What happened with Ethics and Information Technology after the Information Revolution?
In Ethics after the Information Revolution, Floridi examines the revolution in the information that has taken place since the middle of the 20th century and its implications for a world that is becoming more data-oriented. He stated, “Artificial intelligence, unlike other forms of science, inscribes rather than describes the world given that society then builds an environment in which all can operate smoothly.” The information revolution led to the age of the internet, where optical communication networks play a key role in delivering massive amounts of data. The world has experienced phenomenal network growth during the last decade, and further growth is imminent.
The information revolution is a period of change that might prove significant to the lives of people. Computer technology is at the root of this change, and continuing advancements in that technology seem to ensure that this revolution would touch the lives of people. Computers are unique machines; they help to extend brainpower. Computerized robots have been replacing blue-collar workers; they might soon be replacing white-collar workers as well. Computers are merely devices that follow sets of instructions called computer programs, or software, that have been written by people called computer programmers. Computers offer many benefits, but there are also many dangers. They could help others invade one’s privacy or wage war. They might turn one into a button pusher and cause massive unemployment.
The information revolution has been claimed to exacerbate inequalities in society, such as racial, class, and gender inequalities, and to create a new, digital divide, in which those that have the skills and opportunities to use information technology effectively reap the benefits while others are left behind. In computer ethics, it is studied how both the design of information technologies and their embedding in society could increase inequalities, and how ethical policies may be developed that result in a fairer and more just distribution of their benefits and disadvantages. This research includes ethical analyses of the accessibility of computer systems and services for various social groups, studies of social biases in software and systems design, normative studies of education in the use of computers, and ethical studies of the digital gap between industrialized and developing countries.
The information revolution is often referred to as the information age and the origin of information limited to texts but information has shifted in the form of multimedia such as video, audio, and video visual information. The general information revolution is defined as changes that are produced in information technology, affect the process of reproduction and dissemination of information, resulting in a shift in style and shape from the presentation of information. Everyone is capable of giving birth, accessing, utilizing, and sharing information and knowledge.
