Information . age
Information . age
• The Information Age is the period beginning in the last quarter of the 20th century, characterized
by a rapid shift from traditional industry to an economy based on the manipulation and
distribution of information.
• It is marked by a very fast growth in communication and information technology, and is also
referred to as the "Computer Age", "Digital Age", or "New Media Age".
Comparison to Previous Eras:
Pre-Gutenberg Era:
• Invention of computers and the internet in the 1980s enabled easy mass distribution of
information
• Rise of social networks and crowdsourcing
• Information has become a valuable commodity, easily accessible and disseminated digitally
Key characteristics of the Information Age include:
Compare and contrast the Digital Age and the Computer Age
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Both the Digital Age and Computer Age involve computers, but they differ signi cantly:
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