How society changes with technology
Historians describe four stages. In a hunter-gatherer society people lived on what they could hunt and gather. In an agricultural society land became the main resource. In an industrial society machines and factories came first. In an information society, information itself is the main resource: it is made, stored and moved by technology. Many technologies belong to it. Big data means data so large that special tools are needed to study it. Machine learning lets a program find patterns in examples. The internet of things connects everyday objects, such as a lamp or a door lock, to a network, and a smart home uses this to be controlled and to react. Virtual reality puts you inside a made-up world; augmented reality adds made-up things, such as an arrow, to what you really see. There are benefits, for example easier learning and services, and problems, such as the digital divide: some people have no device, no connection or no training, and they fall behind. Some thinkers describe a vision of a society that uses data and artificial intelligence to solve social problems; it is a plan to discuss, not a fact. We do not know exactly how jobs will change, so we study, ask questions and stay flexible.
| Technology | One-line idea |
|---|---|
| big data | data too large for ordinary tools |
| machine learning | a program finds patterns in examples |
| internet of things | everyday objects join a network |
| virtual reality | you enter a made-up world |
| augmented reality | made-up things on the real view |
| What is needed | City school | Village school |
|---|---|---|
| connection | yes | no |
| devices | yes | no |
| training | yes | some |
Interview a grown-up (with their permission): which tasks did they do by hand when they were your age that a device does today? Write three, and one new problem the new way brought. Do not write their name in your notes.