Today people live in a society where transformation of information and knowledge based on the opportunities for individuals and communities to be information producers as well as consumers, where socialization of knowledge exists. As information and communications technologies (ICT) continue to spread into all sectors of social and economic life, it became a vital tool for creating knowledge based society, building and sustaining human development. It has transformed our world from the industrial society into an informational one.
For that reason, knowledge has become an essential key for production, and a basic determination for creativity. The Info-Technological revolution which is led by advances in ICT is restructuring the global social economic equation— moving from income divide to knowledge divide. The revolution is spearheading the growth of knowledge societies in developed countries and raised much interest among civil society, markets and the agents of change.
While more than 850 million people in developing countries are excluded from a wide range of information and knowledge tools, the poors in those developing countries remain much isolated economically, socially and culturally from the burgeoning information and progress in arts, science and technology. In addition the global economy of capital investment is flowing to where the potential opportunities for reward can be found. These opportunities will be located in these places or regions where new values and creative ideas can be realized.
Information and Communication Technologies broadly refer to set of activities that facilitate—by electronic means—the capturing, storage, processing, transmission, and display of information.[1]
Information and Communications Technology is "an umbrella term that includes computer hardware and software; digital broadcast and telecommunications technologies as well as electronic information repositories such as the World Wide Web or those found on CD-ROMs (Selwyn 2002). It represents a broad and continually evolving range of elements that further includes television (TV), radio, mobile phones, and the policies and laws that govern these media and devices"[2]
Information and communication technologies are the tools that underpin the emerging “information society.” While no universally accepted definition for Information Society exists, it can be defined as "society in which the creation, distribution, and manipulation of information has become the most significant economic and cultural activity. An Information Society may be contrasted with societies in which the economic underpinning is primarily Industrial or Agrarian” (TechTarget 1999). "information" exchange between people and through networks of people has always taken place. The ICT enablement of information exchange, however, has radically changed the magnitude of this exchange, and thus, factors such as timeliness of information and information dissemination patterns have become more important than ever"[3].
As "information" is "the data that has been organized and communicated"[4] while "knowledge" has been described as "the set of statements, facts or ideas; presenting a reasoned judgment or an experimental result, which is transmitted to others through some communication medium in some system systematic form"[5]. In addition, both of the "information" and "knowledge" both considered being main pillars in achieving the "socialization of knowledge" in order to build “information society.”
Information Society has been one of the key terms used to describe today’s world, as ICT have brought revolutionary changes impacting every aspect of our society— connecting cultures, creating new opportunities for education, restructuring employment, generating new economies, and changing citizens' relation to government. Recognizing these and other paradigm shifts are typically seen as the natural development of the modern liberal tradition. Information and Communication Technologies/ICTs represent to today’s world what industrial machines represented during the industrial revolution; they have revolutionized ways of working, transformed the economy, had an irreversible impact on the way people live, and have shaped a new “information society".[6]It is about a second industry revolution but this time based in the information and communication arena.
on the other hand, the term of "socialization of knowledge" is used to "express the idea of transforming the private and individual knowledge to public and collective knowledge"[7].
Within the context of ICTs and Information Societies; we should refer to:
"environmental information systems" and "eco-efficiency"
"environmental information systems": The definition of environmental information is very wide and many researchers link between sustainable development and the information society focusing on the potential for information systems to assist decision-makers "to monitor and evaluate the state of the environment" using computer and information management technology to solve environmental problems and improve environmental stewardship. Environmental information system (EIS) programs seek “to increase the quality, efficiency and accountability of decision-making processes through applications that systematically use environmental information. In this regard EIS development seeks to enhance the use of harmonized environmental data sets through improving data availability; facilitating access to data; ensuring that data is internally consistent; and ensuring that different data sets match each other.” .
While the term eco-efficiency was coined by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in its 1992 publication: "Changing Course". It is based on the concept of creating more goods and services while using fewer resources and creating less waste and pollution. The 1992 Earth Summit endorsed eco-efficiency as a means for companies to implement Agenda 21 in the private sector, and the term has become synonymous with a management philosophy geared towards sustainability.
According to the WBCSD definition, eco-efficiency is achieved through the delivery of "competitively priced goods and services that satisfy human needs and bring quality of life while progressively reducing environmental impacts of goods and resource intensity throughout the entire life-cycle to a level at least in line with the Earth's estimated carrying capacity.” This concept describes a vision for the production of economically valuable goods and services while reducing the ecological impacts of production. In other words eco-efficiency means producing more with less.
In 2002, the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things was published by Michael Braungart and William McDonough about the ideas of eco-efficiency and its practical applications.
"Eco-efficiency in the production and consumption of goods and services-environmentally is benign to alleviate the impact of further economic growth on world ecosystems.”
Another term commonly used to describe the changes produced by information technology is the "digital divide" term which refers to the gap between those who benefit from digital technology and those who do not. While the term digital economy; this expression emphasizes the new opportunities created by transforming information into a binary digital code. The digital economy refers to more than the boom and bust cycle of many new ventures that aim at tapping the potential of the Internet for commercial purposes. The more profound effect of ICT is likely to be in improving the efficiency and reach of the mainstream production of goods and services, in both the public and private sectors of the economy. Based on this we can defined the The "global digital divide" is a term used to describe “great disparities in opportunity to access the Internet and the information and educational/business opportunities tied to this access … between developed and developing countries” [8] (Lu 2001 p. 1). Unlike the traditional notion of the "digital divide" between social classes, the "global digital divide" is essentially a geographical division.
Cleary the development of the Information and Knowledge Society shows outstanding differences between individuals, places, cities, countries, and regions, thus leading to the existence of the so-called digital divide. However, how individuals utilize ICT to access equal opportunities differ from country to another and from person to person due to economic, physical, geographical, and other reasons.
Despite the potential benefits that can be offered by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) developing countries face significant obstacles to ICT access due to a wide variety of reasons including technical, economic, legal and educational factors.
Different degrees of access to technology and connectivity mirror the social and economic divides within countries and between countries. Increase in access to ICTs will not, by itself, reduce poverty or secure freedoms on a sustainable basis. But there is a real danger that lack of access to ICTs, and to the spaces where decisions are made about information and communications infrastructure, content and services, can deepen existing social exclusion and create new forms of exclusion. Academic studies on ICT and society show that there is a range of issues which make clear that the Information Society like any society will have winners and losers, beneficial consequences of ICT and harmful applications. A review of these academic studies shows that there are no simple and straightforward effects of ICT on society. Mostly effects are multiple and contradictory. New positive developments are accompanied by neutral and negative effects.
To benefit the world community, the successful and continued growth of this new information world of today requires global cooperation and harmonization in different business and social domains.
Since there are still governments that are not able yet to fulfill the basic demands to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), then it is even harder to join the ICT revolution for their nations. Thus, the digital divide will remain and the gap between develop and the developing world will continue to be increasing.
For sustainable development (SD) to be achieved, it is a must, to promote the tools of the information society. And in order to have a sustainable information society; it is a must to consider the socio, economic, and the environmental needs, besides the local content of nations.
Then, Governments are exhorted to make greater use of both new and traditional information and communication technologies as a tool for development, as well as are encouraged to implement strategies references to the UN Millennium Development Goals. ICTs can create unknown opportunities for generating sustainable livelihoods. This could be easily achieved by building strategic partnerships among all parties in societies. As governments alone won't be able to achieve this objective.
There is a role for both of the private and non-profit sectors in helping governments to achieve the MDGs -each is dependent on the cooperation of others to accomplish its goals and further enhance sustainable development processes.
Many developed countries' future and economic and social developments depends to an increasing extent on their innovation performance.
Today, research and development (R&D) – intensive industries in some of these developed countries account for more than half of all industrial production. Here comes the role of the civil society and international agencies in raising awareness of the local communities about the important of such kind of businesses that invest more in research and development.
Youth should be aware that ICT is not about providing technology alone to areas devoid of the modern machines and equipments. Simply, ICT is a way of living. Also, young people should know that using ICT is not that hard. ICT could be simple as using pens and papers. ICT is for all; it could be for young and old, it could be for poor and rich.
ICT is not Luxury…ICT is Life
--Amira--
Aug., 2007
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Refrences:
[1] OECD definition cited by Cynthia Hewitt De Alcántara (2001): The Development Divide in a Digital Age: An Issues Paper, UNRISD, Technology, Business and Society Programme Paper Number 4, August 2001, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, Geneva , p. 3.
[2] Steve Vosloo: Willard, Terri, and Maja Andjelkovic. A Developing Connection: Bridging the Policy Gap between the Information Society and Sustainable Development.. '1st ed'. Canada: IISD , 2005
[3] Steve Vosloo: Willard, Terri, and Maja Andjelkovic. A Developing Connection: Bridging the Policy Gap between the Information Society and Sustainable Development.. '1st ed'. Canada: IISD , 2005
[4] Romer, P., "Endogenous Technological Change", Journal of Political Economy, 98:5 (1990)
[5] Daniell Bell (1973:175)
[6] Sarrocco, "ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES OF THE INFORMATION."
www.itu.int. 19 Jul 2007
[7] Diogo André de Assumpçăo, Willard, Terri, and Maja Andjelkovic. A Developing Connection: Bridging the Policy Gap between the Information Society and Sustainable Development.. '1st ed'. Canada: IISD , 2005
[8]Lu, Ming-te (2001). Digital divide in developing countries. Journal of Global Information Technology Management (4:3), pp. 1-4.
[9]Willard, Terri , and Michael Halder. The Information Society and Sustainable Development- Exploring the Linkages. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: IISD, 2003.
[10]Information Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. “About EIS.”
http://www.grida.no/eisssa/about/eis.htm
