The internet and digital technology are as much a part of modern life as other institutions, such as the government or the education system. This was not always the case, though - we are living in the midst of the Digital Age, which started less than a century ago.
So, how did the Digital Age develop? What are its features? In this explanation, we will address these questions as well as others, looking at:
- The meaning of the Digital Age
- The timeline of the Digital Age
- Features of the Digital Age
- Privacy in the Digital Age
- Parenting in the Digital Age
Digital Age: Meaning
It's important to understand what we mean by the Digital Age, as it has other names and overlaps. Let's examine the meaning of the Digital Age!
The Digital Age, often known as the Information Age, refers to a historical era and information technology-based economy originating in the twentieth century. It is marked by a rapid transition from the industrialized economy brought about by the Industrial Revolution to a knowledge-based economy.
The Digital Age intersects with the Internet Age, which describes the time since the public first had access to the Internet, as well as the fundamental changes it brought about in terms of information availability and worldwide communication.
They are not the same, however, as the Digital Age started earlier, before the development of the internet.
A Digital Age Timeline
There have been many technological developments that led to the era that we currently live in. As we cannot explore all of them here, below is a timeline of the major developments in almost every decade of the Digital Age.
1970s: the Altair Microcomputer Kit, the first home computer, was released. The video game console, the first coin-operated video games, and the heyday of arcade video games all came into existence.
Late 1980s - 1990s: Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, which became publicly accessible. The Internet quickly spread, entered popular culture, and many companies mentioned websites in their advertisements. Despite their invention, phones were not widely used.
Fig. 1 - Computers have gone through many transformations throughout the Digital Age.
Culture and Technology in the Digital Age
There are two broad forms of culture in sociology: material and nonmaterial culture.
Objects or possessions belonging to a group of people are referred to as material culture. In contrast, nonmaterial culture refers to a society's ideas, attitudes, and values.
Language, gestures, morals, customs, and values are examples of nonmaterial or symbolic culture. However, culture also has a tangible component: a group's possessions, from their houses and cars to their clothing. Technology is at the heart of a group's material culture. In its most basic form, technology is comparable to tools. In a broader sense, technology also refers to the abilities or methods required to create and employ those tools.
Technology's sociological impact extends well beyond the tool itself - it shapes the nonmaterial culture of a people. How individuals think and interact with one another changes along with the technological advancements within a group.
Take gender relations as an example. Men have traditionally dominated women throughout history and in all parts of the world (nonmaterial culture). However, the worldwide communications (material culture) of today make it more challenging to uphold patriarchy.
Women in traditionally patriarchal societies can access academic and cultural knowledge about women's lives in freer societies through the internet. This can motivate them to protest and demand equal rights and freedoms, undermining male hegemony.
Cultural Lag in the Digital Age
The phrase 'cultural lag' was first used by sociologist William Ogburn (1922). Ogburn intended this to convey the idea that not all aspects of a culture evolve at the same rate. Other aspects of a culture lag behind when one aspect changes.
According to Ogburn, the nonmaterial culture of a group typically changes after the material culture. That is, the nonmaterial (or symbolic) culture is forced to play catch-up. For instance, we now have advanced genetic engineering technology that would enable people to select the sex and/or traits of their potential children. However, this has not become a common practice because most people believe this is unnatural or immoral.
Technology and Cultural Diffusion
Although contact with other groups and tribes has usually been limited, people throughout history have always shared knowledge and adopted ideas they deemed desirable.
This process is known as cultural diffusion, and, in contemporary society, it has been occurring at an unprecedented rate thanks to modern travel and communications. People can travel worldwide and access international media and different cultures that they would never have otherwise.
This means that societies are now more culturally diverse than they have ever been. For instance, you can watch a French-language film, attend the world tour of a Korean pop group, eat at a Mexican restaurant, and join a friend's Diwali celebration, all while living in the US.
Features of the Digital Age
The Digital Age has many features, many of which you will be familiar with yourself. Let's start by looking at one of the primary features before diving into other defining characteristics.
New Technology and Society
One of the central features of the digital age is referred to as new technology.
Every day, people create new, small-scale technology. The majority are minor upgrades to already-developed technologies. However, they occasionally create a technology that has a significant impact on human life. The phrase "new technology" mostly refers to these advances. The printing press was a novel invention in the year 500. Computers, satellites, and the Internet are the three main components of modern technology for us.
Other features of the Digital Age that have arisen as a result of new technology are as follows:
New Technological Networks
The internet and other networks enable communication and interaction between numerous machines and people, all over the world.
This is the result of the dramatic evolution of communications. Face-to-face speaking or written notes passed from person to person used to be some of the only means of communication. Today, we can message, call, learn about world events in real time, and access all forms of media in a matter of moments.
Mobility Due to New Technology
Digital tools and the internet have allowed us to carry out activities such as employment or social engagement from any location while remaining mobile, e.g., remote working. Where international travel used to be extremely difficult and/or inaccessible, it is now possible for almost anyone to travel the entire world in a few hours, thanks to affordable and widely available air travel.
Knowledge and Research Due to New Technology
Over six billion people currently use smartphones worldwide.2 Almost everyone now has the option to look up any topic and obtain a response within a matter of minutes. This level of knowledge accessibility is unheard of in human history.
Digitization Due to New Technology
This is the conversion of objects that once had a physical form into abstract digital data. Take the design of architecture, which was traditionally done on paper and using models but is now entirely computerized.
Consumerization Due to New Technology
In the past, businesses typically purchased equipment that was unreachable for the average customer. For instance, the first computers were extremely expensive mainframes and supercomputers.
As the years passed, consumer-level computers improved to the point where businesses stopped using specialized business computers in favor of consumer models. Numerous businesses are likely to experience this consumerization process.
Misinformation and Disinformation Due to New Technology
The internet enables everyone to take part in the global exchange of information and opinion. This offers a significant alternative to the domination of big media firms but also permits the quick spread of false and misleading information.
New Technology and Globalization
Globalization is the blending of systems, economies, communities, and politics beyond geographical boundaries. As a medium for communication and shared experience, the internet significantly speeds up this lengthy process.
The result of this is not only cultural diffusion but cultural leveling, which is the process by which cultures become increasingly similar to each other. Globalized capitalism brings Western culture as well as technology to other parts of the world. For instance, Japan has incorporated elements of both Western and Eastern traditions into its culture by embracing capitalism and Western fashion and music.
Security Concerns Due to New Technology
Information security is becoming almost as crucial as physical security as economies, society, companies, and people grow more and more reliant on technology. The rapid speed of progress in information technology also tends to expose technologies to cybercrime and cyber warfare.
Fig. 2 - The Digital Age has a range of defining features, such as digitization.
Privacy in the Digital Age
The right to privacy is seen by many as a fundamental human right, but how much privacy can we actually have when so much of our personal information and activity is "out there" in cyberspace?
As we have discussed, digital technology can do a lot of good. It can act as an effective tool for enhancing human development and significantly contribute to the promotion and defense of human rights.
However, while technology and data-sharing have greatly facilitated our progress, maintaining our fundamental right to privacy is a new and formidable challenge in the Digital Age.
Data is everywhere, and its growth is exponential due to increased internet usage, the development of cloud technologies, and our increasing reliance on smart devices (not just smartphones - cars and watches, for example). Data-intensive technologies help to create a digital environment where states and businesses can increasingly follow, analyze, forecast, and even affect people's behavior to a previously unheard-of degree.
If used without adequate protections, these technological advancements pose serious hazards to individual autonomy, dignity, and privacy, as well as the exercise of rights generally. Cybercriminals, who are particularly interested in gaining access to personally identifiable information (PII) they can easily sell and use for fraudulent reasons, are a particular threat.
Parenting in the Digital Age
With the advent of issues around privacy and security, the Digital Age has also raised concerns about parenting and raising children safely and in an internet-savvy manner.
Children and young people have access to the internet and various smart devices very early. They must therefore be educated about exercising caution when sharing information and interacting with others online, and parents must be vigilant about ensuring content is age-appropriate.
The Internet Age - Key takeaways
- The Digital Age, often known as the Information Age, refers to a historical era and information technology-based economy originating in the twentieth century. It is marked by the rapid transition from the industrialized economy brought about by the Industrial Revolution to a knowledge-based economy.
- There have been many technological developments that led to the era that we currently live in. The Digital Age began in the 1940s and is ongoing in the present day.
- The nonmaterial culture of a people is framed by technology. How individuals think and interact with one another changes along with the technological advancements within a group.
- The Digital Age has many defining features. One of its primary features is new technology, which refers to technology that has a significant impact on human life.
- While technology and data-sharing have greatly facilitated our progress, maintaining our fundamental right to privacy is a new and formidable challenge in the Digital Age.
References
- DataReportal. (2022). Global Digital Overview. DataReportal – Global Digital Insights. https://datareportal.com/global-digital-overview
- Statista. (2022). Number of Smartphone Users Worldwide 2014-2020 | Statista. Statista; Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/330695/number-of-smartphone-users-worldwide/
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