not transferred to countries without adequate protection.(http://www.dataprotection.gov.uk/principl.htm)
- Commercial businesses. The most important role of information technology in a commercial business however is to provide a commercial advantage. Advances such as computer aided design, relational database technologies, spreadsheets, and word processing software all provide a commercial benefit to the business, as does automation of manufacturing processes (as Sara-Lee did in 1964).
- News & Media organisations.Due to the nature of news and media organisations, the information technologies have particular relevance to them. As noted earlier “Information technology is the technology used to store, manipulate, distribute or create information”. News and media organisations are intimately acquainted with each of these elements of information technology. However this report will focus on the distribution and creation of information.
Developments such as the Internet and satellite television have created new medium and audiences through which and to which these organisations can disseminate their information.
Given the situation thirty years ago the developments that we have seen have enabled the news and media organisations access to more people, they have a wider audience. The audience however now has a wider, global choice. News reports can be received which highlight many different sides of an international conflict for example than was possible before. The relative cheapness of being able to publish information on the Internet for example means that virtually anyone can publish information accessible anywhere in the world.
- Educational organisations. As information technology has developed over the last thirty years, educational establishments have been influenced in various ways. The most obvious example has been the introduction of information technology related courses. These courses are introduced to try to satisfy the demand that society has for qualified people to develop these information technologies.The developments that have occurred in information technology have also had other influences on educational establishments. As was discussed earlier about news and media organisations, educational organisations also have a goal to distribute information from a source (lecturer, books, on-line resources etc.) to the student. The processes by which educational establishments distribute information have become increasingly diverse, and the effectiveness of the process has also improved.
4 collective activities and interest
- Work processes. Developments in information technology in the last thirty years have led from institutions with large single computers being able to only accommodate one user at a time, to a point now where powerful computing power is available to individuals rather than an organisation. Thirty years ago computers were much larger than now, often filling large rooms. The move from individuals in an organisation (whether commercial or academic) not having access to computing facilities to a position where users could have a link to computing facilities first began with Fernando Corbató’s CTSS operating system (the first multi user operating system), giving users the impression they had possession of a computer. (In fact their terminals were sharing time on the computer with other terminals).
- Social. How has the development of information technology influenced the interactions between individuals?
Interactions between individuals have been enhanced by the development of information technologies. New channels of communication have been opened between people in the last thirty years. These developments have been assisted by such projects as the ArpaNet. The forerunner to the Internet. The ArpaNet was commissioned as an aid to research between various institutions. This institutional use was also accompanied by an unofficial use between individuals. The ArpaNet hosted mailing lists, some of which individuals used to communicate with each other on non-institutional business. These included the science fiction mailing list (
http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/hacker-history/hacker-history-2.html)
As other developments occurred, such as the widespread availability of modems and personal computers became more widespread, the general population was integrated into what is known as the Internet.
Individuals then have the ability to interact with other individuals through such developments as e-mail, chat-rooms and the Usenet.
This proliferation of Internet technologies has enabled people with disabilities such as those who are blind or visually impaired, physical disabilities or others to be able to enjoy access to sources of information and ways of communicating they may not have had the opportunity to have used before.
CONCLUSION
The sections following that which, deal with the impact of information technology on the common traditions, institutions and the collective activities and interests provide an analysis of how the developments impacted on the general society.
It has been shown that the developments in information technology have had an impact on general societies perception of information. Without going into specific detail about individual situations, it has been shown that that impact has been fourfold:
- storage,
- manipulation,
- distribution,
- creation.
These four areas dealing with information are the four areas in which societies perception of information has changed. As communication and information technologies have been developed, the various elements that makeup society, whether they be individuals or organisations, expect to be able to use information in ways that were not possible thirty years ago. Society expects to be able to store more than was previously conceived. Society expects to be able to manipulate the information they have for their benefit, to increase understanding and discover new relationships. Society expects to be able to distribute information quickly, efficiently and cheaply. Society now expects the creation of new information to be facilitated by these new technologies.
REFERENCES
