EMPOWERMENT TECHNOLOGIES

LESSON 1: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) deals with the use of different
communication technologies such as mobile phones, telephone, internet, etc. to locate,
save, send, and edit information.

When we make a video call, we use internet. When we send a text or make a
call, we use cellular networks. When we run out of load or battery, we use payphones
which use a telephone network. Having a unified way to communicate is one of the
goals of ICT. In terms of economics, ICT has saved companies a lot of resources (time
and money) with the kind of communication technology they use nowadays. In a similar
way, we spend less because of ICT. As it normally costs us a peso to send a text message
or SMS, with the internet, we can send multiple messages and only be charged by a
fraction.

ICT IN THE PHILIPPINES

Several international companies dub the Philippines as the “ICT Hub of Asia”. It is no
secret that there is a huge growth of ICT-related jobs around the country, one of which
is the call center or BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) centers.

According to the 2013 edition of Measuring the Information Society by the

International Telecommunication Union, there are 106.8 cellphones per 100 Filipinos in the
year 2012. That would mean that for every 100 Filipinos you meet, there is a high chance
that they have a cellphone and approximately for the seven of them, they have two.

In a data gathered by the Annual Survey of the Philippine Business and Industries,
NSO, in 2010, the ICT industry shares 19.3% of the total employment population here in the
Philippines.

To add to this statistics, Time Magazine’s “The Selfiest Cities around the World” of
2014 places two cities from the Philippines in the top 1 and top 9 spots. The study was
conducted using Instagram, a popular photo sharing application.

With the numbers, there is no doubt that the Philippines, is one of the countries that
benefits most out of ICT.

WEB 2.0: DYNAMIC WEB PAGES

The internet has been a vital tool to our modern lives that is why it is also
important to take the best of the internet.
 When the World Wide Web was invented, most web pages were static. Static
(also known as flat page of stationary page) in the sense that the page is “as is” and
cannot be manipulate by the use. The content is also the same for all the users. This is
referred to as the Web 1.0.

However, the World Wide Web is more than just static pages. Pretty soon, Web
2.0 came into the picture.

Web 2.0 is a term coined by Darcy DiNucci on January 1999. In her article title,
“Fragmented Future”, she wrote:

The Web we know now, which loads into a browser window in essentially
static screenfuls, is only an embryo of the Web to come. The first
glimmerings of Web 2.0 are beginning to appear, and we are just starting to
see how that embryo might develop.

eb 2.0 is the evolution of Web 1.0 by adding dynamic web pages – the user is able
to see a website differently than others. Examples of Web 2.0 include social networking
sites, blogs, wikis, video sharing sites, hosted services, and web applications. Web 2.0 also
allows users to use web browsers instead of just using their operating system. Browsers
can now be used for their user interface, application software (or web application), and even
for file storage. Most websites that we visit today are Web 2.0.

FEATURES OF WEB 2.0

The key features of Web 2.0 include;

1. Folksonomy – allows users to categorize and classify/arrange information

using freely chosen keywords (e.g. tagging). Popular networking sites such as
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. use tags that start with the pound sign (#). This
is also referred to as hashtag.

2. Rich User Experience – content is dynamic and is responsive to user’s input. An

example would be a website that shows local content. In the case of social
networking sites, when logged on, your account is used to modify what you see
in their website.

3. User Participation – the owner of the website is not the only one who is able to
put content. Others are able to place a content of their own by means of
comments, reviews, and evaluation. Some websites allow readers to
comment on an article, participate in a poll, or review a specific product (e.g.
Amazon.com, online stores).

4. Long Tail – services that are offered on demand rather than a one-time
purchase. In certain cases, time-based pricing is better than file-size pricing or
vice-versa. This is synonymous to subscribing to a data plan that charges you for
the amount of time you spent in the Internet, or a data plan that charges you for
the amount of bandwidth you used.
 5. Software as a Service – users will subscribe to a software only when needed
rather than purchasing them. This is a cheaper option if you do not always
need to use a software. For instance, Google Docs is a free web-based
application that allows the user to create an edit word processing and
spreadsheet documents online. When you need a software, like a Word
Processor, you can purchase it for a one-time huge amount and install it in
your computer and it is yours forever. Software as a service allows you to
“rent” a software for a minimal fee.

6. Mass Participation – diverse information sharing through universal web

access. Since most users can use the internet, Web 2.0’s content is based on
people from various cultures.

WEB 3.0 AND THE SEMANTIC WEB

The Semantic Web is a movement led by the World Wide Web Consortium
(W3C). The W3C standard encourages web developers to include semantic content in
their web pages. The term was coined by the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim
Berners-Lee. Lee also noted that the Semantic Web is a component of Web 3.0.

According to the W3C, “The Semantic Web provides a common framework that
allows data to be shared and reused across application, enterprise, and community
boundaries.” The aim of Web 3.0 is to have machines (or servers) understand the user’s
preferences to be able to deliver web content specifically targeting the user. For
example, when doing a web search in Web 2.0, the topmost result is based on the
preference of several users who already searched for the item. The search engine then
labels it the most common answer to the search query. Though there are instances
wherein several preferences are considered like geographic location, Web 3.0 aims to do
better. This is through studying personal preferences of an individual user and showing
results based on those preferences. The internet is able to predict the best possible
answers to your question by “learning” from your previous choices.

For example, if you search the Internet for “Where is the best place to go
shopping?” Web 3.0 will aim to give you results depending on how you have made
choices in the past. If you purchased several shoes online, the Internet will give you
results on the best place with the highest rated shoes around your vicinity.

Another example is when you search for the best restaurant to visit in a specific
area. First, it may look for your previous visits from another restaurants and if you have
rated them whether good or bad. In return, Web 3.0 will search for restaurants that have
a similar menu, good rating, and budget that fit your preference in the past.

Web 3.0 is yet to be fully realized because of several problems;

1. Compatibility – HTML files and current web browsers could not support Web 3.0.
2. Security – the user’s security is also in question since the machine is saving his or her
preferences.
3. Vastness – the World Wide Web already contains billions of web pages.
 4. Vagueness – certain words are imprecise. The words “old” and “small” would
depend on the user.
5. Logic – since machines use logic, there are certain limitations for a computer to be
able to predict what the user is referring to at a given time.

TRENDS IN ICT

As the world of ICT continues to grow, the industry has focused on several
innovations. These innovations cater to the needs of the people that benefit most out of ICT.
Whether it is for business or personal use, these trends are the current front runners in the
innovation of ICT.

1. Convergence
Technological Convergence is the synergy of technological
advancements to work on a similar goal or task. For example, besides using your
personal computer to create word documents, you can now use your
smartphone. It can also use cloud technologies to sync files from one device to
another while using LTE technology which means you can access your files
anytime, anywhere. Convergence is using several technologies to accomplish a
task conveniently.

2. Social Media
Social Media is a website, application, or online channel that enables web
users to create, co-create, discuss, modify, and exchange user-generated
content. According to Nielsen, a global information and measurement
company, Internet users spend more time in social media sites that any other
type of site. With this, more and more advertisers use social media to promote
their product.

There are six types of social media:

a. Social Networks – these are sites that allow you to connect with other people with
the same interests or background. Once user creates his or her account, he or
she can set up a profile, add people, create groups, and share content.
Examples: Facebook and Google+

b. Bookmarking Sites – these are sites that allow you to store and manage links to
various websites and resources. Most of these sites allow you to create a tag
that allows you and others to easily search or share them.
Examples: StumbleUpon and Pinterest

c. Social News – these are sites that allow users to post their own news items or
links to other news sources. The users can also comment on the post and
comments may also be ranked. They are also capable of voting on these
news articles of the website. Those who get the most amount of votes are
shown prominently.
Examples: Reddit and Digg
 d. Media Sharing – these are sites that allow you to upload and share media
content like images, music, and video. Most of these sites have additional
social features like liking, commenting, and having user profiles.
Examples: Flickr, Youtube, and Instagram

e. Microblogging – these are sites that focus on short updates from the user.
Those subscribed to the user will be able to receive these updates.
Examples: Twitter and Plurk

f. Blogs and Forums – these websites allow users to post their content. Other
users are able to comment on the said topic. There are several free blogging
platforms like Blogger, WordPress and Tumblr. On the other hand, forums are
typically part of a certain website or web service.

3. Mobile Technologies
The popularity of smartphones and tablets has taken a major rise over the
years. This is largely because of the device’ capability to do tasks that were
originally found in personal computers. Several of these devices are capable of
using high-speed internet. Today, the latest mobile devices use 4G Networking
(LTE), which is currently the fastest mobile network. Also, mobile devices use
different operating systems:

a. iOS – used in apple devices such as the iPhone and iPad.

b. Android – an open source operating system developed by Google. Being open
source means several mobile companies use this OS for free.
c. Blackberry OS – used in Blackberry devices.
d. Windows Phone OS – a closed source and proprietary operating system
developed by Microsoft®.
e. Symbian – the original smartphone OS; used by Nokia devices.
f. WebOS – originally used for smartphones; now used for smart TVs.
g. Windows Mobile – developed by Microsoft® for smartphones and pocket PCs.

4. Assistive Media
Assistive Media is a nonprofit service designed to help people who have
visual and reading impairments. A database of audio recordings is used to read to
the user.

Source:

RBS Empowerment Technologies, First Edition

::: For class reference only. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION :::