Course Title: Introduction to Information

Systems and Society (InSy 2021)

Chapter one
introduction to Information society and
information economy
 Outline of this chapter

o Definitions of data, information, knowledge &wisdom

o Information System
o Management Information System
o Information society
o Characteristics of information society
o Information profession
o Knowledge society
o Information economy
o Cyberspace
o Network society
o Social network
Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom & Truth
FACT

DATA
Dispersed Explicit
elements
Depth of meaning

INFORMATION
Patterned data

KNOWLEDGE
Validated platform for action

WISDOM
Implicitly knowing how to generate,
access and integrate knowledge Tacit

TRUTH
3
o Data: Unorganized and unprocessed facts; static; a set of discrete facts about
events

–No meaning attached to it as a result of which it may

have multiple meaning
–Example: what does “Alex” mean?
o Information: Aggregation of data that makes decision making easier.

– Meaning is attached and contextualized

– Answers questions: what, who, when, where
o Knowledge: includes facts about the real world entities and the relationship
between them. It is an Understanding gained through experience
 Answer „how‟ question
o Wisdom: embodies principles, insight and moral by integrating knowledge
 Answer „why‟ question
o Truth: making the mind think and belief in doing what is true for all not for
narrow
o Data is the most basic level; Information adds context; Knowledge adds
how to use it; Wisdom adds when and why to use it.
o Explicit knowledge is the structured set of information which can be
recognized, recorded, stored and shared.
o Tacit knowledge is rooted in the mind of a person.
…..Continued
 What is an information society?
• An information society is a society where the creation, distribution,
use, integration and manipulation of information is a significant
economic, political and cultural activity.

• In common usage, an information society can be simply understood

as a society where the usage and knowledge of information and
computer technology is at a high level.
• The aim of the information society is to gain competitive
advantage internationally through using ICT in a creative
and productive way.
• Information society is a society characterized by a high level of
information intensity in the everyday life, for a wide range of
personal, social, educational and business activities, and by the
ability to transmit, receive, and exchange digital data rapidly
between places irrespective of distance."
• Information profession is the body of people engaged in the
generation, collection, codification, storage, retrieval,
manipulation, management, dissemination, packaging, evaluation
and marketing of information.

information professionals are categorized as:

i) information producers;
ii) information processors;

iii) information distributors; and

iv) information infrastructure.

 Characteristics of information society
1. Technological:- The wide ranging innovations in information
and communications, from cable and satellite television, personal
computers to internet.
2. Economical:- The structure of the economy and its recent
changes.
3. Occupational:- is considering the majority of information
work in occupations to have created a new social order.
4. Spatial: The impact of information networks on the organization
of space and time.
5. Cultural: The cultural conception of an information society is
closely related to the information environment in which we now
live.
 The origins and causes of information societies

• The origins and causes of information societies lie

in two interrelated developments:
1. long-term economic development and
2. technological change.
• In the long term, the structure of economies
changes. It begins with a reliance on the primary
sector: agriculture, forestry and mining.
 Attributes of an Information Society are:

i) Shift from an industrial economy to an Information Economy;

ii) A telecommunication-based information service infra-structure;

iii) A high degree of computerization, large volumes of electronic

data transmission and employment of IT;

iv) Rapid and convenient delivery of needed information is the

ordinary state of affairs.
 knowledge society

• A knowledge society generates, shares and makes

available to all members of the society knowledge that
may be used to improve the human condition.

• A knowledge society differs from an information society

in that the former serves to transform information into
resources that allow society to take effective action while
the latter only creates and disseminates the raw data.
• The capacity to gather and analyze information has
existed throughout human history.

• However, the idea of the present-day knowledge society

is based on the vast increase in data creation and
information dissemination that results from the
innovation of information technologies.
 What is information economy?
• An information economy is a global economy based on combined data
from products, prices, and customers throughout the world.

• This combined information makes it possible for consumers to see and

purchase products in the global market.

• In an information economy, consumers have access to information about

inventory and prices for products from multiple vendors.

• Online Internet reservation systems are an example of the information

economy in a practical application. These online booking systems provide
prices for hotels, air fares, and car rentals. This information makes it easier
for consumers to select the best product based on specific needs and price.
What is knowledge economy?
• The knowledge economy is its economic counterpart
whereby wealth is created through the economic
exploitation of understanding.

• People that have the means to partake in this form of

society are sometimes called digital citizens
• digital citizen is a person who develops the skills and
knowledge to effectively use the internet and digital
technologies.
• They're also people who use digital technologies and the
internet in appropriate and responsible ways in order to engage
and participate in society and politics.
 What Does Cyberspace?
• cyberspace refers to the virtual computer world, and more
specifically, an electronic medium that is used to facilitate online
communication.
• Cyberspace typically involves a large computer network made up of
many worldwide computer subnetworks that employ TCP/IP
protocol to aid in communication and data exchange activities.
• Cyberspace's core feature is an interactive and virtual environment
for a broad range of participants.
• Cyberspace allows users to share information, interact, swap ideas,
play games, engage in discussions or social forums, conduct
business and create intuitive media, among many other activities.
 Social network and Network society
What is a network?
• Network: is a collection of entities that are interconnected
with links.
– people that are friends
– computers that are interconnected
– web pages that point to each other
– proteins that interact
What is internet?
– The Internet is a network of computer networks, all
communicating in real time, making information instantaneously
available anywhere on the planet.
What is the difference b/n internet and network?
 Applications of the Internet
• e-mail: The ability to send messages instantly to an unlimited
number of people anywhere on earth for the price of a local
telephone call, without the need for material resources like paper.

• e-research: The growth in the amount of material available through

Web sites is exponential causing users to depend increasingly on
research mechanisms to locate information of interest.

• e-production: information technology did not globalize the

economy itself, but it accelerated communication between and
within companies enormously, independent of the location of any
given employee, increasing the speed and quantity of informational
interchanges.
• e-employment: The Internet allows all information to be
encountered in virtual space. Because all information can be
accessed in virtual space, the necessity to use of physical space has
diminished and contact between the employee and the employer
has become independent of their location, allowing increased
productivity and making the structure of businesses more flexible.

• e-education: the capacity to analyze, bring together, and make use

of information is a central component of professional competence
for the majority of economic activities in the contemporary world.
• e-culture: A growing part of humanity‟s cultural
heritage is available on the Internet. It is already
possible to visit in the web a large number of
museums, historical archives, and libraries.
• e-government: includes a set of new instruments that
allow greater and different types of citizen
participation in government decisions.
• e-health: The Internet has facilitated work in the areas of
monitoring and controlling epidemics, reorganizing health-care
systems and patient relations, and allowing access to medical
information
 Social network
• A social network is a social structure of people, related
(directly or indirectly) to each other through a common
relation or interest

• A social network is a set of actors that may have

relationships with one another.
• Common examples of social networking sites or platforms include
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
 Social media
• social media can best be described as an internet-based way to
publish or broadcast digital content that readers can fully interact
with.
• Social media requires a social network in order to distribute content
to the user.
Examples of Social Media
• Facebook (2.74 billion users)
• YouTube (2.29 billion users)
• WhatsApp (2 billion users)
• Facebook Messenger (1.3 billion users)
• Instagram (1.22 billion users)
• WeChat (1.21 billion users)
• TikTok (689 million users)
What is the difference between social media and social network?

• Social Media: is a form of electronic communication (as Web

sites for social networking and microblogging) through which
users create online communities to share information, ideas,
personal messages, and other content (as videos).

• Social Networking: the creation and maintenance of personal

and business relationships especially online
 Network Economy
• Buying and selling on a network

• Modeling constraints on trading partners

• Local imbalances of supply and demand

• Preferential attachment, price variation, and the distribution of

wealth

• Is all about the effects of network structure on economic outcomes.

 Chapter Two

Network society and social capital

 What is Network Society?
• A society where the key social structures and activities are
organized around ICTs, and

• The ability to exploit electronic information networks becomes

critical for individuals as well as organizations.

• It is a society which the structure of social, political, economic, and

cultural activities have changed by the spread of networked,
digitalization and communication systems.

• The rise of information society will see the emergence of a network

society in which information and technology will enable the
formation of networks and strategic planning.
• In a network society connectivity and access to
networks becomes essential.
• The proper combination between information and
communication technology, development of human
capacity to take advantage of the full potential of
these technologies, and organizational restructuring
based on networking, becomes the key to ensure
productivity, competitiveness, innovation, creativity,
and, ultimately, power and power sharing
• The culture of the global network society is a
culture of protocols of communication enabling
communication between different cultures on the
basis, not necessarily of shared values but of the
sharing the value of communication.
 What is social capital
• Humans are a social organism, we have evolved to be social.
• Working together for collective action is hard-wired into us.
• We want to help, share, and give to each other and receive in kind.
• Many things that we want, and need, cannot be created simply by
our own efforts, so require some form of collaboration or
reciprocity.
• The benefits we derive from that sociability we could call social
capital.
• Social capital arises from the human capacity to consider others, to
think and act generously and cooperatively.
• Social capital is "the networks of relationships among people who
live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function
effectively".
• It involves the effective functioning of social groups through
interpersonal relationships, a shared sense of identity, a shared
understanding, shared norms, shared values, trust, cooperation, and
reciprocity.
• Social capital is a measure of the value of resources, both tangible
(e.g., public spaces, private property) and intangible (e.g., actors,
human capital, people), and the impact that ideal creators have on the
resources involved in each relationship, and on larger groups.
• Some have described it as a form of capital that produces public
goods for a common purpose, although this does not align with how
it has been measured.
• Social capital has been used to explain the improved performance of
diverse groups, the growth of entrepreneurial firms, superior
 What is Digital Divide?
• The digital divide is the gap that exists between individuals
who have access to modern information and communication
technology and those who lack access.

• Digital inequality is evident between communities living in

urban areas and those living in rural settlements; between
socioeconomic groups; between less economically developed
countries and more economically developed countries;
between the educated and uneducated population.

• Individuals with access to a broadband connection can be

digitally split.
 Types of Digital Divide
1. Gender Divide
• The internet gender gap is striking especially in developing countries. Though
mobile connectivity is spreading drastically, it is not spreading equally. Women
are still lagging.
• Men in low-income countries are 90% more likely to own a mobile phone than
women. This translates to 184 million women who lack access to mobile
connectivity. Even among women owning mobile phones, 1.2 billion women in
low and mid-income countries have no access to the internet.
2. Social Divide
• Internet access creates relationships and social circles among people with shared
interests.
• Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook create online peer groups based
on similar interests.
• More than ever internet usage has influenced social stratification which is evident
in societies among those that are connected to the internet and those that are not.
Non-connected groups are sidelined since they don‟t share in the internet benefits
of the connected groups.
3. Universal Access Divide

• Individuals living with physical disabilities are often disadvantaged

when it comes to accessing the internet.

• They may have the necessary skills but cannot exploit the available
hardware and software.

• Some parts of the world will remain segregated from the internet
and its vast potential due to lack of digital literacy skills, low
education levels, and inadequate broadband infrastructure.
 What are The Causes of the Digital Divide?
• Even though access to computers and the internet
continues to grow, the digital divide dramatically also
continues to persist at an alarming rate due to the
following:
1. Education
2. Income Levels
3. Geographical Restrictions
4. Motivation and General Interest
5. Digital Literacy
1. Education
• Education is a significant investment in healing the digital divide.
• Low literacy levels are widening the digital inequality gap.
• College degree holders are perceived to be 10X more likely to tap
into the full potential of the internet and computers in their day to
day lives compared to individuals with high school education or
lower.
2. Income Levels The income gap plays a considerable role in
magnifying the digital divide.
• High-income earners ($75,000) are 20X more likely to access the
internet than low-income earners ($30,000).
• Wealthy families are 10X more likely to own computers and at
home high-speed internet connection than low-income families.
• For low-income population money is scarce. Their earnings are
channeled towards basic needs. They view technology as a luxury.
3. Geographical Restrictions
• More economically developed countries have access to a wide
variety of technology and high-speed broadband connection
because of the richness of their economies.
• Less economically developed countries lack the necessary
technology and infrastructure to set up a high-speed internet
connection.
• In-country geographical restrictions also widen the digital divide.
• Urban regions are more likely to have access to 4G or fiber optic
internet than rural or mountainous zones.
4. Motivation and General Interest
• There is a portion of the global population that has the necessary
income; education and computer literacy but have zero interest to
learn about computers and the potential of the internet.
• Some view it as a luxury. Another group finds it too complicated to
comprehend.
5. Digital Literacy

• Developed nations have more comprehensive access to computers

among other devices and high-speed internet connection.

• Students who attend schools with sufficient computers and learn the
necessary digital skills have an upper advantage over students who
are not exposed to these technologies at an early age. The lack of
physical access to technology especially in developing countries
widens the gap between the information rich and information poor.
 What are the solutions to the digital divide?
• First, are there any possible solutions to the digital divide? Well,
yes there are. To decrease the digital divide gap, we must tackle the
problems of poverty, low education levels, and poor infrastructure.

• Below are solutions that can help narrow the digital divide gap.

1) Increase affordability

2) Empowering users

3) Improve the relevance of online content

4) Internet infrastructure development

5) Address gender gap in internet access

1) Increase affordability

• One of the chief internet adoption barriers in both developed and developing
countries in the world is affordability.

• A large group of people cannot access the internet because of the high costs
involved.

• The cost of smartphones and laptop computers are expensive, despite technology
being a basic need. Taxes, patent fees and electricity are contributors to the high
prices of technology.

• To help this, we can offer financing to help lower income earners afford new
technology.

• Governments can give tariff subsidies to encourage them to buy these digital
tools.
2) Empowering users
• To see the full potential of the internet and its impact on the world,
we must take advantage of it‟s capabilities.
• Most of the people who use the internet have a limited
understanding of some of its use cases .
• For instance, Google helps people find information that they
would not have access to. An issue that broadens the digital divide
is „participation inequality‟ where users lack the skills to use it.
• The public needs to be educated on the benefits and value of
utilizing the internet and the various resources within it to achieve
economic and social growth.
• Furthermore, the public should be encouraged to share opinions
and any other relevant user data online to aid the government and
other organizations make informed decisions that serve the
people‟s needs better.
3) Improve the relevance of online content
• According to research, the top barrier to internet penetration in
developing countries is relevance. This is because, in most cases,
people cannot find content, online services or web and mobile
applications in their primary language.
• Moreover, most people in rural areas lack the necessary
prerequisite education to understand a lot of online content.
• To encourage internet adoption in such places, local content and
applications need to be developed in local languages that can be
understood by the local populace.
• Besides to this, privacy, trust, and data security issues that tend to
scare away many potential users need to be addressed by
formulating policy frameworks that ensure online websites protect
their users‟ data and online activity .
4) Internet infrastructure development
• The internet relies on infrastructure to relay information between two or more
computers located in different parts of the world. Lack of proper internet
infrastructure, which is the case in many 3rd world countries, means either poor
internet connection or no internet connection at all in those parts of the world.
5) Address gender gap in internet access
• This means that in order to overcome the digital divide, a special focus has to be
placed on women to bring their usage closer to or at par with that of men.
• The fact that in low and middle-income countries there are more women without
mobile phones than men further exacerbates the problem.
• The effort to close this gender gap lies squarely on both government and non-
governmental organizations which must partner up and work together.
• Addressing the issues of poverty, relevance and public awareness will also
considerably address the plight of women without access to the internet.