Information and communication technology today usually means computer-based management of data or ideas. In a broader sense, communication and information technologies are the foothold on which humankind distinguished itself from other animals.
The vast difference between today's information and communications technologies and humankind's first simple shared concepts hints at what these technologies now mean for our world. For you, the explosion of information and technologies exposes a wealth of new opportunities to explore.
History
Humans' first efforts at communication grew from the pointing and pantomiming our ancestors developed. In "History of Communication," Michael Tomasello suggests that those primitive communication technologies provided the basis for cooperation among early humans.
Eons passed before communications technologies began to develop at the rapid pace we see today. The early printing press held a dominant position for about 400 years, until electronic communication began transmitting information at a faster pace.
Electronic communication by way of telegraph, radio and television dominated these technologies for nearly a century. Then along came the boundless world of digital information and communication technology. Our world would never be the same again.
Significance
Although modern information and communication technology drives a competitive marketplace, it still provides our best basis for cooperation, much as it did when our ancestors first shared common understandings for familiar sounds. Today, we cooperate to exchange far more than words.
From the discovery of unseen minerals deep in the ground to the safe transit of aircraft overhead, information and communication technologies drive modern culture. High above the atmosphere, satellites gather even more information, and facilitate communication in the world below.
According to the World Bank, Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, called burgeoning information and communication technologies "the single most important new development tool that has come along in our generation."
Potential
Information and communication technology investments offered one of the most promising remedies for the economic downturn of 2008, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The group recognized expanding broadband networks as essential for business and social development during economic recovery.
Members of The World Summit on the Information Society said information and communication technologies offer new opportunities for diplomacy, for social development, and for better public administration through advances in e-government on the Internet.
Challenges
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan told The World Summit on the Information Society about significant gaps in access to information and communication technologies, despite years of unrelenting development of new tools. Information on the Internet is irrelevant to many people, women and children enjoy less access, and e-commerce is marginalizing some companies, Annan said.
Employment
For job seekers, the explosion of information and communications technologies promises a wealth of employment opportunities. The U.S. Dept. of Labor estimates that jobs for network systems and data communications analysts will expand more rapidly than any other employment sector between 2006 and 2016.
From your local Main Street business that needs an expert to connect new computer systems, to the world's largest corporations and government agencies, information and communications experts are sure to be in demand for years into the future.
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