Information society | Solutional Webdesign Antwerp

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An Information Society is a societal structure that emerged between the 1970s and early 1990s, characterized by the significant influence of information technology^[1] on various aspects of life. This societal transformation hinges on the intensification of IT, with multiple interpretations of information defining its structure. Frank Webster identified five types of information that define this society. The growth of Data storage globally since the 1980s and the increasing technological capacity for processing and communicating information are key features. It also involves an economic transition towards a knowledge-based economy. The development and impacts of the Information Society are broad, affecting areas like education, economy, health, government, and warfare. Challenges include the need for creative individuals and concerns about information control. The Information Society also raises considerations about intellectual property^[2] control and the role of technology^[3], including issues of information pollution and the economic context of knowledge services.

Terms definitions

1. ↑ information technology. Information technology (IT) is a broad term that encompasses the use of computers and other technologies to manage and process information. This field emerged from early discussions of computer science in institutions like MIT and Harvard, with pioneers such as Alan Turing playing key roles in the design of the first digital computers. IT has since evolved, with significant developments such as programmable computers, advances in semiconductor technology, and the rise of personal computers in the 1970s. Today, IT involves various components like computer hardware, software, and peripheral equipment. It also includes data processing and databases, which have revolutionized the way we store and retrieve information. As IT continues to permeate every aspect of our lives, it also raises ethical issues and challenges related to project management. But despite these challenges, IT remains a vital field that has transformed workforce, marketing, and commerce, among others.

2. ↑ intellectual property. Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, symbols, names, and images used in commerce. These intangible assets have intrinsic value and are protected by law through patents, copyrights, and trademarks. The concept of intellectual property originated as early as the 15th century, with the Venetian Patent Statute of 1474 being the earliest codified patent system. The idea is to stimulate innovation and progress by giving creators the right to control and profit from their creations. This promotes creativity, fair trading, and economic growth. However, intellectual property laws also need to balance these rights with the wider public interest, ensuring that knowledge and technologies remain widely accessible. Intellectual property rights violations, such as patent, copyright, and trademark infringement, as well as trade secret theft, can have severe consequences.

Information society (Wikipedia)

An information society is a society or subculture where the usage, creation, distribution, manipulation and integration or information is a significant activity. Its main drivers are information and communication technologies, which have resulted in rapid growth of a variety of forms of information. Proponents of this theory posit that these technologies are impacting most important forms of social organization, including education, economy, health, government, warfare, and levels of democracy. The people who are able to partake in this form of society are sometimes called either computer users or even digital citizens, defined by K. Mossberger as "Those who use the Internet regularly and effectively." This is one of many dozen Internet terms that have been identified to suggest that humans are entering a new and different phase of society.

Some of the markers of this steady change may be technological, economic, occupational, spatial, cultural, or a combination of all of these. Information society is seen as a successor to industrial society. Closely related concepts are the post-industrial society (post-fordism), post-modern society, computer society and knowledge society, telematic society, society of the spectacle (postmodernism), Information Revolution and Information Age, network society (Manuel Castells) or even liquid modernity.

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