Different views on the "Information Society"

Tehranian (1990):

Four different perspectives with regard to information and the impact of the IS:

1.  Technophilia

- optimism, technology will make our societies better

Toffler, Masuda, Bell etc.

2.  Technophobia

- pessimism, technology brings many perils with it

Schiller, Ellul, Hamelink etc.

3.  Technoneutralism

4.  Technostructuralism

- technology as a product and part of social context

Technoutopias

• Yoneji Masuda: The Information Society as Post-Industrial Society (1980)
• "Computopia": vision of a new, harmonious social order, based on developments in ICT
• Alvin Toffler: The Third Wave (1980)

• Communication technologies have for a very long time promised the vision of a better tomorrow

• The development of ICT as continuous progress

Technophobia

• Herbert Schiller: The Mind Managers (1973)

• Theodore Roszak: The Cult of Information (1986)