THE INFORMATION AGE The impact of IT on modern society is profound. It is often described as the Information Revolution.

The driving force behind this revolution is the convergence of computing and telecommunication technology. The changes IT has brought about to modern society are far beyond just automation of some routine tasks. In many cases, IT has fundamentally changed the way business is conducted. The pace of change is also unprecedented. Previous social revolutions such as the industrial revolution have taken a long time, hundreds of years, to spread out from their original sources, but the Information Society emerged all around the world within a single generation. Today, Internet access has spread to even the least developed regions of the globe. IT has enabled the globalization of the economy and competition, and has subsequently brought about large-scale changes in the industrial makeup of all the advanced industrial nations. We have witnessed the rapid growth of some industries such as computers, communications, software and financial services by enabling new products, services, and efficiencies, while other more traditional industries have stalled or even contracted by comparison. As it is transforming the economic landscape, IT is also bringing a major shift in the job market. Many analysts have noted that information technology is resulting in a more polarized occupational structure, consisting of highly skilled, well paid jobs at one end and lower skilled, low wages at the other, with few jobs in between. For the modern work force, IT literacy is becoming an essential requirement. With the arrival of digital television, on-line shopping and banking, IT becomes a basic skill every member of the community needs to have. Today computers are everywhere, in offices, stores, banks, homes and even coffee shops. The following are only a few examples of where computers are used. Communication : The ability to communicate underpins most human activities. Traditional communication media include telephone, fax and mail. In the new information era, people can exchange correspondence almost instantly using e-mail, access unlimited information on the Internet and meet other people over physical distance using video conferencing. The new communication technologies enables people located in different places to work together as if they were in the same office. Big multinational companies are already

exploiting this technology to achieve better use of the resources of their separate offices. For example, design may be done in one country while construction may be carried out in another. In this way, projects can be shared between offices so that the best expertise can be applied to the job. Furthermore, companies with international offices can now work around the clock. When workers in one office finish work at the end of the day, files can be passed on to an office in a different time zone for work to continue. On-line services : The rapid development of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) has enabled many services that traditionally require face-to-face contacts to be delivered on-line. For example, going to the local bank branch used to be the normal way for people to carry out financial transactions. Now, on-line banking allows customers to manage their own bank accounts 24 hours a day in the comfort of their own homes. People can pay bills, transfer money, and set up standing orders over a secure Internet link without the need to trouble a bank clerk. Similarly, many supermarkets also provide on-line shopping services. Customers can browse and order goods on-line. The shops will deliver the goods to the customers homes. Internet distance learning : Providing more people with opportunities of university education is important to a countrys competitiveness in a global market. Widening access to higher education includes delivering teaching and learning to people who cannot attend lectures at the campus. The traditional correspondence based distance learning does not allow close interaction between students and tutors. Today, computers and the Internet allow students to study using an on-line virtual learning environment. In a similar way to a campus environment, students can interact with tutors and fellow students. They can access course materials and library services. They can even carry out on-line assessments. This new development is particularly beneficial to those people who are in work. Now they can study in their own time from home of workplace. E-business : In addition to the above business-to-customer on-line services, there are more and more business-to-business services. The Internet provides a virtual market place for buyers, suppliers, distributors and sellers to exchange information, negotiate with one another and conduct trade. This development brings new market opportunities for many companies because trade is no longer restricted by physical distance. On the other hand, there will be more competition as many companies can potentially participate in a given business transaction.

Teleworking : As IT brings rapid changes in the workplace, it also brings dramatic changes in the way people work. With Internet access from home and public places, many workers no longer need to come to the office daily. They can access a companys computer servers at any time and any place to download their assignments and keep in contact with fellow workers. This gives more flexibility for the individuals, especially for those who need to combine work with family responsibilities. Companies benefit from the need for less office space and, very often, more productive workers. The whole society also benefits from less traffic on the roads.