Less than a century ago, a person received about 15 thousand informational messages a week . Now we receive about ten thousand messages every hour. And among all this information flow it is very difficult to find the necessary message, but do nothing - this is just one of the negative characteristics of the modern information society.
Specifications
So what is an information society? This is a society in which the bulk of the workers are engaged in the production, storage or processing of information. At this stage of development, the information society has a number of distinctive characteristics:
- In society, information, knowledge and technology are of great importance.
- Every year the number of people engaged in the production of information products, communications or information technology is increasing.
- Informatization of society is growing, while telephones, television, the Internet, and the media are being used.
- A global information space is being created that ensures the effective interaction of individuals. People gain access to world information resources. Within the created information space, each of its participants satisfies its needs for information products or services.
- E-democracy, information economy, e- government and government are developing rapidly, digital markets of social and business networks are emerging.
Terminology
The first to determine what the information society was were scientists from Japan. In the Land of the Rising Sun, this term began to be used in the 60s of the last century. Almost simultaneously with them, the term "information society" began to be used by scientists from the United States. Such authors as M. Porat, I. Masouda, R. Karz and others made a great contribution to the development of this theory. This theory was also supported by those researchers who studied the formation of a technogenic or technological society, as well as those who studied changes in society, which are affected by the increased role of knowledge.
Already at the end of the twentieth century, the term "information society" firmly took its place in the vocabulary of infosphere experts, politicians, scientists, economists and teachers. Most often it was associated with the development of information technology and other means that would help humanity make a new leap in evolutionary development.
Today, there are two opinions regarding what the information society is:
- This is a society where the production and consumption of information is considered the main activity, and information is the most significant resource.
- This is a society that has replaced the post-industrial one, the main product here is information and knowledge, the information economy is actively developing.
It is also believed that the concept of the information society is nothing more than a version of the theory of the post-industrial society. Therefore, it can be considered as a sociological and futurological concept, where the main factor in social development is the production and use of scientific and technical information.
Come to a consensus
Given how much information technology has leaked into everyday life, these consequences are often called the information or computer revolution. In the teachings of the West, more and more attention is paid to this phenomenon, which is evidenced by the vast number of relevant publications. However, it is worth noting that the concept of “information society” is put in the place where the theory of post-industrial society was in the 70s.
Some scientists believe that the post-industrial and information society are completely different stages of development, therefore, a clear line must be drawn between them. Despite the fact that the concept of the information society was called upon to replace the theory of post-industrial society, its supporters are still developing important provisions of technocratism and futurology.
D. Bell, who formulated the theory of post-industrial society, considers the concept of the information society a new stage in the development of post-industrial. Simply put, the scientist insists that the information society is the second level of post-industrial development, so do not mix or replace these concepts.
James Martin Information Society Criteria
Writer James Martin believes that the information society must meet several criteria:
- Technological. In various areas of human activity, information technology is used.
- Social. An important stimulator of changes in the quality of life is information. A concept such as “information consciousness” appears, since knowledge is widely available.
- Economic. Information is becoming the main resource in economic relations.
- Political. Freedom of information, leading to a political process.
- Cultural. Information is considered cultural property.
The development of the information society brings with it a number of changes. So, structural changes in the economy are traced, especially when it comes to the distribution of labor. People are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of information and technology. Many begin to realize that for a full-fledged existence it is necessary to eliminate their own computer illiteracy, since in almost all spheres of life information technologies are present. The government strongly supports the development of information and technology, but malware and computer viruses are developing along with them.
Martin believes that in the information society, the quality of life directly depends on the information and how a person will exploit it. In such a society, all spheres of human life are influenced by achievements in the segment of knowledge and information.
Good and bad
Scientists believe that the development of information technology in society makes it possible to manage large complexes of organizations, the production of systems and coordinate the work of thousands of people. New scientific directions related to problems of organizational sets continue to develop.
Nevertheless, the process of informatization of society has its drawbacks. Society is losing its stability. Small groups of people can have a direct impact on the information society program. For example, hackers can hack into banking systems and transfer large amounts of money to their accounts. Or the media can cover the problems of terrorism, which have a destructive impact on the formation of public consciousness.
Information Revolutions
The authors of the concept of the "information society" argue that before it is finally formed, there must pass several stages of the development of the information society:
- Language distribution.
- The appearance of writing.
- Mass printing of books.
- Applications of various kinds of electrical communications.
- The use of computer technology.
A. Rakitov emphasizes that the role of the information society in the near future will be to influence civilization and cultural processes. Knowledge will be the most significant bet in the global rivalry for power.
Features
Society can be considered informational in several cases:
- Individuals can use the information resources of society from anywhere in the country. That is, from anywhere they can access the information they need for life.
- Information technology is available to everyone.
- There are infrastructures in society that ensure the creation of the necessary information resources.
- In all sectors of production, there is a process of acceleration and automation of work.
- Social structures are changing, and as a result, the spheres of information activity and services are expanding.
The information society differs from the industrial one in the fast growth rate of new jobs. In the segment of economic development, the information industry dominates.
Two questions
The dynamism of technological modernization poses two main issues for society:
- Do people adapt to change?
- Will new technologies be able to generate differentiation of society?
During the transition of society to the information people can face a significant problem. They will be divided into those who can use new knowledge and technologies, and those who do not have such skills. As a result, information technology will remain in the hands of a small social group, which will lead to the inevitable stratification of society and the struggle for power.
But, despite this danger, new technologies can expand the rights of citizens by giving them instant access to the necessary information. They will provide an opportunity to create, and not just consume new knowledge and allow you to maintain the anonymity of personal messages. Although, on the other hand, the penetration of information technology into private life poses a threat to the integrity of personal data. Whatever side you look at the information society, the main trends of its development will always cause both a sea of delight and a storm of indignation. As, however, in any other area.
Information Society: Development Strategy
When it was recognized that society had moved to a new stage of development, appropriate steps were required. The authorities of many countries began to develop a plan for the development of the information society. For example, in Russia, researchers distinguish several stages of development:
- First, the foundations were formed in the field of informatization (1991-1994).
- Later there was a change of priorities from informatization to the creation of an information policy (1994-1998)
- The third stage is to formulate a policy in the field of creating the information society (the year 2002 is our time).
The state is also interested in the development of this process. In 2008, the government of the Russian Federation adopted a strategy for the development of the information society, which is valid until 2020. The government has set itself the following tasks:
- Creation of information and telecommunication infrastructure in order to provide quality services for access to information on its basis.
- Based on the development of technology, improve the quality of education, medical care and social protection.
- Improving the system of state guarantees of human rights in the information sphere.
- Using information and telecommunication technologies to improve the economy.
- To increase the efficiency of public administration.
- To develop science, technology and technology in order to prepare qualified personnel in the field of information technology.
- Preserve culture, strengthen moral and patriotic principles in public consciousness, develop a system of cultural and humanitarian education.
- To counteract the use of information technology advances as a threat to the country's national interests.
To solve such problems, the state apparatus is developing special measures for the development of a new society. They determine benchmarks for the dynamics of social development, improve policies in the field of using information technologies. They create favorable conditions for the development of science, technology and equal access of citizens to information.
conclusions
So what is an information society? This is a theoretical model that is used to describe the new stage of social development that began with the beginning of the computer-information revolution. The technological basis in this society is not industrial, but information and telecommunication technologies.
This is a society where information is the main economic resource, and behind the pace of development, this sector comes out on top in terms of the number of employees, the share of GDP and investment. The developed infrastructure is being traced, which ensures the creation of information resources. It primarily includes education and science. In such a society, intellectual property is the main form of ownership.
Information is turning into a consumer product. Everyone living in society has access to any kind of information, this guarantees not only the law, but also technical capabilities. In addition, there are new criteria for assessing the level of development of society. For example, an important criterion is the number of computers, network connections, mobile and home phones. By merging telecommunications, computer-electronic and audiovisual equipment, a single integrated information system is being created in society.
Today, the information society can be regarded as a kind of global phenomenon, which includes: the global information economy, space, infrastructure and the legal system. Here, business activity is becoming an information and communication environment, the virtual economy and financial system are spreading more and more. The information society offers many opportunities, but it did not arise out of nowhere - it is the result of centuries of activity of all mankind.