9781422282946

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S T E M I N C U R R E N T E V E N T S

INTRODUCTION What Is Information Technology?

M odern-day society depends on storing, retrieving, and sending information so much that an entire industry, known as information tech- nology, has grown to service it. From the moment you wake up to the time you go to sleep, you probably access more information that you even real- ize. If you use a smartphone, surf the Internet,watch television, or listen to satellite radio, you’re using informa- tion technology. Humans have always needed to acquire and share information.While the information technology industry has come a long way since mankind ran around in animal skins and took shelter under twigs and branches, in the most basic sense, society’s needs have not changed much. People still want to know the latest news, find their next meal, share information with others,andunderstand theworld around them.

As in so many other STEM (sci- ence, technology, engineering, and math) fields, innovators in informa- tion technology have transformed the world. Easy access to information for all people has educational, so- cietal, and global benefits, from the understanding of foreign cultures and traditions to the increase in global lit- eracy. Similarly, the ability to transmit information rapidly haswide-ranging positive outcomes. It can help cre- ate a more productive workforce or just help people keep in touch. The consumer electronics industry has spread the information technology revolution to the masses. From social media apps such to smartphoneswith more power than the computers that ran the moon landings, information technology touches more humans around the globe than ever before. The age of modern information technology began in the late 1870s,