EMPOWERMENT TECHNOLOGIES

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) deals with the use of different

communication technologies such as mobile phones, telephone, internet, etc. to

locate, save, send, and edit information.

When we make a video call, we use internet. When we send a text or make a

call, we use cellular networks. When we run out of load or battery, we use payphones

which use a telephone network. Having a unified way to communicate is one of the

goals of ICT. In terms of economics, ICT has saved companies a lot of resources (time

and money) with the kind of communication technology they use nowadays. In a

similar way, we spend less because of ICT. As it normally costs us a peso to send a text

message or SMS, with the internet, we can send multiple messages and only be

charged by a fraction.

ICT IN THE PHILIPPINES

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Several international companies dub the Philippines as the “ICT Hub of Asia”. It is

no secret that there is a huge growth of ICT-related jobs around the country, one of
which is the call center or BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) centers.

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According to the 2013 edition of Measuring the Information Society by the

International Telecommunication Union, there are 106.8 cellphones per 100 Filipinos in

the year 2012. That would mean that for every 100 Filipinos you meet, there is a high

chance that they have a cellphone and approximately for the seven of them, they

have two.

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In a data gathered by the Annual Survey of the Philippine Business and Industries,
NSO, in 2010, the ICT industry shares 19.3% of the total employment population here in

the Philippines.

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To add to this statistics, Time Magazine’s “The Selfiest Cities around the World” of

2014 places two cities from the Philippines in the top 1 and top 9 spots. The study was

conducted using Instagram, a popular photo sharing application.

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With the numbers, there is no doubt that the Philippines, is one of the countries

that benefits most out of ICT.

WEB 2.0: DYNAMIC WEB PAGES

The internet has been a vital tool to our modern lives that is why it is also

important to take the best of the internet.

When the World Wide Web was invented, most web pages were static. Static

(also known as flat page of stationary page) in the sense that the page is “as is” and

cannot be manipulate by the use. The content is also the same for all the users. This is

referred to as the Web 1.0.

However, the World Wide Web is more than just static pages. Pretty soon, Web

2.0 came into the picture.

Web 2.0 is a term coined by Darcy DiNucci on January 1999. In her article title,

“Fragmented Future”, she wrote:

The Web we know now, which loads into a browser window in essentially

static screenfuls, is only an embryo of the Web to come. The first

glimmerings of Web 2.0 are beginning to appear, and we are just starting

to see how that embryo might develop.

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Web 2.0 is the evolution of Web 1.0 by adding dynamic web pages – the user is

able to see a website differently than others. Examples of Web 2.0 include social

networking sites, blogs, wikis, video sharing sites, hosted services, and web applications.

Web 2.0 also allows users to use web browsers instead of just using their operating

system. Browsers can now be used for their user interface, application software (or web
application), and even for file storage. Most websites that we visit today are Web 2.0.

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FEATURES OF WEB 2.0

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The key features of Web 2.0 include;

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1. Folksonomy – allows users to categorize and classify/arrange information

using freely chosen keywords (e.g. tagging). Popular networking sites such as

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. use tags that start with the pound sign (#).
This is also referred to as hashtag.

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2. Rich User Experience – content is dynamic and is responsive to user’s input.

An example would be a website that shows local content. In the case of

social networking sites, when logged on, your account is used to modify what

you see in their website.

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3. User Participation – the owner of the website is not the only one who is able

to put content. Others are able to place a content of their own by means of

comments, reviews, and evaluation. Some websites allow readers to

comment on an article, participate in a poll, or review a specific product

(e.g. Amazon.com, online stores).

4. Long Tail – services that are offered on demand rather than a one-time
purchase. In certain cases, time-based pricing is better than file-size pricing or

vice-versa. This is synonymous to subscribing to a data plan that charges you

for the amount of time you spent in the Internet, or a data plan that charges

you for the amount of bandwidth you used.

5. Software as a Service – users will subscribe to a software only when needed

rather than purchasing them. This is a cheaper option if you do not always

need to use a software. For instance, Google Docs is a free web-based

application that allows the user to create an edit word processing and

spreadsheet documents online. When you need a software, like a Word

Processor, you can purchase it for a one-time huge amount and install it in

your computer and it is yours forever. Software as a service allows you to

“rent” a software for a minimal fee.

6. Mass Participation – diverse information sharing through universal web

access. Since most users can use the internet, Web 2.0’s content is based on

people from various cultures.

WEB 3.0 AND THE SEMANTIC WEB

The Semantic Web is a movement led by the World Wide Web Consortium

(W3C). The W3C standard encourages web developers to include semantic content in

their web pages. The term was coined by the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim

Berners-Lee. Lee also noted that the Semantic Web is a component of Web 3.0.

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According to the W3C, “The Semantic Web provides a common framework that

allows data to be shared and reused across application, enterprise, and community

boundaries.” The aim of Web 3.0 is to have machines (or servers) understand the user’s

preferences to be able to deliver web content specifically targeting the user. For

example, when doing a web search in Web 2.0, the topmost result is based on the

preference of several users who already searched for the item. The search engine then

labels it the most common answer to the search query. Though there are instances

wherein several preferences are considered like geographic location, Web 3.0 aims to

do better. This is through studying personal preferences of an individual user and

showing results based on those preferences. The internet is able to predict the best
possible answers to your question by “learning” from your previous choices.

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For example, if you search the Internet for “Where is the best place to go

shopping?” Web 3.0 will aim to give you results depending on how you have made

choices in the past. If you purchased several shoes online, the Internet will give you

results on the best place with the highest rated shoes around your vicinity.

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Another example is when you search for the best restaurant to visit in a specific

area. First, it may look for your previous visits from another restaurants and if you have

rated them whether good or bad. In return, Web 3.0 will search for restaurants that

have a similar menu, good rating, and budget that fit your preference in the past.

Web 3.0 is yet to be fully realized because of several problems;

1. Compatibility – HTML files and current web browsers could not support Web 3.0.
2. Security – the user’s security is also in question since the machine is saving his or

her preferences.

3. Vastness – the World Wide Web already contains billions of web pages.
4. Vagueness – certain words are imprecise. The words “old” and “small” would

depend on the user.

5. Logic – since machines use logic, there are certain limitations for a computer to

be able to predict what the user is referring to at a given time.

TRENDS IN ICT

As the world of ICT continues to grow, the industry has focused on several

innovations. These innovations cater to the needs of the people that benefit most out of

ICT. Whether it is for business or personal use, these trends are the current front runners in

the innovation of ICT.

1. Convergence

Technological Convergence is the synergy of technological

advancements to work on a similar goal or task. For example, besides using your

personal computer to create word documents, you can now use your

smartphone. It can also use cloud technologies to sync files from one device to

another while using LTE technology which means you can access your files

anytime, anywhere. Convergence is using several technologies to accomplish a

task conveniently.

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2. Social Media

Social Media is a website, application, or online channel that enables

web users to create, co-create, discuss, modify, and exchange user-generated

content. According to Nielsen, a global information and measurement

company, Internet users spend more time in social media sites that any other

type of site. With this, more and more advertisers use social media to promote

their product.

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There are six types of social media:

a. Social Networks – these are sites that allow you to connect with other people

with the same interests or background. Once user creates his or her account,

he or she can set up a profile, add people, create groups, and share

content.

Examples: Facebook and Google+

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b. Bookmarking Sites – these are sites that allow you to store and manage links

to various websites and resources. Most of these sites allow you to create a

tag that allows you and others to easily search or share them.

Examples: StumbleUpon and Pinterest

c. Social News – these are sites that allow users to post their own news items or

links to other news sources. The users can also comment on the post and

comments may also be ranked. They are also capable of voting on these
news articles of the website. Those who get the most amount of votes are

shown prominently.

Examples: Reddit and Digg

d. Media Sharing – these are sites that allow you to upload and share media

content like images, music, and video. Most of these sites have additional

social features like liking, commenting, and having user profiles.

Examples: Flickr, Youtube, and Instagram

e. Microblogging – these are sites that focus on short updates from the user.

Those subscribed to the user will be able to receive these updates.

Examples: Twitter and Plurk

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Blogs and Forums – these websites allow users to post their content. Other

users are able to comment on the said topic. There are several free blogging

platforms like Blogger, WordPress and Tumblr. On the other hand, forums are

typically part of a certain website or web service.

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3. Mobile Technologies

The popularity of smartphones and tablets has taken a major rise over the

years. This is largely because of the device’ capability to do tasks that were

originally found in personal computers. Several of these devices are capable of

using high-speed internet. Today, the latest mobile devices use 4G Networking

(LTE), which is currently the fastest mobile network. Also, mobile devices use
different operating systems:

a. iOS – used in apple devices such as the iPhone and iPad.

b. Android – an open source operating system developed by Google. Being open

source means several mobile companies use this OS for free.

c. Blackberry OS – used in Blackberry devices.

d. Windows Phone OS – a closed source and proprietary operating system

developed by Microsoft®.

e. Symbian – the original smartphone OS; used by Nokia devices.

f. WebOS – originally used for smartphones; now used for smart TVs.

g. Windows Mobile – developed by Microsoft® for smartphones and pocket PCs.

4. Assistive Media

Assistive Media is a nonprofit service designed to help people who have

visual and reading impairments. A database of audio recordings is used to read

to the user. You may visit this link for several of their audio recordings