Starting Points II

Problems with the Concept of Information Society:

(Webster 2000)

·        inconsistence and lack of clarity as regards criteria used to

         distinguish an information society

·        imprecise use of the term information

·        the supposition of IS theorists that quantitative increases in information

         lead to qualitative social changes

What is information?

·      Information as a quantity vs. information as quality

Many forms of information (Buckland 1991):

·      data

·      text and documents

·      spoken language in any medium

·      objects

·      records of events (photos, memoirs etc.)

Sources of information (Wresch 1996):

·      personal information

·      public information

·      organizational information

·      professional information

·      commercial informaton

Critical questions:

- What value does information have?

- What sort of information is being produced and why?

---

How the information society differs from earlier societies?

Five ways to define how IS differs from other types of societies Webster (2002):

1.  Technological

2.  Economic

3.  Occupational

4.  Spatial

5.  Cultural

1. Technological

Information technology as the defining feature of society

(Examples:)

• International Data Corporation (IDC): Information imperative index (from 1996)
• Bangemann Report

Different eras / different infrastructures:

• Industrial revolution: roads and railways
• Information revolution: networks and electronic highways

Problems:

• "technological determinism"
• When does a society cease to be industrial and when does it enter the informational era?
• How does one measure this shift?
• Is there really a difference between the "information society" and the "advanced industrial society"?