Specific issues in

Science, Technology
and Society
Reporters:
Louinskie Ivan Acta
Hannah Albor
KC Ann Mary Saliot
Germille Aguilling
Valeri Carl Amores
OBJECTIVES:
▪At the end of this lesson, we will able to
- Define information age
- Discuss the history of information age
- Understand the factors that need to be considered in
checking website sources.
 INTRODUCTION:
Highly modernized, automated, data-driven, and
technologically advanced – these best describe our society
nowadays, as evidenced by how of society have been
influenced tremendously such as communication, economics,
industry, health and the environment. Despite our gains due
to growing development of information technology, the rapid
upgrade of information also has disadvantages.
Life is accompanied by endless transmission of information
that takes place within and outside the human body, According to Encyclopedic Unabridged
Dictionary, information is “knowledge communicated or obtained concerning a specific fact
or circumstance” that’s why information is a very important tool for survival.
 The information age is defined as a “period starting in the last quarter of the 20th
century when information became effortlessly accessible through publications and
through the management of information by computers and computer networks”. The
means of conveying symbolic information (e.g., writing, math, other codes) among
humans has evolved with increasing speed. The information age is also called the Digital
Age and the New Media Age because it has associated with the development of
computers.
 According to James R. Messenger who proposed the Theory of Information Age in
1982. “the information age is a true new age based upon the interconnection of
computers via telecommunications, with these information systems operating on both a
real-time and as-needed basis. Furthermore, the primary factors driving this new age
forward are convenience and user-friendliness which, in turn will create user
dependence”
 As a man evolved, information and its dissemination has also evolved in many ways.
Eventually, we no longer kept them to ourselves, instead we share them and manage them
in different means. Information got ahead of us. It started to grow at a rate we were
unprepared to handle. Because of the abundance of information, it was difficult to collect
and manage the starting in 1960s and 1970s. Information Age began around the 1970s and
is still going on today. It is also known as the Computer Age, Digital Age, or New Media Age.
This era brought about a time period in which people could access information and
knowledge easily.
 Claude Elwood Shannon was an American
mathematician, electrical engineer, and cryptographer known
as a "father of information theory".
Born: April 30, 1916, Petoskey, Michigan, United States
Died: February 24, 2001, 
Medford, Massachusetts, United States
 Information Age has an important role brought to us
about many new inventions and innovations. Many
communication services like texting, email, and social media
developed and the world has not been the same since.
 Computer
Computers are among the most
important contributions of advances in
the Information Age to society. A
computer is an electronic device that
stores and processes data (information).
It runs on a program that contains the
exact, step-by-step directions to solve a
problem (US history. org, 2017).
 Types of Computer
Computers are associated with numerous terms and descriptions.
Most people suggest the dimensions, intended use, or the computer's
power. While the term "computer" can apply to virtually any device that
has a microprocessor in it, most people think of a computer as a device
that receives input from the user through a mouse (hand-guided
directions tool) or keyboard, processes it in some fashion, and presents
the result on a screen.
 1. Personal Computer (PC)

▪It is a single-user instrument.

PCs were first known as
microcomputers since they
were a complete computer but
built on a smaller scale than the
enormous systems operated by
most businesses.
 2. Desktop Computer

▪It is described as a PC that is not designed for

portability. The assumption with a desktop is that it
will be set up in a permanent spot. A workstation is
simply a desktop computer that has a more powerful
processor, additional memory, and enhanced
capabilities for performing special group of tasks,
such as 3D graphics or game development. Most
desktops offer more storage, power, and versatility
than their portable versions (UShistory.org, 2017).
 3. Laptops

▪These are portable computers

that integrate the essentials of a
desktop computer in a battery-
powered package, which are
somewhat larger than a typical
hardcover book. They are
commonly called notebooks.
 4. Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)

▪These are tightly integrated

computers that usually have
no keyboards but rely on a
touch screen for user input.
PDAs are typically smaller
than a paperback, lightweight,
and battery- powered
(UShistory.org, 2017).
 5. Server
▪It refers to a computer that has been improved to provide network services to other
computers. Servers usually boast powerful processors, tons of memory, and large
hard drives (UShistory.org, 2017).

▪A server is a machine or computer program that provides data or functionality for

other machines or programs. We call the other devices or programs ‘clients.’ Most
commonly, the term refers to a computer that provides data to other computers. The
data may be served to systems on a wide area network (WAN) over the Internet.
Alternatively, it may serve the data to LAN systems. LAN stands for local area
network.
 6. Mainframes

▪These are huge computer systems that can

fill an entire room. They are used especially
by large firms to describe the large,
expensive machines that process millions of
transactions every day. The term
"mainframe" has been replaced by
enterprise server. Although some
supercomputers are single computer
systems, most comprise multiple, high-
performance, parallel computers working as
a single system (UShistory.org, 2017).
 7. Wearable Computers

▪They involve materials that are usually

integrated into cell phones, watches, and
other small objects or places. They perform
common computer applications such as
databases, email, multimedia, and schedulers
(UShistory.org, 2017).
 Impacts of Information age to our Society

The information age is characterized by fast communication modes that are

not limited to location and distance. Information moves in real-time across the
globe. New technologies that make the information age possible such as
computers, the internet, smartphone, and satellite among others have changed
how humankind behaves. Technologies in the 
information age come with their advantages and disadvantages that are specific
to each sector. We discuss these sectors and how they are affected by technology.
 Impact of the information age on education
Positive impacts
With new technologies, information can be accessed any time anywhere without
requiring to be physically in a classroom with a teacher and a physical book. Internet
and search engine help learners to search for content and new information over the
internet. Online classrooms are the norm these days by use of video conferencing
 platforms that are available. Universities have most of their books digitalized and they
exist on their server computer or they have subscribed to online libraries such as 
IEE Xplore library.  
 Negative impacts
The information age has it negative impact when it comes to education.
The main is plagiarism of content. Since information is simple to get online
learners can copy and paste that knowledge without even acknowledging
the source of data. Self-pacing learning that is characterized by current age
requires a highly motivated individual to learn since there is no teacher to
push the student.
 Impacts on business and economy
Positive impacts
In the digital age, businesses can reach a global market by using technologies such
as advertising on social media, creating an online store, doing online sales, and
customer service among other. Companies like Amazon are modern retail businesses
that characterized the information age, business model. Anybody can buy or sell their
good or service using the platform from wherever they are in the world.

Negative impacts
With online business fraud and untrustworthy companies and customer becomes
the main challenge. Giving out your hard-earned money with a click of a button to a
faceless individual is not a simple act. The customer is not sure if they pay for the
goods they will be delivered and what the quality will be like until they receive them.
 Impacts on agriculture
Positive Impact
Farmers are using technology to monitor their farmers in real time. By use of the internet
and other technology, they can monitor and get live feed when the farm gets infected with
pests or diseases, and get notifications when temperatures are high among other factors.
With this kind of data, decisions are made faster to improve production. Drones as technology
can also the used to spray big farmers.

Negative Impact
With improved technology more land is cleared to pave way for more agricultural
activity. These lead to loose of biodiversity in the environment that was before the use of
advanced technology. This also leads to mono-cropping where you find most of the world’s
land is occupied by a single crop such as wheat.
 Environmental impacts
Positive impacts 
Technology has helped develop better methods to conserve our environment by
monitoring issues such as waste disposal. Also, we have new technologies that are used
to create better ways of recycling materials that are not biodegradable.

Negative impacts 
The major casualty of the information age is how it has affected our environment in
negative ways. Most of the materials and hardware produced and used in modern
technology they are not biodegradable. This means if they are not recycled which most
are not, then they pollute our environment. Also, raw materials that are used to
manufacture these devices such as computer and smartphones are mined which affect
the environment. What all this means is that humankind is exposed to toxicity associated
with digital waste generated from all these technologies.
 Impact of information age technologies on engineering 

By the use of the vast information available and the speed that engineers can process data
for decision making they can design products that were not possible before. In less than a
century we have moved from not having an airplane to having supersonic planes. We have
moved from not having a computer, then to one that is bigger that a modern house, to a
smartwatch and smartphone that can fit in our pocket. All this is thanks to technology that
help process information fast in the hands of engineers.
 Impacts on Military
Positive impact
With technology, the military industry has greatly benefited. Today warfare is
technology based. By the use of technologies such as drones, the government can spy
and even attack enemies from the comfort of their military base. Simulation
technologies help the military to test field scenarios in a virtual environment which they
can use for preparedness before moving to the war zone. Maybe the next world war will
be fought online with the use of technology.

Negative impact
The militaries are spending a lot of resources to come up with new technologies.
Some of these technologies may never find their way to the battlefield since they are
too lethal for both parties. This leads to the wastage of resources that could have been
used for the good of humankind. The technology also has facilitated the military
competition of who has the biggest and more sophisticated technology.
 Impact of the information age on government operations
Benefits of the information age on government services
With technology, the government can be able to track the progress of many
projects in different locations within the country. They can also use technology for
predictions and service delivery to citizens. Most of the world’s governments have
online platforms where they give online services to improve the efficiency of
service delivery.

Misuses of information technology on citizens

The governments are using technologies such as biometric data and CCTV
cameras to track citizens which goes against the right to privacy. Technology can
also the used to suppress anti-government groups which mean those opposing
policies from the government have no voice.
 Impacts of the digital age on security
Positive 

With information technology, securing a premise may still use the old methods but on
top of that, we can use the latest technology to enforce that. By use of access control such as 
biometric authentication, CCTV, tracking systems, using stealth surveillance technology
security agents can collect a lot of information. Intelligence information collected can be used
to protect against threats such as terrorist attacks, and cyber-attacks among others.

Negative 
The negative side of this technology is most systems are online and centralized in one
location. This makes the system vulnerable to cyber attacks since they are over the internet.
Again terrorists and other threat groups can own the same or even better systems that can
be used against the government or on critical services infrastructure. For example, terrorist
or system hackers getting unauthorized access to nuclear plants can lead to unprecedented
results which are not good.
 Impact of the information age on industries
Positive ways data has changed industries

The technology used in the digital age help industries to create a product that meets user needs
very fast. Technologies such as 3D printing which is also known as additive manufacturing are
changing how industries are producing new, better products. The additive technology is going to
make our home small production industries since the printer will be small enough to be used at
home to manufacture the products we desire.

The negative impact on industries

On the flip side digital technology facilitate the copying of product designs which can lead to
substandard and fake products in the market. Since technology is cheap and simple to use people
copy other’s products and sell them. The technology of product design and use is changing very fast
to the point that some product becomes absolute before even they leave the company warehouse.
This leads to wasting and pollution of the environment since they will be disposed of as electronic
waste which takes a long time to biodegrade if they will ever degrade. 
 Advantages of the information age
1. High data processing speed.
With computers and technology, data can be processed quickly and used for decision-
making. In this digital age where computer technology is the norm of the day, data is
processed faster than at any other time in the human age; this means it can be delivered
to the relevant people for action.

2. Automation
Most business operations and procedures are either semi-automated or fully
automated which reduced human interaction with the machine. The computer can
operate with minimal human involvement. This means businesses cut the cost of
operation and human resources compared to manual systems.
3. Globalization
The computer age has made the globe become a village of information. You can
follow what is happening in the neighboring country or continent in real time. In the
information age, the community is connected in such a way that people can know,
what is happening where and at what time as if they live in a small village.

4. Cyber community or virtual community

The community in this age creates virtual communities where they can share
ideals. Today relationships are created and broken in cyberspace because that is the
environment that people live in. Most human interactions are moving to cyberspace. 

5. Change the way of doing business

In the information age, brick and wall buildings are eliminated to have limitless
“room”. The businesses are carried out in cyberspace and all related activities are
carried out. Most of the service operation of the business has been automated or
moved to the online platform.
Disadvantages of the  information age
1. Information overload
One of the main challenges in the digital age is that there is more information than our
brains can process at the same time. Today almost anybody can be a publisher and
disseminator of information regardless if it is correct or not. This leaves people with so
much information to process. People can suffer from infobesity where there is much
information that negatively affects the user.

2. Addiction to technology
The information age is characterized by many social media. This means that with every
passing minute user what to know what is happening on social media like Facebook
WhatApp, and TikTok. This leads to addiction to the internet and the information that they
read on these platforms. The user can experience what has come to be called (
F.O.M.O, Fear Of Missing Out). Many are using computers at day time and they switch from
computers to mobile phones as they go to sleep, this means most of the time is spent on
the internet and social media instead of other worthwhile activities
3. Over-dependent on technology
Most companies adopt information technology and all major business procedures and
operations depend on the information. This means if there is any interruption and the 
information system cannot be accessed then the company doesn’t operate. This can
mean disaster in case the critical component of the company data such as the server is
affected and cannot be accessed.

4. Cybercrimes
Since most companies have moved their operation online, it increases the
vulnerability of data being transmitted because it can be intercepted. Enough measures
should be put into place to ensure the safety of transmitted data. There are many cyber
crimes such as hacking, phishing, tapping, and denial of service among many others.
5. Privacy and copyright in the digital age
With everybody being able to publish anything on the internet many people are
violating the privacy and copyright act by publishing content that doesn’t belong to them.
Some of these website publishers don’t even acknowledge the original author of the idea.
This makes it hard to control any information when it gets to the internet.

6. Digital divide
The digital divide is a situation where society is divided into those who know how to
use computers and those who don’t. The information age has created a big gap between
these 2 groups of people. Some can afford computers and know how to use them while
some cannot afford them and don’t even know how to use them.
The World Wide Web
(Internet)
 What is World Wide Web?
▪ The World Wide Web -- also known as the web, WWW or W3 -- refers to all the
public websites or pages that users can access on their local computers and
other devices through the internet. These pages and documents are
interconnected by means of hyperlinks that users click on for information.
This information can be in different formats, including text, images, audio
and video.

▪ The term World Wide Web isn't synonymous with the internet. Rather, the
World Wide Web is part of the internet.
 History of the World Wide Web

▪ British physicist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. Along
with colleagues at Geneva-based CERN -- the European Organization for
Nuclear Research -- Berners-Lee had been working on the concept since
1989. Their goal was to combine available technologies and data
networks to create a user-friendly system for global communication and
information sharing. At the time, they began work on the first WWW
server, which they called httpd. They also dubbed the first client WWW.
THE INTERNET

▪Several historians trace the origin of the

Internet to Claude E. Shannon, an American
Mathematician who was considered as the
"Father of Information Theory."
Used of Internet
▪ Back then, new forms of communication were also introduced. Electronic
mail, or email, was a suitable way to send a message to fellow workers,
business partners, or friends. Messages could be sent and received at the
convenience of the individual.

▪ Consequently, companies whose businesses are built on digitized information

have become valuable and powerful in a relatively short period of time; the
current Information Age has spawned its own breed of wealthy influential
brokers, from Microsoft's Bill Gates to Apple's Steve Jobs to Facebook's Mark
Zuckerberg.
▪ Critics charged that the Internet created a
technological divide that increased the gap
between the members of the higher class
and lower class of society. Those who
could not afford a computer or a monthly
access fee were denied these possibilities.
Many decried the impersonal nature of
electronic communication compared to a
telephone call or a handwritten letter. 
▪On one hand, the unregulated and loose nature

of the Internet allowed pornography to be

broadcast to millions of homes. Protecting

children from these influences or even from

meeting violent predators would prove to be

difficult. Nowadays, crimes in various forms are

rampant because of the use of social media.

Cyberbullying is an issue that poses alarm

worldwide. Consequently, we need to be aware

of the possible harm and damage due to abuse of

these advances in the Information Age.

Applications of Computers in Science and
Research
Bioinformatics is the application of
information technology to store, organize,
and analyze vast amounts of biological
data which is available in the form of
sequences and structures of proteins-the
building blocks of organisms and nucleic
acids the information carrier (Madan,
n.d.).Early interest in bioinformatics was
established because of a need to create
databases of biological sequences.
• While the initial databases of protein sequences were
maintained at individual laboratories, the development of a
consolidated formal database, known as SWISS-PROT
protein sequence database, was initiated in 1986, It now has
about 70,000 protein sequences from more than 5,000
model organisms, a small fraction of all known organisms.

• These are made available as public domain information in the larger interest of research
community through the Internet (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) and CD-ROMs (on request from
www.rcsb.org).

▪ Computers and software tools are widely used for generating these databases and to identify
the function of proteins, model the structure of proteins, determine the coding (useful) regions of
nucleic acid sequences, find suitable drug compounds from a large pool, and optimize the drug
development process by predicting possible targets. Some of the software tools which are
handy in the analysis include: BLAST (used for comparing sequences); Annotator (an
interactive genome analysis tool): and Gene Finder (tool to identify coding regions and splice
sites) (Madan, n.d.).
• The sequence information generated by the human genome research, initiated in 1988, has now
been stored as a primary information source for future applications in medicine.
• The available data is so huge that if compiled in books, the data would run into 200 volumes of
1,000 pages each and reading alone (ignoring understanding factor) would require 26 years
working around the clock.
• The present challenge to handle such huge volume of data is to improve database design,
develop software for database access, and manipulation and device data-entry procedures
to compensate for the varied computer procedures and systems used in different laboratories.
• It reduces the number of trials in the screening of drug compounds and in identifying potential
drug targets for a particular disease using high-power computing workstations and software like
Insight.
• This profound application of bioinformatics in genome sequence has led to a new area in
pharmacology- Pharmacogenomics, where potential targets for drug development are
hypothesized from the genome sequences.
• Molecular modeling, which requires a lot of calculations, has become faster due to the advances
in computer processors and its architecture (Madan, n.d.).In plant biotechnology, bioinformatics is
found to be useful in the areas of identifying diseases resistance genes and designing plants with
high nutrition value (Madan, n.d.).
 How to Check the Reliability of Web Sources
The following guidelines can help us check the reliability of web sources that we gather.
It is noteworthy to consider and apply the following guidelines to avoid misinformation. (Lee
College Library, n.d.)

1. Who is the author of the article/site?

How to find out?
Look for an "About" or "More About the Author" link at the top, bottom, or sidebar of the
webpage. Some pages will have a corporate author rather than a single person as an author. If no
information about the author(s) of the page is provided, be suspicious.
 Does the author provide his or her credentials?
 What type of expertise does he or she have on the subject he or she is writing about? Does he or
she indicate what his or her education is?
 What type of experience does he or she have? Should you trust his or her knowledge of the
subject
 2. Who published the site?
How to find out?
 Look at the domain name of the website that will tell you who is hosting the site. For instance,
the Lee College Library website is: http://www.lee.edu/ library. The domain name is "lee.edu."
This tells you that the library website is hosted by Lee College.
 Look at the domain name of the website that will tell you who is hosting the site. For instance,
the Lee College Library website is: http://www.lee.edu/ library. The domain name is "lee.edu."
This tells you that the library website is hosted by Lee College.

Try searching on the Internet for information about the author.

 Do not ignore the suffix on the domain name (the three-letter part that comes after the "."). The
suffix is usually (but not always) descriptive of what type of entity hosts the website. Keep in
mind that it is possible for sites to obtain suffixes that are misleading. Here are some examples:
.edu = educational .mil = military .org =
nonprofit
.com = commercial .gov =
government
3. What is the main purpose of the site? Why did the author write it and why
did the publisher post it?
• To sell a product?
• As a personal hobby?
• As public service?
• To further scholarship on a topic?
• To provide general information on a topic?
• To persuade you of a particular point of view?

4. Who is the intended audience?

• Scholars or the general public?
• Which age group is it written for?
• Is it aimed at people from a particular geographic area?
• Is it aimed at members of a particular profession or with specific training?
5. What is the quality of information provided on the website?
• Timeliness: When was the website first published? Is it regularly updated?
Check for dates at the bottom of each page on the site.
• Does the author cite sources? Just as in print sources, web sources that cite
their sources are considered more reliable.
• What type of other sites does the website link to? Are they reputable sites?
• What types of sites link to the website you are evaluating? Is the website being
cited by others?
 Examples of Useful and Reliable Web Sources
1. AFA e-Newsletter (Alzheimer's Foundation of America newsletter)
2. American Memory – the Library of Congress historical digital
3. Bartleby.com Great Books Online — a collection of free e-books including fictions, nonfictions,
references, and verses.
4. Chronicling America — search and view pages from American newspapers from 1880—1922.
5. Cyber Bullying — a free collection of e-books from ebrary plus additional reports and documents to
help better understand, prevent and take action against this growing concern.
6. History sites with primary documents:
• AMDOCS: Documents for the study of American history
• Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy (Yale Law School)
6.
• Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Colonial Latin America
• Teacher Oz's Kingdom of History

One can also visit the university library and seek help from librarians as they are knowledgeable and the
library has a rich collection of online library resources that are very useful for academic and research purposes.
 Summary
Nowadays, information could be shared or transferred quickly. People are becoming more
interested in sharing information about themselves. Various aspects of our society are also being
influenced by the Information Age especially communication, economics, industry, health, and the
environment. The rapid upgrade of information poses both positive and negative impacts to our
society. Therefore, we need to carefully check our motives before disseminating information and
we also need to verify information before believing them and using and sharing them. We should
share information that could help improve our lives and others.