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The Use of Information Age to Transform Society

Maryam Isa Kerikuma Oshilim Mathias Ndoma-Egba Muhammed Dattijo

American University of Nigeria

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ABSTRACT This paper examines the importance of IT in todays society and how IT is transforming the society from its traditional way of life to a more computerized/digital age. Although the Information Age has brought about advantages in todays living standard, there are still some problems caused by the Information Age. In this paper we look at the challenges of the Information Age on the society today, the digital revolution, the internet and its importance and lastly, the challenges brought about by the internet. The results obtained in this paper were based on questions like, how has the digital age brought about the digital divide? How has technology set apart the analog age form the digital age? The values of the internet in this age and the problem it creates. To get the answers to the questions, we observe the society we live in, and looked into previous studies and publications of other authors which we stated in the reference page. The challenges and limitations of the research were limited. In conclusion, the information age has transformed the society in different ways, it lead to improved socioeconomy activities, better lifestyle and improved cultured society which is the society we live in today.

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Introduction The information age has virtually changed the way people do things. From the food we eat, the cars we drive, the houses we live in, and even the weather condition we enjoy, there is an element of the information age that makes it more of what it is today. Almost all sectors of the world economy are impacted upon by the information age. The information came and changed the definition of literacy. Today, broadband access in addition to other technologies has changed the way the world accesses information. There are so many tools that are used in the information age today either in the learning environment, working environment, or professional endeavours. For instance, in the education sector, the advent of computers and other digital devices of the times have made it possible for the use of some giving tools to aid learning and teaching as well. In the last decade, it was astonishing due to the fact that there had been series of historical events which made a mark in the information and technology world which in turn changed our day to day activities in life. Just to cite another good and important factor about this age: the rapid diffusion and spread of the information technology revolution which includes inventions in genetic engineering, has transformed the way people perform tasks in life and in the industry. Today, we see technology, we walk technology, we study technology, work technology and a host of others. The premise of this work is to take some deep look into this trend of the information ages. In addition to that, we will try and investigate the important roles that this age brought with it to mankind, and also the harm it does or came with. In the end, we will measure and access the two perspectives and determine which aspect is dominant, the positive aspect or the negative aspect.

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The Information Age As ICT tends to move developing countries towards globalization and revolution, there are certain challenges that the third world country faces in the struggle to achieve this. A major problem here is that ICT intake is unequally shared among developing and developed economies as well. This digital divide has been causing problem to both the government and the private sector in developing economies. The primer and series used as reference for this paper presents a paper series in Information Economy, Society and Polity which all combine together to provide opinion leaders in the developing countries the knowledge required of them to attain and fill up this digital divide. A lot has been written about the information age and information technology revolution. In practice, a lot has been done along the same line with many plausible examples attributed to the success of information revolution practices put on ground. Information is the key to politics, economic development, social structures as well as culture of any society in the world today. To shade light to this topic, we are going to take into consideration a number of subject matter and discuss on them to find more details to form the basis of any premise to be developed herein. The Digital Revolution Over the year, technology has revolutionized the process we use in communicating and disseminating information. So many barriers and distances associated with communication have been eradicated by different technological inventions of the times. The invention of the telephone for example in the 1875s breached distance through sound. Distance ceased to exist as people from virtually any part of the world can communicate using the telephone and now mobile phone technology across time zones. One no longer needs to travel miles, kilometers,

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and across country borders in order to communicate with a fellow who is over there. Sound was the key technological object here which helped people to bridge over this gap of a distance. Even though computers were invented in the 1940s, it was only at about the 1970s that computers were accessible to the public with the invention of the microprocessors. All of these technologies deal with information storage and transmission. However, the one characteristic of computer technology that sets it apart from earlier analog technologies is that it is digital. Analog technologies incorporate a combination of light and sound waves to get messages across, while digital technology, with its system of discontinuous data or events, creates a universal model to represent information that is expressed by almost anyth ing using light and sound waves. The Internet and Its Importance Best tagged the network of all networks; the internet is a global connection of computing devices. The internet allows for exchange of data, news, opinions, ideas, research resources, knowledge and a host of others. The Internet, according to Lawrence Lessig, is an innovation commons, a shared resource that enables the creation of new and/or innovative goods and services. The Internet can be likened to designer clay; its use is limited only by the imagination and skill of the designer. This unique characteristic is due to the fact that the Internet is designed using the endto-end (e2e) principle. That is, the intelligence in the network is at the ends, and the main task of the network is to transmit data efficiently and flexibly between these ends. Because of endto-end, the Internet acts as a force for individual empowerment. It fosters entrepreneurship. And, as long as end-to-end is not violated, it is democratizing in the sense that it redistributes power from central authorities (governments and companies) to individuals. In the Internet Age, everyone can be a producer of content, create a new software application, or engage in global activities without the permission of a higher authority.

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The Challenges of the Internet The Internet and the ICT revolution have created sovereign individualsindividuals who are empowered because they have access to new learning opportunities; are able to sell their own ideas, services or products directly to others; and can access medical information to make their own choices about health care. These sovereign individuals also have reliable and up-to-date information about government policies and programs that allows them to become better citizens. Technology is not sole the culprit. Robert Putnam has documented a decline in civic engagement and social participation in the US in the past 35 years, resulting in major consequences on both the societal and the individual level. This is a major concern. Technology, particularly the Internet, is definitely helping change social relations, but not in ways that its critics suggest. Castells describes the impact of the Internet as people organize themselves into a social network. Networked individualism, as he describes it, is a social pattern, not a collection of isolated individuals. Individuals will build networks, both on-line and off-line, based on their interests, values, affinities, and projects. Because of the capabilities of the Internet for communication, people will build virtual communities that are different from physical communities. These communities, however, are not necessarily less intense or less effective in binding and mobilizing people. Furthermore, a communication hybrid is now developing in our societies, bringing together both the physical and the virtual space as the material support of networked individualism. Much has been written about the information revolution. Many initiatives have been undertaken and some are to be applauded for their success while others need further support and guidance. The signs of the timesdigitization, convergence, globalization, as well as their various impacts on politics, economics, social structures and cultureall foreshadow a future in which information is the key component. We must heed these signs if the future, the new era of information and progress, is to be ours.

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Conclusion Based on previous observations and facts we can see that the information age has done a lot for the society we live in today. The information age, also known as the digital age is characterized by the ability of individuals to transfer information freely, and gain access to information that are hard to find previously. It is also characterized by the use of cell phones, digital cameras, the internet and other digitized item or resources. In various work fields, we can see the way information age has change the system. The internet which is the worlds largest computer network consisting of thousands of inter connected networks, all freely exchanging information. The World Wide Web is a network of links on the internet to documents. Instead of just text, Internet users could now access still pictures, animation, and sound which makes the internet easier to use. The growth of the internet is a major component of the information age. In economy, the quick access to information that the Internet offers has transform the way many companies do business. It has also given rise to a new type of business: e-commerce. Also, with the introduction of e-commerce, business transaction has become easier, convenient and reliable. The Internet has spurred a wave of innovation in communications technology. Not just computers, but also cell phones, personal digital assistants, and even automobiles can now link to the Internet. In agriculture, the information age has increased the production of commodities and farmers have the information needed to increase crop yield. The digital age brought about improved yield of crops, reduced vulnerability of crops to harsh environment and increased nutritional qualities of food crops. In different ways, the information age has transformed the society from the traditional era to a digital era. The digital age where most things are computerised has made life easier and simple.

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The Information Age is itself characterized by constant change and as the world keeps evolving with technology, the world/society will also undergo constant change and transformation.

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Reference James D. Torr. (August 2004). Introduction. Current Controversies: Information Age. San Diego: Greenhaven Press. <http://www.enotes.com/information-age-article/44527>. Lallana, C. E. (2003). The Information Age. New York: ASEAN Task Force, UNDP-APDIP. Miller, M. (2007). Googlepedia: The Ultimate Google Resource. Indianapolis: Que Publishers. Nunberg, G. (1996). Farewell to the Information Age. California: University of California Press. Okediji, R. L. (2004). Development in the Information Age. Minnesota: Unversity of Minnesota Press. Oz, E. (2006). Management Information System. Boston: Thomson Course technology. Terranova, T. (2004). Network Culture: Politics for the Information Age. London: Ann Arbor.