Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter Overview
Change is a constant in our world of the 21st century, and technological advances
fuel that change. In this chapter we examine models that explain the fundamental
changes that have rocked Western society in the last 600 years. We also describe
the environmental factors that influence our perception of the world and impact the
creation, dissemination, diffusion, and utilization of information and knowledge.
Historical Roots of Contemporary Society
In 1439 in Mainz, Germany, Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press and
changed virtually overnight the way we communicate, learn, see, and do things.
The power of the Catholic Church was considerably reduced; Latin as the lingua
franca was replaced by national languages. Print allowed languages to become
fixed, standardized, easily spread, and preserved. Handwritten manuscripts could
be lost forever, the same as with carved wooden blocks. However, with the printing
press, the chances of a copy surviving were much greater.
Printing brought a fundamental change in the advance of communication, break-
ing the monolithic power of government and church and weakening their ability to
control. It brought about a beginning of national identities and recognition of the
power of knowledge. It also fundamentally changed the world of economy, driving
new commercial interests and bringing about the rise of capitalism. It was a move-
ment away from the inward-looking medieval world toward a more open, outward-
looking perspective. More importantly, this new technology moved access to know-
ledge from random and limited access in archives to the beginning of libraries or-
ganized to increase access and to diffuse and use knowledge. A brief history of
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