The World Information Society Day was proclaimed to be on 17 May by a United Nations General Assembly resolution dated the 27th March, 2006. It’s already the 7th year that this event is celebrating to commemorate popularization of information and communication microelectronic technologies, bridging of the digital gap globally, drawing of global community’s attention to cyber security culture. In Noosphere we share the “Digital Equality” viewpoint: we are sure that digital economy is a sphere of equal opportunities for professional development as a whole and personal self-fulfillment in particular. That’s why the historical background of the World Information Society Day will be interesting…
Until 2006 the 17th May had previously been known as World Telecommunication Day to commemorate the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 17th May 1865. ITU facilitated communication systems’ development in the world since telegraphy age till modern communication technologies and information space.
The term «information society» was first suggested by Professor of Tokyo Technological Institute Yu.Hayashi in the sixties of ХХ century, setting out a new historical stage of civilization where the basic manufactured products are information and knowledge. By his opinion such kind of society is notable for increasing the roles of information, knowledge and information technologies, increased number of people engaged in electronic economy, information technologies, communication spheres as well as information products and services industries, growth of information products’ share in Gross Domestic Product, creation of global information space.
In modern society knowledge and information transform into the goods which value is rising year by year. Scientists estimated that till 1920 information boom will come: mankind will create 35 zeta byte of information however less than half data mining – 15 zeta byte – could be afforded. Here we recollect the words of famous Soviet and Ukrainian writer Leonid Sukhorukov: “Thousands of knowledges are not yet a light of human mind”. We should not neglect the fact that information systems are created to serve the mankind and not vice versa. Therefore information variety of media space has to facilitate every person’s self-fulfillment. Postulates of information society have to be supported by philosophical and technological knowledge and not by monetization and consumption principles. Every obtained byte of information has to be applied practically and contribute to search for the meaning, facilitate human activity and further responsibility for such activity. Present-day goal is to do everything in the society’s power to harmonize such categories as information, knowledge and wisdom.