Strengthening Role of Information and Communication Technology in Global Society

Abstract

Humans have been storing, retrieving, manipulating, and communicating information since the Sumerians
in Mesopotamia developed writing in about 3000 BC, but the term information technology in its modern
sense first appeared in a 1958 article published in the Harvard Business Review; authors Harold J. Leavitt
and Thomas L. Whisler commented that "the new technology does not yet have a single established name.
We shall call it information technology (IT)." Their definition consists of three categories: techniques for
processing, the application of statistical and mathematical methods to decision-making, and the
simulation of higher-order thinking through computer programs. The term is commonly used as a
synonym for computers and computer networks, but it also encompasses other information distribution
technologies such as television and telephones. Several products or services within an economy are
associated with information technology, including computer hardware, software, electronics,
semiconductors, internet, telecom equipment, and e-commerce. Based on the storage and processing
technologies employed, it is possible to distinguish four distinct phases of IT development: premechanical
(3000 BC – 1450 AD), mechanical (1450–1840), electromechanical (1840–1940), and
electronic (1940–present). This article focuses on the most recent period (electronic), which began in
about 1940. Girls in ICT Day initiative is a global effort to encourage girls and young women to consider
studies and careers in information and communication technologies (ICT). The Space Communications
and Navigation Program at NASA Glenn has partnered with Hyland Software and the Great Lakes
Science Center to provide hands-on coding activities, networking with professionals, and an opportunity
to explore future careers in the ICT field.