Over the long history of its existence, mankind has gone through many stages of development, from the primitive community to the era of "developed capitalism". Modern society is entering a new era - the era of advanced information technology.
The term "information society" appeared relatively recently, only in the middle of the 20th century. The information society is the historical phase of the development of society and the economy, where the main role in the life of people is played by information technology:
- swiftlythe production of information products is developing;
- a single information space is being created - the Internet, the telephone, the media are becoming an indispensable part of human life;
- achievements of scientific and technological progress are firmly included in the sphere of management.
The very way of human thinking will change - people will strive to acquire not material, but spiritual values.
However, the upcoming information society is not only a blessing, there are also negative aspects:
- a person in the information society will no longer play a decisive role, because the main work will be performed by automated systems;
- virtual reality can become so believable that many prefer it to our material world;
- the information society is an era of total control over every citizen. Thanks to the comprehensive information stored in the extensive databases, it will be very easy to manage people.
At the time of the emergence of human civilization, knowledge was acquired only on the basis of life experience and, as a rule, did not reach descendants in the form in which they were originally given. In order for an individual experience to become colletic, special tools were required. The invention of the first of them became a real information revolution, which laid the foundation for a qualitative transition of a person from a semi-animal state to a rational one. Scientists distinguish the following stages in the development of the information society:
- The appearance of writing. Now people could pass on their knowledge and skills to their descendants, this was the first impetus to a scientific and technological breakthrough.
- The invention of printing. The Renaissance is famous for its artists, sculptors, scientists and philosophers. However, the most valuable invention belongs to John Gutenberg. With the development of printing, the general public gained access to the knowledge that was previously known only to the initiates.
- The invention of electricity. Without electricity, such first means of transmitting information as radio and telegraph would not have been possible.
- The invention of computers. The beginning of the fourth wave of the information revolution was the invention in the 40s of the last century of the first electronic computers. Their gradual improvement led to the creation of microprocessors, and then PC personal computers.
According to analysts, the information society is already a given. Many developed countries are already entering the stage of large-scale computerization of all spheres of human life.