CHAPTER III

SPECIFIC ISSUES IN SCIENCE,

TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
LESSON 1: THE INFORMATION
AGE
Learning Outcomes

At the end of this lesson, we should be able

to:
 Trace the development of Information Age;
 Learn how technology functions; and
 Appreciate its influence on people’s lives.
 WHAT IS INFORMATION AGE?
It is defined as a “period starting in
the last quarter of the 20th century
when information became effortlessly
accessible through the management of
information by computers and computer
networks”.
The Information Age is marked by a very fast growth in
communication and information technology.
The invention of the computer which gave people access to
information with the touch of a button.
The internet has tuned society into homebodies and
individuals who do everything from the comfort of their
homes.
 Highly
Modernized

Technologically Our Society

Automated
Advanced Nowadays

Data-driven
 Historical Development
The information age began around the
1970s and still going on today. This era
brought about a time period in which people
could access information and knowledge
easily. As on the field of literature, the
renaissance influenced this age by creating
the idea invention that led to modern ones.
 Four periods of the information age

1.Pre- Mechanical – 3,000 BC to 1450 A.D.

2.Mechanical – 1450 to 1840
3.Electro-Mechanical – 1840 to 1940
4.Electronic/Information – 1940 to present
Pre- Mechanical – 3,000 BC to 1450 A.D.

The pre-mechanical age is the earliest

age of information technology. We are
talking about a long time ago. When
humans first started communicating,
they would try to use language or
simple picture drawings known as
petroglyphs which were usually
carved in rock. Early alphabets were
developed such as the Phoenician
alphabet.
 Mechanical Age
The mechanical age can be
defined as the time between 1450
and 1840. A lot of new
technologies were developed in Blaise Pascal invented the
this era due to an explosion of Pascaline, a very popular
interest in computation and mechanical computer capable of
information. Technologies like adding, subtracting, multiplying,
the slide ruler (an analog and dividing two numbers.
computer used for multiplying Initially called the arithmetic
and dividing) were invented in machine
this period
 Electro-Mechanical Age
The electromechanical age heralded the beginnings of
telecommunications as we know it today. This age can be
defined roughly as the time between 1840 and 1940. Several
revolutionary technologies were invented in this period such
as the Morse code, telephone, radio, etc. All of these
technologies were crucial stepping stones towards modern
information technology systems.
Example of Morse Code
Samuel Morse and the original telegraph
Electronic/Information – 1940 to present
 It started in the 1940's and continues up to the present. The highlight of
this period is focused on the advent of solid-state devices. This is a
period of transition from traditional industry to an economy based on
information computerization.
Personal computers have become widespread by the end of the 1980s.
They can be connected to local or national networks. Through a device
called the modern, individual users could list their computers to a wealth
of information using conventional phone lines.
The internet it was developed during the 1970s. in the
early days, it was used mainly by the scientists to
communicate with other scientists. At this time, the
internet user’s problem was speed. The development of
the fiber-optic hastened the rate of sending message.
In the 1990s, the WWW or the World Wide Web or the
Web was developed by Tim Berners-Lee, a British
Scientist, mainly for Commercial purposes.
New services were created to sell products. Now, airline tickets,
hotel reservation, books and even Car and houses can be
purchased online. Colleges and universities would post
research data or the background and history of the schools on
the internet so students could find valuable information
without leaving their homes.
 LIVING IN THE
INFORMATION AGE
EFFECTS/IMPACTS
Technology is increasingly playing a crucial role in the success
of organization particularly in school in this Information Age.
The impact of IT has been enormous on various domains
including education. Computers and the information the
process and store have transformed every aspect of the society.

Since we live in the Information Age, IT has become a part of

our everyday lives. There have been tremendous changes in the
ways people live work and play over the past three decades. IT
is composed of computers, networks, mobile and wireless
devices, satellite communications, robotics, videotext, cable
television, electronic mail (e-mail), electronic gadget and
automated office equipment. Technological innovation and
entrepreneurship have been the key players in the changes that
we experience.
Every day, we use technology in new ways, computers are becoming
increasingly affordable and they continue to be more powerful as
information processing tools. Some of the advantages of information
technology are:

1. Globalization - It has brought the world closer

together, led to sharing information more quickly and
efficiently and enabled countries to share ideas and
information with each other.
2. Communication - It has made communication
cheaper, quicker and more efficient. The use of internet
opened face-to-face communication from different parts of
the world.
3. Cost and effectiveness - It has led to computerization
of business processes and increased productivity that gave
more profits, better play and working conditions.
4. Creation of new jobs - It has led to the opening up of
opportunity for computer programmers, system analysts,
hardware and software developers and web designers.
The information Age has introduced changes
in different aspect of people's lives, because of
the following:
1. Emergence of online companies.
2. Creation of economically and simulating
businesses.
3. More mature and educated people.
4. Reshaping governments with new technologies.
 SUMMARY
The Information Age
The Information Age also known as a Computer Age, Digital Age, or New Media Age is
a historic period in the 21st century. The idea it upholds is that access to and the control
of information is the defining characteristics of this current era in human civilization.
The driving force behind changes and new options given to us is an Innovation called the
internet. Many possibilities are limitless and convenience is greatly improved. New forms
of communications where introduced, educational opportunities were greatly enhanced
because of the wealth of knowledge now placed at the fingertips.

There may be those who do not favor this occurrence citing the creation of a
technological divide, the impersonal nature of electronic communication and the
unregulated nature of the use of internet. Regardless of these drawbacks, the world
continues to becoming wired.
In conclusion, information technology
has been in existence for thousands of
years and has been evolving since the
beginning of time – and it is still
evolving. Human beings have been
collecting information in different ways
and have discovered different forms to
communicate through the use of
technologies. Information technology
has been essential to our lives and has
made a huge impact throughout
history. Without it, we wouldn’t be here
today with the latest, advanced
technologies.

 
THANK YOU!