Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
These elements of culture are imbued with values that influence how people per-
ceive information and how they think. Consequently, the worldview that evolves
from a culture is a paradigm, which shapes how people in that culture perceive
their world, their communication, and the information that they receive from people
within and outside the culture. The values that are accepted within the culture
serve as filters for the information that individuals and groups within the culture re-
ceive.
The environmental context previously outlined is those factors that interact with-
in a culture to modify the culture over time—a continuous, shifting process of
change. And culture is not monolithic—the people in a culture have differences in
their values and preferences; the specifics of their culture may be influenced by
their environmental context, which in turn influences an individual's perception of
the world and acceptance or rejection of new information and knowledge. The pro-
cess is ongoing and complex. Within a culture, several paradigms may exist, and
each may evolve; as paradigms change, they in turn influence culture and the in-
formation infrastructure. These issues will be explored further as we delve into the
various components of the information infrastructure.
Summary
We have examined the historical roots of the technologies that have led to the
cataclysmic changes that have occurred in our society. We examined models that
explain these fundamental changes and described the environmental factors that
influence how information and knowledge are created, disseminated, diffused, and
utilized. The models introduced are signposts to guide us through the journey of
discovery as we travel through a world dominated by digital content.
References
Achleitner, Herbert K. and Martha L. Hale. 1988. “Information Transfer: Educating Information Pro-
fessionals in the Emergent Paradigm.” In Proceedings of the First Joint Meeting Between the
Association Internationale des Écoles des Sciences de l'Information and the Association for
Library and Information Science Education , ed. Rejean Savad. Montreal, Canada.
Capra, Fritjof. 1996. The Web of Life: A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems . New York:
Anchor Books.
Intel. Moore's Law and Intel Innovation. http://www.intel.com/about/companyinfo/museum/exhibits/
moore.htm .
Kuhn, Thomas S. 1970. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions . Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.
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