Understanding the Information Age

• The Information Age is marked by society's heavy modernization, automation, data-driven processes, and technological advancements enabling rapid information transfer.
• This era has significantly influenced various sectors like communications, economics, industry, health, and the environment.
• Information is defined as knowledge communicated or obtained about a specific fact or circumstance and is crucial for survival.
• The Information Age began in the last quarter of the 20th century, marked by easy access to information through publications and computer-managed networks.
• It is also known as the Digital Age and the New Media Age, associated with the rise of computers.
• James R. Messenger proposed the Theory of Information Age in 1982, describing it as a new era of interconnected computers via telecommunications for real-time access.
• Convenience and user-friendliness are key drivers of the Information Age, leading to user dependence.

History of the Information Age

• 3000 B.C.: Sumerians use pictographs for writing.
• 2900 B.C.: Egyptian hieroglyphic writing begins.
• 1300 B.C.: Tortoise shell and oracle bone writing is used.
• 500 B.C.: Papyrus rolls are used.
• 220 B.C.: Chinese small seal writing is developed.
• 100 A.D.: Books in parchment codex form appeared.
• 105 A.D.: Wood-block printing and paper are invented in China.
• 1455: Johann Gutenberg invents the printing press using movable metal type.
• 1755: Samuel Johnson's dictionary standardizes English spelling.
• 1802: The Library of Congress is established, and the carbon arc lamp is invented.
• 1824: Research on persistence of vision is published.
• 1830s: Augusta Lady Byron writes the world's first computer program.
• 1837: The telegraph is invented in Great Britain and the United States.
• 1861: Motion pictures are projected onto a screen.
• 1876: The Dewey Decimal system is introduced.
• 1877: Eadweard Muybridge demonstrates high-speed photography.
• 1899: First magnetic recordings are made.
• 1902: Motion picture special effects are developed.
• 1906: Lee DeForest invents the electronic amplifying tube (triode).
• 1923: The television camera tube is invented by Zvorkyn.
• 1926: First practical sound movie.
• 1939: Regularly scheduled television broadcasting begins in the U.S.
• 1940s: Information science emerges as a discipline.
• 1945: Vannevar Bush foresees the invention of hypertext.
• 1946: The ENIAC computer is developed.
• 1948: Claude E. Shannon proposes the birth of information theory.
• 1957: The planar transistor is developed by Jean Hoerni.
• 1958: The first integrated circuit is created.
• 1960s: The Library of Congress develops LC MARC (machine readable code).
• 1969: The UNIX operating system is developed, which can handle multitasking.
• 1971: Intel introduces the first microprocessor chip.
• 1972: Philips and MCA develop the optical laserdisc.
• 1974: MCA and Philips agree on a standard videodisc encoding format.
• 1975: The Altair Microcomputer Kit is the first personal computer for the public.
• 1977: RadioShack introduces the first complete personal computer.
• 1984: The Apple Macintosh computer is introduced.
• Mid-1980s: Artificial intelligence separates from information science.
• 1987: Hypercard is developed by Bill Atkinson.
• 1991: Four hundred and fifty complete works of literature on one CD-ROM.
• Jan. 1997: The RSA Internet security code is cracked for a 48-bit number.

Key Developments and Figures

• Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press around 1440, improving printing speed and reducing costs.
• Harvard Mark 1 was a general-purpose electromechanical computer created to address the shortage of human computers during World War II for military calculations.
• Alan Turing was hired to break the Enigma code, and he invented Bombe, an electromechanical machine that deciphered encrypted messages.
• Turing's work with other cryptologists shortened the war by two years.
• In 1937, Turing introduced the concept of the Turing machine, which became the foundation for computer science.
• Steve Wozniak developed the Apple I computer, and Steve Jobs suggested selling it fully assembled, jumpstarting the Apple Inc.

Social Media Evolution

• From 1973 onward, social media platforms evolved from multi-user chat rooms to various social networking and messaging sites.
• Examples include AOL, Yahoo Messenger, Facebook, Friendster, YouTube, Instagram, and Quora.

Impact and Examples

• The Information Age has greatly influenced people's lives, with its impact being advantageous or disadvantageous depending on technology use.

Computers

• Computers are among the most important contributions of advances in the Information Age to society.
• Computers are electronic devices processing data based on programmed instructions.

Types of Computers

• Personal Computer (PC): A single-user microcomputer.
• Desktop Computer: A non-portable PC, often with a workstation variant for specialized tasks like 3D graphics.
• Laptops: Portable computers integrating desktop essentials in a battery-powered package.
• Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs): Compact, touchscreen-based computers.
• Wearable computers: Integrated into devices like cell phones and watches for common applications.
• Server: A computer providing network services with powerful processors and large memory.
• Mainframes: Large computer systems, now replaced by enterprise servers, processing millions of transactions daily.

Internet

• The Internet has become a key platform for information, shaping the modern world as the Digital Age.
• It is a global system of interconnected networks facilitating data transmission.
• It was developed in the 1970s by the Department of Defense and used mainly by scientists for communication.

Claude E. Shannon

• Claude E. Shannon is considered the "Father of Information Theory."
• He proposed that information can be quantitatively encoded as a sequence of ones and zeroes.

Criteria to Evaluate Web Source

• Authority: Identify the website's responsible party and the author's background.
• Link checking: Determine other sites linking to the examined site to assess its credibility.
• Purpose and objectivity: Understand the reasons for posting the information and its impartiality.
• Content and coverage: Assess the website's comprehensiveness and the accuracy of its content.
• Currency: Verify the information's up-to-date nature and the website's publication/update frequency.
• Types of web pages: Recognize different types, such as advocacy, business, or informational.