Information society
According to Anthony Giddens, surveillance is important since it enables a government to protect its people. Surveillance makes it possible to collect valuable information which can be used to identify individuals who intend to bring harm to the country, such as terrorists. It also enables the government to detect internal threats such as those from politicians and activists. Therefore, the need for surveillance arises from the nation’s duty to safeguard its frontiers (Webster 294).
Surveillance utilizes information technology. Information technology is the use of systems such as computers to store, retrieve, and send information. In surveillance, this information is monitored and collected and that which is relevant is retrieved.
In advanced democratic societies, information surveillance is important since the information gathered is significant to modern organizations such as political parties and retail planners to function properly. Such information also leads back to individuals who can organize their lives better (Webster 304).
Q2
According to Webster, there are five possible definitions of the information society, each representing a different criterion. The first definition is technological. Advancements in processing, storage, and transmission of information have led to the use of information technologies in all areas of society. Computers have been applied to almost all areas of life such as in transport, cooking, manufacturing, and entertainment (Webster 11). The second definition is economic. There has been significant economic growth that has been brought about by informational business activities. This can be considered an information society since the majority of its economic activities are related to information activity as opposed to other common activities such as agriculture (Webster 15) The other definition is spatial. Social organizations have been dominated by information networks. Most locations are connected by information networks. It, therefore, can have a significant effect on how time and space are organized (Webster 20) The other definition is occupational. It is an information society since most occupations are found in information work. Manual work, for example in the manufacturing sector, has declined, while white-collar work which uses information has increased The other definition of the information society is cultural. There has been an increase in information circulating in society. Informational features such as television, radio, computers and the internet are more readily available and in extensive use (Webster 21)
Webster concludes that most definitions of the information society fail to reasons and ways in which information has become dominant in recent times in a manner that produces a new society. His solution is to argue that there is more information and therefore we have an information society (Webster 10)
Q3
A post-industrial society is one that has emerged from changes in the social realms of economical, occupational and stratification (Webster 42). It is characterized by new forms of innovation, modes of social organization, and new societal classes. There is an expansion of the social services of health and education which have increased productivity. In the economic realm, a postindustrial society would be characterized by an increase in service industries as opposed to primary production. In the social order, theoretical knowledge replaces property as the basis of social order. A post-industrial society would rely on technical knowledge to define and solve problems in the political world. Such a society would have a more rationalized political and social life (Webster 46)
We are living in a postindustrial society, considering the definitions discussed above. Most people are working in the service sector and fewer people are working in manufacturing. The production of goods has declined while the production of services has significantly increased. Unlike in earlier days when people would earn status in society through inheritance, today this has been replaced by education and entrepreneurship. Technical knowledge has been widely applicable in politics such as in elections.
Q4
In the current world, the phrase “informatization of life” refers to how people’s lives have become a source of information. This has been expounded on using the example of the market system. For producers of goods to satisfy the needs of the customer, they rely on information from potential buyers to know exactly what they want. This also applies in price determination where price and sales are considered a form of a flow of information between the buyer and the seller (Webster 265). People also generate information by going about their normal daily activities which are useful to the market. This information is used to determine and meet market needs. Webster considers the historically grounded approaches to be better explanations of the information phenomenon since they are based on social theories.
We are living in an information society. This is because almost every aspect of society has been dominated by information (Martin 23). Technological advancements are present in all areas of everyday life such as household appliances, transport, and health. Most economic activities utilize information technology in their operations. Most jobs nowadays are in the service sector while manual jobs have decreased. Information technology is widespread in the form of personal computers, the internet and media outlets.