Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2000 08:49:52 +0100
From: Berg Antoine YORO <[email protected]>

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IS A NON-EDITED AUTOMATIC TRANSLATION FROM FRENCH

Foreword

The technology in general, revolutions of the data processing and electronics shape in particular since decades the different society life.

Just before the 3eme millennial, it is time to become aware of consequences of the revolution of the new technologies of information and the communication (NICT) on the society.

The research of information is a centennial problem, to possess it or to reveal it will be the weapon fatal of this new world. All price is necessary to master NICT.

Thanks to NICT information doesn't have any more gate and browse the globe in fractions of second, what pushes to understand the relation between television information and the society.

The goal of this reflection is to try to understand perspectives that offer himself the humanity through these technologies; it is only a vision simplistic of our environment.

In Africa we are again only to the classic means (RADIO, TV�); I plead for a help of countries developed to the poor countries of the south in order to give them the luck to participate in this new deal of the contemporary world that is: information superhighways.

Finally, the rich countries must also help the poor countries of all continents to operate their technological transformations and must get up to date for a democratization of information.

INTRODUCTION

Internet appears nowadays as the only means to bring closer men and to break all ways of gates: Geographical, cultural, economic, technologies, social...

Who says information makes call to the new technologies

who imposes himself of herself to the society thanks to their speed, efficiency and their power to cover all the surface of the globe.

From that point of view we can put ourselves several questioning:

What relation exists between television information and society?

In other words:

What is the influence of the NICT in the society?

Its impact?...

To answer to these different questioning us are going to analyze the situation of the these NICT in the society and to succeed to answers to our questioning.

CHAPTER I:

Presentation and explanation of the theme

1 - concept of Teleinformation

Television: comes from the Greek �têlé� and mean far away.

Information: action to give knowledge of a fact.

It is an information or a documentation on someone or something.

By definition television information is the fact to have access or to distribute information from afar.

With the revolution of electronics and the data processing television information has for support networks of telecommunications (stationary, portable Telephone, Internet...) capable to transmit all type of information whatever is the place on earth.

One even goes farther with the arrival of telephony projects mobile satéllitaireses that cover all the planet (Iridium, Mobil star, Television disc...) and return information more and more within reach of all; of where his/her/its very important influence in the society.

2 - the Concept of society

Here we will keep the following definition: the society is the state of beings that lives in organized group or together, of individuals united within a same group by institutions, a culture...

But this concept is taken today in hostages by the global village notions, communities virtual.

3 situation of the NICT in the world

As analyzing these two definitions us is going to make the state of new technology places in today's world.

We are going to summarize NICT globally to the Internet.

Information is strategic, geopolitics and even primordial it is for this reason that the rich countries put ways and means in place to master these technologies of information and to popularize them.

The networks Echelon proves it well without counting satellites military spies who are capable to see any point of the globe with an extremely precise definition.

In spite of different country obstructions, strength is to note that these technologies cost again too dear and return them inaccessible to the majority. What creates a society to double speed: a greatly to the perfume of other information again in the black of the under information. Not having access on TV information; therefore a society can measure the impact or the influence of the these NICT that shape the society while opening him of news perspectives. (Formation, information abundant and fast...)

From where a sketch of reflections that follows.

CHAPTER II

Influences of television information on the society

In the society influences of television information are very numerous, I am going to enumerate some some of most important.

I am anxious to recall that the the society can also influence suckled it information.

1 - the technological innovations applied to information and their influence in the society.

Here information bring back on the news that the society can have by the slant of NICT.

It is necessary to also hear by information, all information can be exploited in the goal to pull a profit. All information needs to touch the majority of the population, and in one record time from where the new technology use.

They allow information to be universal, to touch a more large number of individuals; what has at the level for result the bringing together of the society, the abolition of distances and democratization of information.

But every people should use these information to good use in order to develop other processes as the domain of the formation, of the cultural brewing. Concerning this last point we are in a society not can live in autarcie because having all weapons for a mobility whatever is horizons and places.

In second dawned us can say that the application of the these new technologies to information can constitute a threat considering their speed, of their world accessibility. For example an information calling on xenophobia could destabilize large number of countries and of societies because existing no means to especially prevent them if they circulate on network internet.

After the end of the cold war information took other turns otherwise, (economic, industrial spying, strategic information and geopolitics�), more and more countries spend some huge sums to put in �uvres of strategies technologies from where the use of NICT by services of information that use some very pointed methods because of the collection of information on a big scale. (Interception of satellites, setting up of software of décryptage of conversations and the electronic mails), without omitting some special ISPS capable to pass in transit and to treat more of byte (1000 billions) of information on their hard drives.

In this new millennium information represent a primordial data seen his/her/its influence in the conception and the setting up of process returning them sophisticated more and more.

For example telephones portable satellitaireses provided of navigator Warp (navigator that allows the mobile telephones of reach to the web) show good that the society of this new millennium will continue to conceive systems to always make more effective television information.

What are consequences of all these new technologies of information and the communication?

Loss of the private life (listens to all conversations), without counting the important market loss by enterprises not mastering these means completely very sophisticated and costly..

Without forgetting the rise of the crime organized.

To the look of this analysis I think that NICT applied to information should rather move in the domain of the natural disaster prevention (earthquakes, drought�) because dopey enough thanks to their capacity to collect innumerable information to the very elevated speeds.

For example to inform populations by e-mail or by site web of an any suspicion of earthquake or deluge etc..

To put in relation all centers of research on the natural disasters to coordinate their prospectings.

Concerning the press there will be invasion because houses that don't use these technologies (NICT) will see to pull itself/themselves the star�

All it can influence the process cultural of societies.

Information and cultural processes

The cultural process, whatever is the society is influenced by the behavior of men that lives in a region. The information descended of the new technologies vehicle also the other culture picture that can influence some process in other regions because being accessible of everywhere and print new manners to discern life.

For example a living people in forest, far from applications and innovations, technological will see its cultural process to develop without no outside influence because not having access to information coming besides.

It exists a danger nevertheless because information transported by NICT don't center with the reality of the land but phagocytent the process cultural from where the loss of the cultural identity or even in any case to act of the society that sudden these fluxes of information.

2 - the Professional Formation

Whatever is the society, the formation appears as the real weapon to develop. When one observes countries, one notices that richest and developed are those that possess prestigious schools, institutes, centers of research, universities�

In the year 2000, I think that one of priorities of States should be the formation while using means and tools of NICT capable to give information in all time and in all place to that wants to form itself/themselves.

I take the example of a prestigious institute as PUT (Massachusetts Institute of Technologies) of which expenses of education are not accessible to all; who could put in place if t doesn't already exist; of the in line free courses being able to be accessible by any point of the globe. It is going to allow big numbers of researchers to benefit from results or works of research.

I open a bracket to give you the example of the agency of the French speaking countries that put on foot a project called UVF (French-speaking Virtual university) of which I worked in one of the these agencies, what permitted me to see the reaction of students that appreciated these free courses conceived by eminent professors of big schools and university (Montreal etc). I think that this kind of initiative should be encouraged on the world plan in the goal to fight against the year literacy and to decrease the flight of brains insofar as workers or researchers will have the same intellectual means. Television information can give means in universities of the south to possess programs of formation equivalent to the one of countries developed.

Every society should give means inevitably to every individual so that it benefits from the effects positive of NICT on the formation.

To the south (poor countries) the problem is even more alarming because large number of formative don't know to manipulate the computer even less the tools modern of television information that are NICT, what stops them from conceiving some in line courses to the profit of students.

In short the role of television information in the domain of the formation is to give the same level study in a discipline given at any student whatever is his country of survey. for example an engineer Électronicien of Venezuela should have the same knowledge that his colleague of the Coast of Ivory, I will say an internationalization of the formation in this new millennium.

It is necessary to note that the classic formation to a very important role to play insofar as the teaching to need of the presence of a physical and present person before very well to be formed these NICT then will make only only increase the new techniques and methods of teaching.

3 - the Politics

To the 21st century, policies will only act only on the classic means of the television information of state (radio, TV, Press..) to censor such or such information that he/it judges dangerous or destabilizing and especially in the poor countries where there are less private chains. (Radio, TV..)

The development of NICT to put at the disposal of the society of means to have access on TV information whatever is the place on earth.

The mobile telephone example that has access to Internet, using networks of telephony satellitaire moreover (Iridium, Mobil Star..), watch well that in this new world leaders of countries should accept the democratic game while respecting the liberty of the press and information.

The diplomacy

In relations between States technologies of television information encouraged and multiplied exchanges.

Several years ago, the rich so-called countries (president) could make visioconférenceses and phone itself/themselves during a long time because of costs of means of telecommunication and performances of means used (for example: VSAT link).

Today the richest country can communicate without concern with any country of the world because means of telecommunication lowered and diversified.

The power of NICT and their capacity to brew quantities of information influence all society whatever is its configuration.

4 - the economy

Today, the couple television information + economy = Clean economy or electronic Trade (e-business).

The only means of advertisements for the commercial products had been the radio and the Tv for even some years and as the written press.

In the year 2000 television information on the economic plan results in the electronic trade whose stakes are not anymore to demonstrate. In this new technology the distance is not anymore a handicap and it has some very important economic consequences. We enter in an economic news that functions manner different of the traditional models of sale.

With the clean economy sellers and consumers communicate while using the computer networks.

Having already given a conference to this topic whose theme was:Stakes of the Electronic Trade: (July 1988), I think that it is the only luck for enterprises of all society to increase their profit and it permits to put on the same foot of equality all societies whatever is the place.

To survive challenges of internationalization it is not necessary to aim some local markets more only, it is necessary to leave while being at either; only means to participate in the flux of several billions of dollars that passes in transit every day on the Internet network.

This net - economy creates new types of behaviors in the society, one doesn't leave anymore to make shoppings, market, all is joined at the end of the mouse of the computer; once besides television information decides the behavior of men.

Here applications of television information to the society are therefore very complex and multiple us are not going to enter in details, we wanted to only show the tie between television information and economy.

5 - Health

No one can be unaware of the importance of television information nowadays in the domain of health. Physicians can exchange themselves results of their research or their diagnoses to follow their patients better.

But unfortunately, it is the richest countries that have access then to NICT they have a more elevated standard of living that to the south where tools of information are again the classic means (Radio, TV)

And even in these poor country societies it is necessary to be in capitals where close by to benefit of advantages of television information the proof is that to the 21st century some people are unaware of the existence of the AIDS and other deadly illnesses again.

It is the opportunity to put networks of television information in place (access point for medical information) capable to inform populations of curses that watch the humanity.

One finds again in Africa of tradipraticienses that is healers who use the medicinal plants of forests to heal patients, but for lack of information and structure their discoveries cannot be to exploit and stakes to services of the society (bigger number).

The cultural gates often stop from following such or such therapy for lack of information all this watch a little the role that could have television information in the society.

6 - agriculture

One will be able to fight the problem of the hunger truly in the world that while improving the agricultural production. In this new world, the society more that arranges means of telecommunication and information covering all our planet in one record time ever.

The American peasant already uses television information to make effective his production.

For example to have access to the agricultural information since his field thanks to the portable computers joined to Internet via the PCMCIAS cards (GSM) provided of telephone portable satelittaire.Result first in agriculture on the plan, world. In the poor societies agriculture is exercised on the other hand again of rudimentary way, without reliable meteorological data, agriculture making itself without taking accounts of news discovered from where a very weak production often of bad quality. I think that States can put in place of real accessible data bases of everywhere to inform peasants (Varieties, manure, techniques..). television information shows that the corporation applying him in the agricultural domain gets better outputs�

CHAPTER III

Technologies bound information on TV in the society

The development of medias (Radio, Tv�) gave a considerable power to the society to be to the perfume of information coming from all corners of the globe. One attends today a parabolic antenna proliferation in many country what shows will more and more pronounced of the society to have access to information and this whatever is contained him.This classic shape is nowadays one of jewels of television information; what has for consequence a brewing cultural of the different societies that can be influenced positively or negatively.

The new technologies are the radio and the numeric TV capable to be received in not to import what part of the globe.

At the level national, every government possesses its own means of information, that are passed nowadays often by information coming from other horizons.

All these technologies permitting to reach such performances are in general by:

The revolution of the data processing

No one is unaware of the real progress of the data processing, more and more exponential progress; putting between hands of the processes die-hard society sophisticated to master television information or all technologies of NICT. It pushes us to put us the question to know: what are technologies that are the corner stone of the society of information.

Without entering in details us are going to brush these technologies that I classify in some groups of which:

The computer Network development

Allows the emergence of numerous architecture using some more and more standard protocols (TCP/IP; Http; FTP, SMTP�) without forgetting the computer language evolution bound to the Internet (HTML, XML, JAVA, PERL) that are opened more and usable by most the flat shapes machines of the society.

The ergonomics of systems

The evolution of the man interface plots increased the number of NICT users, from where the virtual community spur. It represents a very important progress because making the use of tools more and more comfortable. In these virtual communities the religion, the life style, the distance, the culture cannot separate them because it federates according to the only criteria that is the passion or the different centers of interests (journeys, philately, soccer) once besides, television information allows these different communities to feel nearer whatever are the linguistic, cultural, social gates�

The progress very important of telecommunication systems

The growth of networks to high debits whose applications touch the telephone as well, the Television (TV), the internet to for consequence the increase of the speed and the flux of data of which has need the society to communicate.

There is also the performance of telecommunication satellites can run any point of the globe.

For example satellites to orbit bass used by the Project Iridium of Motorola capable to increase the terminal or portable device numbers (Telephone, PC, MAC,), the immediate consequence is the access in real time to information whatever is their source, what returns the society more brought closer; not can live in autarcie, even though it wanted it.

Otherwise one can note the development of the Internet machines; the marriage of the Internet to the tools usual of the society.

Television (Web TV: interactive television on Internet)

Minitel (webphone in France)

The cellular telephones (provided of navigator Warp for Internet), all it democratizes the access to information because every link of the society will choose its tool of television information according to its stock market.

Most important these technologies that are behinds television information in the society are:

The rising rise of the micro-electronics

The electronic component miniaturization, the conception of new processes and the very appreciable electronic circuit decrease permitted in search of to evolve from where the convergence of the technologies multimedia that creates a real revolution of the numeric electronics that offers enormous possibilities (manipulation, storage very important of flux of information�)

New types of facilities see the day (interactive Television, visiophone, webcam (camera for the web), numeric camera.

In short we notice that technologies of television information are numerous and more and more varied what prints to the society many choice and of new life styles.

CHAPTER IV

What society for tomorrow?

Before approaching this topic it is necessary to recall that the society also influences on NICT because it is it that decides what type of processes must be put under way without forgetting the desire of improvement, ergonomics and sophistication, there is in makes a duality in this topic:

Téléinformatique and society: The reciprocal influence of television information and the one of the society.

It is necessary to also recall that this news society creates new type of uses and suppress some others.

Tomorrow will be the technological society that the humanity will have shaped voluntarily, a society where one won't speak of more television information but rather of �society - information� in which the global village will become: �Flea Village� to materialize the speed of information through an electronic flea.

This new society is going to change the physiognomy of communities that will see things in the same way in a global way completely but where most aware will dominate least aware and societies that will possess these tools of television information will disrupt the processes cultural of the other the least advanced societies.

Is necessary to you him to worry?

Yes and not only I hope that men will be moral enough to make good use of these technologies.

Conclusion

Societies that master NICT will have more easiness to succeed in the voice of the development. It is true all technological mutation begins by a phase of discovery and initiation, then it is very important for the different civilizations and societies to give themselves means to face challenges of this new millennium. We are now in the internationalization of information that permits the development of the society. During centuries, information to been considered always like strategic; it is always and he/it will be then in the future television information with all its advantages and inconveniences merit to be followed by Nations if they don't want to undergo influences of the outside.

Finally note that the new technologies permit the redistribution of cards between the rich and poor, but doesn't represent forcing the corner stone to come out of the real problems that are: the food security, health, the peace and the protection of the environment.

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Last modified:23/03/2000