Chapter 5 Sci Tech

SPECIFIC ISSUES IN

SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION
AGE (GUTENBERG TO SOCIAL
MEDIA)
 The social response to the new technology introduced by Gutenberg was multi-faceted, wherein there are important implication of the
Gutenberg printing press in the emerging social climate of fifteenth century Europe was dissemination of human knowledge.
 Printing facilitated the accumulation of knowledge by making discoveries more widely known and preventing information from being
lost, thus, information could now distributed to a far wider audience, much faster and at lower cost. (Briggs & Burke,2005)
Now, information; could be public and private, verbal and visual, could be transmitted, collected and recorded, regardless of its point of
origin, through the internet.
Global information networks now allowed world-wide communication channels in real time among people transcending national
boundaries. The world became connected through shared commerce, trade, policy and governance and natural consequence of
information and communication networks was “Globalization”.
The world as we know it today would have not been possible without invention of the Gutenberg printing press and the internet. Media
technology, unlimited in its scope and diversity, will inevitably take forms that are unimaginable today; but whatever those forms may
be, it is for certain that printing of some sort will be involved.
The role of media is paramount, even profound, in the manner in which it shapes the lives of individuals and societies the world over
and the inception of media, it has continued to exert strong influence on the very thread of human society and human organization.
Similarly, the internet sparked the “information revolution” and continues to revolutionize the manner in which people seek
information, communicate, do business, and connect with others across the globe (Demers, 2007).
Gutenberg press and the Internet have allowed for the development and flourishing of complex social organization, the shifting nature
of power and control, and the increasing de-centralization of authority structures.
THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND
INFORMATION AGE ON PEOPLE’S LIVES

(BY:MANUEL CASTELLAS, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014)

 With the explosion of wireless communication in the early 21 st century, the internet becomes the decisive technology of the
Information Age. Humankind today is now almost connected, albeit with great levels of inequality in bandwidth, efficiency and
price.
 People, companies, and institutions feel the depth of this technological change, but the speed and scope of the transformation
has triggered all manner of utopian and dystopian perceptions that, when examined closely through methodologically rigorous
empirical research, turn out not to be accurate.
 “Me-centered society”, marked by an increased focus on individual growth and a decline in community understood in terms of
space, work, family and ascription in general. Community is formed through individual’s quests for like-minded people in a
process that combines online interaction with offline interaction, cyberspace and the local space.
 Today, social networking sites are the preferred platforms for all kinds of activities, both business and personal, and sociability
has dramatically increased but it is a different kind of sociability. Hence, the virtual life is becoming more social than the
physical life, but it is less a virtual reality than a real virtuality, facilitating real-life work and urban living.
 Since 2010, the networked social movements have been very active especially in the Arab revolutions against dictatorships and
the protests against the management of the financial crisis. Online and particularly wireless communication has helped social
movements pose more of a challenge to state power.
 The Internet and the Web constitute the technological infrastructure of the global network society, and the understanding of
their logic is a key field of research.
THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN
THE 21ST CENTURY
(BY: CHOITY AHMED, MARCH 11, 2004)

 In this 21st century of digital age, the social media is the game changing phenomenon in communication. This
evidenced by the growing numbers of internet users from its moderate low millions to more recently low billions
(Shrinky, 2011).
 Today, people and organizations remain connected, updated and we are surrounded by Facebook, Twitter,
Youtube, Instagram, blogs and microblogs. Nowadays, easier for individuals as well as groups to create
movements and voice themselves, for both good and the bad, and it is partly our purpose as STS students to
discover ways that social media can utilized for positive, sustainable and resourceful communication outcomes.
 Networks are monitored or restricted by government bodies, social movements and civil uprising have taken place
by the help of the above-mentioned communication means, seen in for example the Arab Spring and the Kony
campaign that went viral on social media in 2012.
 The convenient ease of social media exemption applied to regions yet faced with technological and economic
challenge and/or governmental censorship issues. Although the internet has had a considerable effect on activism
Cammaerts (2007) means that the main constraints of the internet is still unfortunately accessibility and
fragmentation among users.
 A very good point encouraging the reinforcement of conventional communication methods, however the question
stands how long lasting those offline methods will remain for the long haul with the rapid development of
technology worldwide, taking into considerations that regions currently suffering by lack of technological
advancements will eventually most likely catch up.
THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN
OUR DAILY LIVES
 The social media sites, such as Facebook and Google+, are making it easier for people to find one another and reconnect after
decades of being apart. The sites are a great way to see what is happening in the lives of friends and family, and to meet people
who have similar interest and thoughts to yours.
 MELISSA TYLER, a tech writer shares her wisdom to us on the impact of social media to our daily lives. These are as
follows:
1. THE YOUTH
The young people are often the most ready to adapt and to learn to use new technologies, and they are certainly at the
forefront of social media of all types. Social Media, is certainly having a rather large impact on their daily lives for good and for
bad.
Those who spend too much time on social sites, or who take the abuses of online bullies seriously on the sites could
have some issues.
2. MARKETING
Likewise, the social media sites are ripe for marketing endeavors, as well, and over the past few years, users have seen
an uptick in the amount of advertising on the sites. This allows for a closer connection between the customers and the companies,
which could lead to better service and better quality products.
3. ENTERTAINMENT
This is another reason why people are spending as much time as they do on social media sites is because they can be a
great form of entertainment. They watch videos that people post to their timelines, view pictures, read stories, and even play
games using a smartphones, a tablet or a traditional computers, more and more people are utilizing social media in their daily
lives.
INFORMATION: THE NEW
LANGUAGE OF SCIENCE
 Hans Christian von Baeyer, a physicist has provided an accessible and engaging overview of the engaging role
of information as a fundamental building block of science. He is well known for explaining the complexities of
science.
 Von Baeyer manages to steer ear of equations without resorting to the hand-waving metaphors that too many
science popularizers lapse into when trying to convey difficult ideas.
 Finally, Baeyer characterized information as a gentle rain that falls on all our lives. He leads us through a universe
in which information is woven like threads in a cloth.
BIODIVERSITY AND THE
HEALTHY SOCIETY
 Biodiversity refers to the variety found in biota form
genetic make-up of plants and animals to cultural
diversity.
IMPACT OF BIOCHEMISTRY TO HUMAN
HEALTH

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SPECIFIC ISSUES IN

(BY:MANUEL CASTELLAS, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014)

(BY: CHOITY AHMED, MARCH 11, 2004)

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