The process of informatization of society. Informatization of society as a global socio-economic process

To the question: What are the main stages in the history of development? computer technology can you highlight? given by the author Olesya the best answer is The informatization of society is understood as the implementation of a set of measures aimed at ensuring full and timely use by members of society reliable information, which largely depends on the degree of mastery and development of new information technologies.
In the information society, not only production will change, but also the entire way of life and value system. In the information society, intelligence and knowledge are produced and consumed, which leads to an increase in the share of mental labor. The person will need the ability to be creative.
The material and technological base of the information society will be various kinds of systems based on computer equipment And computer networks, information technology, telecommunications.
Information society- a society in which the majority of workers are engaged in the production, storage, processing and sale of information, especially its highest form - knowledge.
Some character traits information society:
the problem of the information crisis has been resolved, i.e. the contradiction between the information avalanche and information hunger has been resolved;
priority of information is ensured compared to other resources;
main form development will be information economy;
the basis of society will be the automated generation, storage, processing and use of knowledge using the latest information technology and technology;
information technologies cover all areas social activities person;
implemented using computer science tools Free access each person to the information resources of the entire civilization.
One of the stages of the transition to the information society is the computerization of society, where the main attention is paid to the development and implementation of computers that ensure prompt receipt of the results of information processing and its accumulation.
The main instrument of computerization is a computer (or computer). Humanity has come a long way before reaching current state computer facilities.
The main stages in the development of computer technology are:
I. Manual - from the 50th millennium BC. e. ;
II. Mechanical - from the middle of the 17th century;
III. Electromechanical - since the nineties of the 19th century;
IV. Electronic - since the forties of the 20th century.
I. The manual period of automation of calculations began at the dawn of human civilization. It was based on the use of fingers and toes. Counting by grouping and rearranging objects was the predecessor of counting on the abacus, the most developed counting instrument of antiquity. An analogue of the abacus in Rus' is the abacus that has survived to this day. Using an abacus involves performing calculations by digits, i.e., the presence of some positioning system Reckoning.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the Scottish mathematician J. Napier introduced logarithms, which had a revolutionary impact on counting. The slide rule he invented was successfully used fifteen years ago, serving engineers for more than 360 years. It is undoubtedly the crowning glory of computing tools manual period automation.
II. The development of mechanics in the 17th century became a prerequisite for the creation computing devices and devices using mechanical method calculations. Here are the most significant results achieved along this path.
1623 - German scientist W. Schickard describes and implements in a single copy a mechanical calculating machine designed to perform four arithmetic operations on six-digit numbers.
1642 - B. Pascal built an eight-bit working model of a adding machine. Subsequently, a series of 50 such machines was created, one of which was ten-bit. This is how the opinion about the possibility of automating mental work was formed.
1673 - German mathematician Leibniz creates the first adding machine that allows you to perform all four arithmetic operations.
1881 - organization serial production adding machines

Answer from Interlayer[active]
The first computers, both analog (AVM) and digital (DVM), appeared in the mid-1940s. In the development of computer technology, 4 generations of computers are usually distinguished: vacuum tubes(1940s - early 1950s), discrete semiconductor devices(mid 1950s - 1960s) integrated circuits(1960s), large integrated circuits (from the mid-1960s). In the early 1980s, computers appeared whose capabilities make it possible to classify them as computers of the new (fifth) generation. A special group consists of personal computers(PC). Since the mid-1970s, the term "computer" has been used mainly as a synonym for electronic digital computers. In foreign, and since the 1980s, in domestic literature, the term computer is used to refer to computers. In the early 1990s, there were several tens of millions of personal computers in the world, about 1 million high-performance computers, including several hundred computers with record performance (supercomputers). Computers are used primarily in scientific and technical calculations, information processing (planning, accounting, forecasting), and automatic control.

informatization society computing

In the 50-70s of the 20th century, it became obvious that humanity was entering into new era, the road to which was paved by the rapid development of technology and, first of all, computers, and scientific and technological revolution in general. Development computer technology allowed society to approach global problem informatization associated with rapidly growing integration processes penetrating into all spheres of our activity: science, culture, education, production, management, etc. Informatization of society is a global social process, the peculiarity of which is that the dominant type of activity in the sphere social production is the collection, accumulation, processing, storage, transmission, use, production of information, carried out on the basis of modern microprocessor and computer technology, as well as various means information interaction and exchange Ursul A.D. Informatization of society and the transition to sustainable development of civilization. - M., 2006. P. 96..

The history of the development of informatization began in the United States in the 60s of the 20th century. Then this concept was considered by a number of countries, such as Japan in the 70s and since the late 70s by Western European countries. A universal technical means of processing any information is a computer, which plays the role of an amplifier of the intellectual capabilities of a person and society as a whole. The emergence and development of computers is a necessary component of the process of informatization of society and education. When informatizing society, the main attention is paid to a set of measures aimed at ensuring full use reliable, comprehensive and timely knowledge in all types of human activity. That is why this concept is broader than “computerization of society,” where the main attention is paid to the development and implementation of a computer base that ensures prompt receipt of information.

In the concept of “informatization of society,” the emphasis should be placed not so much on technical means, but on the essence and purpose of socio-technical progress. Informatization based on the introduction of computer and television communication technologies is a reaction of society to the need for a significant increase in labor productivity in the information sector of social production, where more than half of the working population is concentrated.

Currently, all countries of the world are implementing the process of informatization to one degree or another. An incorrectly chosen informatization strategy or its insufficient dynamism and mobility can lead to significant and sometimes dramatic changes in all spheres of a country’s life. As mentioned above, the first country that began informatization was the United States. Other industrialized countries of the world, having realized the promise and inevitability of this direction, quickly took their bearings and began to increase the pace of implementation of computers and telecommunications.

Most developed countries understand that without extraordinary efforts, the lag in the field of information and communication technologies can become irreversible for their development as a whole.

The result of the informatization process is the creation of an information society, where they manipulate not material objects, but symbols, ideas, images, intelligence, and knowledge. If we consider humanity as a whole, it is currently moving from an industrial society to an information society.

For each country, its movement from the industrial stage of development to the information stage is determined by the degree of informatization of society.

Society with high level the development and use of information technologies, developed infrastructures that ensure the production of information resources and the ability to access information are called information (IO). The name “information society” first appeared in Japan in the mid-60s of the 20th century.

Japanese scientists believe that in the information society the process of computerization will give people access to reliable sources of information and relieve them of routine work, will provide a high level of automation of information processing in production and social spheres. The driving force behind the development of society should be the production of informational, rather than material, products.

In the information society, not only production will change, but also the entire way of life, the value system; the importance of cultural leisure in relation to material values will increase. Compared to an industrial society, where everything is aimed at the production and consumption of goods, in the information society intelligence and knowledge are produced and consumed, which in turn leads to an increase in the share of mental labor. A person will need the ability to be creative, and the demand for knowledge will increase.

The material and technological base of the information society will be various kinds of systems based on computer equipment and computer networks, information technology, and telecommunications.

The information society is a society with a high level of development and use of information technologies, developed infrastructures that ensure the production of information resources and the ability to access information.

A number of scientists highlight the characteristic features of the information society:

the problem of the information crisis has been solved, i.e. the contradiction between the information avalanche and information hunger is resolved;

priority of information is ensured compared to other resources;

the main form of development will be the information economy;

the basis of society will be the automated generation, storage, processing and use of knowledge using the latest information technology and technology;

information technology will become global, covering all spheres of human social activity;

the information unity of the entire human civilization is being formed;

with the help of computer science, every person has free access to the information resources of the entire civilization;

humanistic principles of managing society and impacting the environment have been implemented.

The closest countries on the path to the information society are countries with a developed information industry, which include the USA, Japan, England, Germany, and Western European countries. In these countries, one of the directions of state policy has long been the direction associated with investments and support for innovation in the information industry, in the development computer systems and telecommunications.

In the history of the development of civilization, several information revolutions have occurred - transformations of social relations due to fundamental changes in the field of information processing. The consequence of such transformations was the acquisition of a new quality by human society.

The first revolution was associated with the invention of writing, which led to a gigantic qualitative and quantitative leap. There is an opportunity to transfer knowledge from generation to generation.

The second (mid-16th century) was caused by the invention of printing, which changed society, culture, and organization of activities.

The third (late 19th century) was due to the invention of electricity, thanks to which the telegraph, telephone, and radio appeared, making it possible to quickly transmit and accumulate information in any volume.

The fourth (70s of the twentieth century) is associated with the invention of microprocessor technology and the advent of the personal computer. Microprocessors and integrated circuits are used to create computers, computer networks and data transmission systems (information communications). This period is characterized by three fundamental innovations:

transition from mechanical means of information conversion to electronic ones;

miniaturization of all components, devices, instruments, machines;

creation of software-controlled devices and processes.

The latest information revolution brings to the fore a new industry - the information industry, associated with the production of technical means, methods, technologies for the production of new knowledge. All types of information technologies, especially telecommunications, are becoming the most important components of the information industry. Modern information technology is based on advances in the field of computer technology and communications.

Information technology – a process that uses a set of means and methods for collecting, processing, transmitting data (primary information) to obtain new quality information about the state of an object, process or phenomenon.

Telecommunication – remote data transmission based on computer networks and modern technical means of communication.

The increasing complexity of industrial production, social, economic and political life, changes in the dynamics of processes in all spheres of human activity have led, on the one hand, to an increase in the needs for knowledge, and on the other, to the creation of new means and ways to satisfy these needs.

The rapid development of computer technology and information technology gave impetus to the development of a society built on the use of various information and called the information society.

2. The process of informatization of society

The activities of individuals, groups, teams and organizations are now increasingly beginning to depend on their awareness and ability to effectively use available information. Before taking any action, it is necessary to carry out a lot of work on collecting and processing information, understanding it and analyzing it. Finding rational solutions in any area requires processing large amounts of information, which is sometimes impossible without the use of special technical means.

The increase in the volume of information became especially noticeable in the middle of the 20th century. An avalanche-like flow of information rushed at a person, not giving him the opportunity to perceive this information fully. It became increasingly difficult to navigate the new stream of information that appeared every day. Sometimes it has become more profitable to create a new material or intellectual product than to search for an analogue made earlier. The formation of large flows of information is due to:

extremely rapid growth in the number of documents, reports, dissertations, reports, etc., which present the results of scientific research and development work;

an ever-increasing number of periodicals on different areas human activity;

the appearance of various data (meteorological, geophysical, medical, economic, etc.) that do not fall within the scope of the communication system.

As a result, it comes informational a crisis (explosion), which has the following manifestations:

contradictions appear between disabilities human perception and processing of information and existing powerful streams and arrays of stored information. For example, total amount knowledge changed very slowly at first, but already from 1900, it doubled every 50 years, by 1950 the doubling occurred every 10 years, by 1970 - every 5 years, since 1990 - annually;

exists a large number of excessive information that makes it difficult to perceive information useful to the consumer;

Certain economic, political and other social barriers arise that impede the dissemination of information. For example, due to secrecy reasons, it is often necessary information Employees of different departments cannot use it.

These reasons have given rise to a very paradoxical situation - the world has accumulated enormous information potential, but people cannot use it to its full extent due to the limitations of their capabilities. The information crisis has confronted society with the need to find ways out of this situation. The introduction of computers, modern means of processing and transmitting information into various fields of activity served as the beginning of a new evolutionary process called informatization in the development of human society, which is at the stage of industrial development.

Informatization of society - organized socio-economic and scientific-technical process of creation optimal conditions to meet information needs and realize the rights of citizens, government bodies, bodies local government, organizations, public associations based on the formation and use of information resources.

Let's look at this process in more detail.

The history of the development of informatization began in the USA in the 60s, then in the 70s. - in Japan and since the late 70s - in Western Europe.

Modern material production and other areas of activity increasingly require information services and processing of huge amounts of information. A universal technical means of processing any information is a computer, which plays the role of an amplifier of the intellectual capabilities of a person and society as a whole, and communication tools using computers serve to communicate and transmit information. The emergence and development of computers is a necessary component of the process of informatization of society.

Informatization of society is one of the laws of modern social progress. This term is increasingly replacing the term “computerization of society,” which was widely used until recently. Despite the external similarity of these concepts, they have a significant difference.

When computerizing society, the main attention is paid to the development and implementation of the technical base of computers that ensure prompt receipt of the results of information processing and its accumulation.

When informatizing society, the main attention is paid to a set of measures aimed at ensuring the full use of reliable, comprehensive and timely knowledge in all types of human activity.

Thus, “informatization of society” is a broader concept than “computerization of society” and is aimed at quickly mastering information to meet one’s needs. In the concept of “informatization of society,” the emphasis should be placed not so much on technical means, but on the essence and purpose of socio-technical progress. Computers are a basic technical component of the process of informatization of society.

Informatization based on the introduction of computer and telecommunication technologies is society’s response to the need for a significant increase in labor productivity in the information sector of social production, where more than half of the working population is concentrated. For example, more than 60% of the working population is employed in the information sector in the United States, and about 40% in the CIS.

The activities of individuals, groups, teams and organizations increasingly begin to depend on their awareness and ability to effectively use available information. The formation of large flows of information contributed to the offensive information crisis , which has the following manifestations:

· contradictions appear between a person’s limited abilities to perceive and process information and the existing powerful flows and arrays of stored information;

· there is a large amount of redundant information that makes it difficult to perceive information useful to the consumer;

· certain economic, political and other social barriers arise that impede the dissemination of information.

Thus, the world has accumulated a huge information potential, but people cannot take full advantage of it due to the limitations of their capabilities. The information crisis has confronted society with the need to find ways out of this situation.

The introduction of computers, modern means of processing and transmitting information into various fields of activity was the beginning of a new evolutionary process called informatization , in the development of human society at the stage of industrial development.

Informatization of society– organized socially - economically and scientifically - technical process creating optimal conditions to satisfy information needs and implementation of the rights of citizens, government bodies, local governments, organizations, public associations based on the formation and use of information resources.

Term informatization of society The term “computerization of society”, which was widely used until recently, is increasingly replacing it. Despite the external similarity of these concepts, they have a significant difference.

At computerization of society The main attention is paid to the development and implementation of the technical base of computers that ensure prompt receipt of results of information processing and accumulation.

At informatization of society the main focus is on a set of measures aimed at ensuring the full use of reliable, comprehensive and timely knowledge in all types of human activity.

Currently, all countries of the world are implementing the process of informatization to one degree or another. An incorrectly chosen informatization strategy or its insufficient dynamism and mobility can lead to significant and sometimes dramatic changes in all spheres of a country’s life. As you know, the first country that began informatization was the United States. Other industrialized countries of the world, having realized the promise and inevitability of this direction, quickly took their bearings and began to increase the pace of implementation of computers and telecommunications.

Constant trend to a decrease in the share of American goods in domestic market led to numerous problems in the US economy. To get out of this situation, measures are being taken to intensify the informatization of all aspects of American society, namely:

· increased investment in new research developments;

· improving the quality of education;

· development of international cooperation at the product development stage;

· improving the quality of the workforce and a number of other measures.

It is important to take this experience into account when developing the state policy of informatization of our country, since by producing information technologies, you can have all the advantages and conditions for the development of other high technology and economics. Most developed countries understand that without extraordinary efforts, the lag in the field of information and communication technologies can become irreversible for their development as a whole. The leaders of some "third world" countries are watching with growing alarm as they lag further behind the industrialized countries that are implementing information technology. This may lead to the country being perceived as a raw material appendage to the community of information and industrialized countries. This fully applies to Russia.

To compare and assess the country's capabilities, the concept and main ideas of the information technology program in Japan, which currently occupies a leading position in the world in the production of modern information products, services and technologies, may be of interest.

Currently, Japan is at the second stage of informatization.

The goal of the Japanese project is to link those services that were previously offered separately. To do this, all types of information from telephone messages and television programs to computer products themselves must be transmitted one at a time common cable. In the future, each subscriber cable network will be able to receive several services at the same time. Much attention in the project is also paid to the creation of terminals for inexperienced users with an intelligent interface where information is entered by voice.

It is expected that the full implementation of the informatization project will take 20 years and require about 100 billion dollars of capital investment.

In addition, a 10-year program worth $480 million was adopted for the development of new types of computers:

· computers with a high degree of parallelism in information processing, in which dozens to hundreds of processors simultaneously perform complex operations;

· computers with neural networks, whose work is similar to the functioning of the brain;

· computers in which information is transmitted by light.

In any country, regardless of its level of development, they understand to one degree or another the inevitability and necessity of implementing the ideas of informatization of society. Many countries have national programs informatization taking into account local characteristics and conditions. However, when creating and implementing such programs, one should rely on the experience of advanced countries, take into account their successes and failures, and reflect existing and future trends in informatization.

For successful implementation informatization programs must follow principles common to the entire world community:

· abandonment of the desire to primarily ensure the economic growth of the country;

· the need to replace the economic structure based on heavy industry with a structure based on knowledge-intensive industries;

· recognition of the priority nature of the information sector. The basis of a successful economic development is the creation of new infrastructure and service sectors capable of supporting the national economy;

· wide use achievements of world science and technology;

· investing significant financial resources in informatization, both public and private;

· announcement of an increase in the well-being of the country and its citizens by facilitating the conditions of communication and information processing main goal informatization.

For each country, its movement from industrial to information stage development is determined by the degree of informatization of society.

One of distinctive features life in modern society is a gigantic development of funds mass media(newspapers, magazines, cinema, television, radio). Delivered by modern scientific and technical developments to high quality new level and united by means of communication into global information and communication networks, they have an extremely strong influence on the psychology of the vast mass of people all over the world. This is especially strong and clear in the most developed countries of Western Europe, the USA, Japan, and Great Britain. With the help of the media, it is possible to manipulate public opinion, create the necessary psychological prerequisites for the formation of political decisions in various fields activities.

The development of the media is largely facilitated by the process of informatization of society. The emergence of new technical means, information technologies, telecommunications, etc. ensures timely collection, accumulation, prompt processing and transfer of information to any point in world space. As a result, it becomes possible to accept operational decisions and targeted impacts on society. This is one of the reasons why the governments of the most advanced countries in last years began to pay great attention to the development information sphere production. Along with the positive impact of informatization of society on the media, there is also a negative one. Thus, a number of scientists in many countries claim that technological progress in the field mass communication In some cases, it serves the social regression of society, as it sometimes destroys the created social communication ties.

In turn, the media can influence the process of informatization of society by advertising new information products and services, forming public opinion about the priority of this process compared to others, about the paramount importance of the measures taken to intensify it, about the role of the information sphere in the model of the future information society.

About information culture

During the transition to the information society, in addition to solving the problems described above, it is necessary to prepare a person for the rapid perception and processing of large volumes of information, mastering it modern means, methods and technology of work. In addition, new working conditions create a dependence of one person's awareness on the information acquired by other people. Therefore, it is no longer enough to be able to independently master and accumulate information, but one must learn a technology for working with information in which decisions are prepared and made on the basis of collective knowledge. This suggests that a person must have a certain level of culture in handling information. To reflect this fact, the term information culture was introduced.

Information culture– the ability to purposefully work with information and use computer information technology, modern technical means and methods.

"Information culture in in the narrow sense- this is the level of what has been achieved in the development of information communication of people, as well as a characteristic of the information sphere of people’s life, in which we can note the degree of achievement, the quantity and quality of what has been created, development trends, and the degree of forecasting the future.”

For free orientation in the information flow, a person must have information culture as one of the components of general culture. Information culture is associated with the social nature of man. It is a product of a person’s diverse creative abilities and is manifested in the following aspects:

· in specific skills to use technical devices(from telephone to personal computer and computer networks);

· the ability to use computer information technology in one’s activities, the basic components of which are numerous software products;

· ability to extract information from various sources: from both periodicals and electronic communications, present it in an understandable form and be able to use it effectively;

· mastery of the basics of analytical information processing;

· ability to work with various information;

· knowledge of the features information flows in your field of activity.

Information culture absorbs knowledge from those sciences that contribute to its development and adaptation to a specific type of activity (cybernetics, computer science, information theory, mathematics, database design theory and a number of other disciplines). An integral part information culture are knowledge of new information technology and the ability to apply it both for automation routine operations, and in extraordinary situations requiring an unconventional creative approach.

In the information society, the center of gravity falls on social production, where the requirements for the level of training of all its participants are significantly increased. Therefore, the informatization program should Special attention pay attention to informatization of education as an area related to the acquisition and development of human information culture. This is due to factors such as the introduction of the personal computer into all areas of activity; possibility of organizing a "friendly" software environment user-oriented; the use of telecommunications, providing new conditions for collaboration specialists; the use of information technologies for a wide variety of activities; a constantly growing need for specialists capable of implementing it.

In our country, the solution to this problem is at an initial stage, so it is advisable to take into account the experience of the most developed countries, which include the USA, Japan, England, Germany, France, where this process has already received significant development.

Informational resources

In the information society, the emphasis is on traditional types resources (material, natural, labor, financial, energy) are shifted to information resources.

Informational resources- This individual documents and separate arrays of documents.

One of the key concepts in the informatization of society is the concept of “ informational resources» – knowledge prepared by people for social use in society and recorded on material medium. This knowledge materialized in the form of documents, databases, knowledge bases, algorithms, computer programs, as well as works of art, literature, and science.