General Education Subject: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
Lesson 6 - The information age: current issues on social
media
INFORMATION AGE
 Refers to the present time, in which large
amounts of information are available because
of developments in computer technology
 Also called the Computer Age, the Digital Age
and the New Media Age is coupled tightly with
the advent of personal computers.
 The Information Age is the idea that access to
and the control of information is the defining
characteristic of this current era in human
civilization.
GUTENBERG PRESS
 Johann Gutenberg's invention of movable-type
printing quickened the spread of knowledge,
discoveries, and literacy in Renaissance Europe.
 The printing revolution also contributed mightily
to the Protestant Reformation that split apart
the Catholic Church.
PERSONAL COMPUTERS
 Bulletin board systems are one of the first
forms of the social media in the late 1970's.
They are hosted on personal computers and are
accessible to one person at a time.
 BBS was the first kind of website that allows
users to log on and connect with each other. It
remained famous until the end of 1990's.
 Humanity was introduced to a new method of
sharing individual cultures, stories, ideas and
general knowledge with others at a significantly
faster and deeper level
 The Department of Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency or DARPA led to the
formation of the Advanced Research Projects
Agency Network or ARPANET in October 1969.
 This ARPANET is the technology that we today
know as the Internet.
 In the beginning, the ARPANET was only
accessible to the selected members of the
Defense Department. So, eventually, other
networks were created to enable sharing of
information.
INTERNET
 a global computer network providing a variety
of information and communication facilities,
consisting of interconnected networks using
standardized communication protocols.
 Started in the 1960s as a way for government
researchers to share information.*
 January 1, 1983 - considered the official
birthday of the Internet. Prior to this, the
various computer networks did not have a
standard way to communicate with each other.
INTERNET OF THINGS, OR IOT,
• A network of interrelated devices that connect
and exchange data with other IoT devices and
the cloud.
• IoT devices are typically embedded with
technology such as sensors and software and
can include mechanical and digital machines
and consumer objects.
Among the benefits derived from science and
technology are the advancements in the field of
communication. The information age has heavily
influenced the way people connect with each other. The
most prominent technological advancement of the new
millennium is the rise of social media
SOCIAL MEDIA
 Are forms of electronic communication through
which users create online communities to
share information, ideas, personal messages,
and other content (such as videos)
 Websites and applications that are designed to
facilitate creation and exchange of information
in a virtual space.
 Through social media, people can easily access
any type of information they need and want
through the different gadgets
THE RISE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
 The rise of social media was first seen in the
popularization of Friendster in 2002, was
succeeded by MySpace in 2003 and was taken
over by Facebook in 2004.
 Facebook remains one of the main social media
outlets of today, alongside others such as X
(Twitter), Instagram and Snapchat.
 These sites act as platforms for people to talk
and interact with each other without the
limitation of time and space.
 Social media has influenced almost every aspect
of society with even institutions and
government organizations using different social
media platforms for various purposes
1. Social media in the advertisement
industry
General Education Subject: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
2. Social media in political matters • Social media have also made it possible for
3. Social media in education people to do both complex and simple
4. Other purposes of social media tasks, that is from calculating their taxes to
making dinner reservations.
I. SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE ADVERTISEMENT • Social media has also allowed people to
INDUSTRY
express opinions on virtually anything for
• Social media currently plays a large role in
other people to read.
the advertisement industry
i. as a tool to promote brands and • News agencies also taken social media to
products. disseminate news and announcements
ii. to gain more information about everyday.
their target consumers because RISKS RELATED TO SOCIAL MEDIA
these platforms allow people to 1. Issue of privacy and identity theft
divulge basic personal 2. Cyberbullying
information such as their name, 3. Distancing from the real world
age, gender, location, likes and 4. Decreased amount of time spent on face-to-face
dislikes communication
II. SOCIAL MEDIA IN POLITICAL MATTERS 5. Affects the ways students write
Social media can help people engage in
6. Effects on the way society establishes its norms
political matters
and ideologies Images circulated on social
a. Can form groups or page that furthers a
media reinforce not only the idea of what is
particular causes.
normal or acceptable in society but also those
b. Make political engagement easier
ideas that are unacceptable or deviant
because “posting such support online
requires little effort” (Croteau, Hoynes,
Internet Slang
& Milan, 2012)
• AFAIC — "as far as I'm concerned", or "as far as I
c. Also increased political engagement for
care", or "as far as I can..."
the youth.
• AFAIK — "as far as I know"
d. Provide young adults a newer and more
• AFAIR — "as far as I recall", or "as far as I
dynamic outlet for expressing their
remember"
political beliefs and interests (Keating &
• AFK — "away from keyboard"
Mealis, 2017)
• ASAP — "as soon as possible"
III. SOCIAL MEDIA IN EDUCATION
• BBL — "be back later“
Social media is used to further connect and
• FAQ — "Frequently Asked Question“
enhance the interactions between teachers
• HAND — "have a nice day"
and students both in and out of the
• LMAO — "laughing my ass off"
classroom
• LOL — "laughing out loud", or "lots of laughs" (a
a. Enhances student collaboration and
reply to something amusing)
interaction
• NOYB — "none of your business"
b. Allows information sharing
• NP — "No Problem“
c. Expands student-teacher interaction
• R8 – RIGHT
d. Improves students’ communication
• OOC — "out-of-character".
skills and decrease barriers for self-
• OTOH — "on the other hand"
expression.
Book Reference:
IV. OTHER PURPOSES Casas, John Miller et.al (2020). Science, Technology and
• Social media is ultimately used as means for Society. C&E Publishing, Inc.
leisure and most users use it to connect Various internet sources
with family, friends and loved ones