Information society: what it is and how it has evolved
The term "Information Society" It refers to an era in which the control and distribution of information are very important elements for economic and social development.
This period is precisely what we live to this day, and has been baptized in this way by different authors and government agencies. Below we explain some of the characteristics of the Information Society, as well as the proposals of some authors and the concepts that are related.
- Related article: "What is Social Psychology?"
What is the Information Society?
The second half of the eighteenth century witnessed a very important process of transformation that we know as the Industrial Revolution. From this revolution, Western societies they were organized around the control and optimization of industrial processes , with which, an "Industrial Society" had been inaugurated.
Approximately a century later, these industrial processes began to coexist with the development of technology , and later with the powerful economic value gained by the control of information.
Progressively, the optimization of industrial processes has been replaced by the production, distribution and management of information, with the associated technologies. This change of model inaugurated the stage to which we have called the Information Society.
- Maybe you're interested: "The 28 types of communication and their characteristics"
Development and boom
The concept of "Information Society" has had a special boom since the 1990s, from the expansion of the Internet and Information Technology (ICT) . It was also a central theme in the debates at the G7 meetings in 1995, as well as in forums of the European Community and the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development).
In the same decade, the United States government and UN agencies (the United Nations Organization) and the World Bank adopt the term and include it in their national and international policies. From this, the Information Society was the central theme of the International Telecommunications Union of 1998, and finally consolidated in the World Summit of 2003 and 2005, which had precisely the name of "Information Society".
Likewise, this model of society has developed along with the expansion of the paradigm of globalization and neoliberal models and policies, whose goal has been to accelerate the establishment of a global, open and allegedly self-regulated market .
This is because one of the main characteristics of the Information Society is the use of communication technologies as a fundamental part in the development and acceleration of the global economy and international relations. Examples of these technologies are Internet, mobile telephony, satellite television, among others .
Background and key authors
Although the expansion of the term is relatively recent, the Information Society has been studied and defined by numerous intellectuals and government agencies since the 1960s.
Below we mention the contributions of some key authors for the understanding of the Information Society.
1. Fritz Machlup (1962)
Intellectual of Princeton University that explored information and communication activities through the concept of "knowledge production" as an exercise with monetary value , fundamental for the development of the Information Society.
2. Marc Porat (1974)
Ascribed to Stanford University, he proposed that the activities related to the production and management of information have been progressively identified and through the new technologies that allow us to build differentiated and autonomous personalities . To explain this, the author develops the term "information economy".
3. Daniel Bell (1973)
He introduced the notion of the Information Society when he studied and proposed that a "postindustrial" society was being developed, which according to the author is based on theoretical knowledge as an economic key.
4. Nora-Minc in 1978
These authors (Simon Nora and Alain Minc) are credited with the concept of "telematics", proposed in another one where explain the development of the industry and the IT services sector and telecommunications.These sectors and industries are a fundamental part in the establishment of the economic policy of the Information Society.
5. Yoneji Masuda in 1980
The president of the Institute for the Information Society and attached to the Japanese University of Aomori made an analysis on the passage of the Information Society to the Post-industrial Society, where he explains how the production and handling of information They have delineated several of plans and policies that are current around the world .
Related concepts
The use of the concept of "Information Society" has some theoretical limits, which is why many authors have preferred to develop other terms that allow to account for the social changes and the challenges that we currently face. Thus, for example, the concept of the "Knowledge Society" (adopted by the UN), "Societies of knowledge", "Post-industrial society" or "Age of Technology" have emerged.
Bibliographic references:
- Blázquez, F. (2001). The society of information and communication. Reflections from education. Extremadura joint. Retrieved May 23, 2018. Available at //quadernsdigitals.net/datos_web/biblioteca/l_1400/enLinea/3.pdf.
- National University of San Juan. (S / A). Concept of the Information Society. Retrieved May 25, 2018. Available at //www.unsj.edu.ar/unsjVirtual/comunicacion/seminarionuevastecnologias/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/concepto.pdf.
- University of Barcelona. (2005). Information Society / Knowledge Society. Retrieved May 23, 2018. Available at //www.ub.edu/prometheus21/articulos/obsciberprome/socinfsoccon.pdf.
