The Information Age
The Information Age
The Information Age
LESSON OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
• define Information Age;
• discuss the history of Information Age; and
• understand the factors that need to be considered in checking website sources.
INTRODUCTION
History
The table below traces the history and emergence of the Information Age (United States
American History, n.d.).
Table 1. Timeline of the Information Age
Year Event
3000 BC Sumerian writing system used pictographs to represent words
2900 BC Beginnings of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing
1300 BC Tortoise shell and oracle bone writing were used
500 BC Papyrus roll was used
220 BC Chinese small seal writing was developed
100 AD Book (parchment codex)
105 AD Woodblock printing and paper was invented by the Chinese
1455 Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press using
movable metal type
1755 Samuel Johnson's dictionary standardized English spelling
1802 • The Library of Congress was established
• Invention of the carbon are lamp
1824 Research on persistence of vision published
1830s • First viable design for a digital computer
• Augusta Lady Byron writes the world's first computer program
1837 Invention of the telegraph in Great Britain and the United States
1861 Motion pictures were projected onto a screen
1876 Dewey Decimal system was introduced
1877 Eadweard Muybridge demonstrated high-speed photography
1899 First magnetic recordings were released
1902 Motion picture special effects were used
1906 Lee DeForest invented the electronic amplifying tube (triode)
1923 Television camera tube was invented by Zvorkyn
1926 First practical sound movie
1939 Regularly scheduled television broadcasting began in the US
1940s Beginnings of information science as a discipline
1945 Vannevar Bush foresaw the invention of hypertext
1946 ENIAC computer was developed
1948 Birth of field-of-information theory proposed by Claude El Shannon
1957 Planar transistor was developed by Jean Hoerni
1958 First integrated circuit
1960s Library of Congress developed LC MARC machine-readable code)
1969 TUNIX operating system was developed, which could handle
multitasking
1971 Intel introduced the first microprocessor chip
1972 Optical laserdisc was developed by Philips and MCA
1974 MCA and Philips agreed on standard videodisc encoding format
1975 Altair Microcomputer Kit was released: first personal computer for the
public
1977 RadioShack introduced the first complete personal computer
1984 Apple Macintosh computer was introduced
Mid 1980s Artificial intelligence was separated from information science
1987 Hypercard was developed by Bill Atkinson recipe box metaphor
1991 Four hundred fifty complete works of literature on one CDROM was
released
January RSA (encryption and network security software) Internet security code
1997 cracked for a 48- bit number
As man evolved, information and its dissemination has also evolved in many ways.
Eventually, we no longer kept them to ourselves; instead, we share them and manage them in
different means. Information got ahead of us. It started to grow at a rate we were unprepared to
handle. Because of the abundance of information, it was difficult to collect and manage them
starting in the 1960s and 1970s. During the 1980s, real angst set in. Richard Wurman called it
"Information Anxiety." In the 1990s, information became the currency in the business world.
Information was the preferred medium of exchange and the information officers. In the present
generation, there is no doubt that information has turned out to be a commodity, an
overdeveloped product, mass-produced and unspecialized. Soon, we become overloaded with
it.
Different authors have diverse, contrasting ideas on the evolution of the Information Age.
In spite of this, we can still say that information is! a very important tool that helps improve our
way of life. One thing is for sure, the Information Age will continue to move forward and far
greater than our minds could imagine.
In his article "Truths of the Information Age" (n.d.), Robert Harris detailed some facts on
the Information Age.
1. Information must compete. There is a need for information to stand out and be
recognized in the increasing clutter
2. Newer is equated with truer. We forgot the truth that any fact or value can endure.
3. Selection is a viewpoint. Choose multiple sources for your information if you want to
a more balanced view of reality.
4. The media sells what the culture buys. In other words, information is driven by cultural
priorities.
5. The early word gets the perm. The first media channel to expose an issue often defines
the context, terms, and attitudes surrounding it.
6. You are what you eat and so is your brain. Do not draw conclusions unless all ideas
and information are presented to you.
7. Anything in great demand will be counterfeited. The demand for incredible knowledge,
scandals, and secrets is ever-present; hence, many events are fabricated by tabloids,
publicists, or other agents of information fraud.
8. Ideas are seen as controversial. It is almost certainly impossible, to make any assertion
that will not find some supporters and some detractors.
9. Undead information walks ever on. Rumors, lies, disinformation and gossips never truly
die down. They persist and continue to circulate.
10. Media presence creates the story. People behave much differently from the way they
would if being filmed when the media are present, especially film news or television
media.
11. The medium selects the message. Television is mainly pictorial, partially aural, and
slightly textual, so visual stories are emphasized: fires, chases, and disasters.
12. The whole truth is a pursuit. The information that reaches us is usually
selected, verbally charged, filtered, slanted, and sometimes, fabricated. What is
neglected is often even more important than what is included.
Computer
Computers are among the most important contributions of advances in the Information
Age to society. A computer is an electronic device that stores and processes data (information).
It runs on a program that contains the exact. step-by-step directions to solve a problem
(UShistory.org, 2017).
Types of Computer
Computers are associated with numerous terms and descriptions. Most people suggest
the dimensions, intended use, or the computer's power. While the term "computer” can apply to
virtually any device that has a microprocessor in it, most people think of a computer as that input
from the user through a mouse (hand-guided directions tool) or keyboard, processes it in some
fashion, and presents the result on a screen.
1. Personal Computer (PC) single-user instrument. PCs were first known as
microcomputers since they were a complete computer but built on a smaller scale
than the enormous systems operated by most businesses.
2. Desktop Computer
It is described as a PC that is not designed for portability. The assumption with a
desktop is that it will be set up in a permanent spot. A workstation is simply a desktop
computer that has a more powerful processor, additional memory, and enhanced
capabilities for performing special group of tasks, such as 3D graphics or game
development. Most desktops offer more storage, power, and versatility than their
portable versions (UShistory.org, 2017).
3. Laptops
These are portable computers that integrate the essentials of a desktop computer
a battery-powered package, which are somewhat larger than a typical hardcover book.
They are commonly called notebooks.
4. Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)
These are tightly integrated computers that usually have no keyboards but rely on
a touch screen for user input. PDAs are typically smaller than a paperback,
lightweight, and battery-powered (UShistory.org, 2017).
5. Server
It refers to a computer that has been improved to provide network services to other
computers. Servers usually boast powerful processors, tons of memory, and large
hard drives (UShistory.org, 2017).
6. Mainframes
These are huge computer systems that can fill an entire room. They are used
especially by large firms to describe the large, expensive machines that process
millions of transactions every day. The term "mainframe" has been replaced by
enterprise server. Although some supercomputers are single computer systems, most
comprise multiple, high-performance, parallel computers working as a single system
(UShistory.org, 2017).
7. Wearable Computers
They involve materials that are usually integrated into cell phones, watches, and
other small objects or places. They perform common computer applications such as
databases, email, multimedia, and schedulers (UShistory.org, 2017).
3. What is the main purpose of the site? Why did the author write it and why did the
publisher post it?
• To sell a product?
• As a personal hobby?
• As public service?
• To further scholarship on a topic?
• To provide general information on a topic?
• To persuade you of a particular point of view?
One can also visit the university library and seek help from librarians as they are
knowledgeable, and the library has a rich collection of online library resources that are very
useful for academic and research purposes.
SUMMARY
Nowadays, information could be shared or transferred quickly. People are becoming more
interested in sharing information about themselves. Various aspects of our society are also being
influenced by the Information Age especially communication, economics, industry, health, and
the environment. The rapid upgrade of information poses both positive and negative impacts to
our society. Therefore, we need to carefully check our motives before disseminating information
and we also need to verify information before believing them and using and sharing them. We
should share information that could help improve our lives and others.