The information revolution: Definition of information technology.

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Definition of information technology

I have likened the production of information to the produc­tion of goods in a factory. If I were to ask you to define what a factory is, you would probably end up with a definition that included the acquisition of raw materials, their processing, and the storage and distribution of the finished goods. You would also need to make some refer­ence to the use of machines and equipment to carry out this process - for making a rabbit hutch at home using simple tools does not mean that your home is a factory!

If I asked you instead to define information technology, the only change you would need to make to thi would be to replace 'raw materials' and 'finished goods' by terms  suchas 'data' and 'information'. Here's a simple definition:

Information technology (IT for short) is the use of modern technology to aid the capture, processing, storage and retrieval, and communication of information, whether in the form of numerical data, text, sound, or image.

There are many more complicated definitions, but they all say much the same thing. Here's the one offered by the Northern Examination Association:

Information technology is the study of information handling and its use in society by means of modern technology. This includes the acquisition, processing, storage and communi­cation of information in any form by appropriate means. Within information technology there is an identifiable body of subject content, skills and activities. This common core is transferable, relevant to other curriculum areas and has wide application in society.

Note the reference to 'modern technology' in both these definitions. Traditional methods of information handling using simple tools - such as writing notes using pencil and paper - are excluded, just as making a rabbit hutch at home is excluded from our definition of a factory. Most IT devices (though not all) are controlled by microchips. These chips may be incorporated in the equipment itself (as in the case of my autodial telephone), or they may be incorporated in the computers which control the equipment.

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