---
title: "Agricultural society entering information society"
subject: "Technology, Environment and Society"
chapter: 3
key: "semester_7/technology_environment_and_society:agricultural-to-info-society"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/agricultural-to-info-society
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Agricultural society entering information society

Technology, Environment and Society · Chapter 3: Brief History of Human Civilization

- Asked in: 2073 Chaitra, 8 marks
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/agricultural-to-info-society
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/chapter-3

## Question

What is information society? Explain how agricultural society entered into information society.

## Short answer

Information society is one where information creation, sharing and use dominate economic activities, with knowledge workers and ICT. Agricultural society entered it through the industrial stage: agricultural productivity freed labour, factories concentrated workers, then automation, computers and the internet shifted employment to services and knowledge work powered by electricity and data.

## Answer

An **information society** is a society in which creating, storing, sharing and using information is the main economic and social activity; knowledge is the key source of wealth and power, and most people work in information and service jobs using ICT (computers, internet, mobile phones).

**Characteristics:** information as the main resource, knowledge workers, ICT in all sectors, globalisation, networked and flexible work, rapid innovation, lifelong learning, and new problems such as the digital divide, cyber crime and loss of privacy.

#### How agricultural society entered into information society

After the hunting-gathering stage, human society passed through three main stages: agricultural, industrial and information.

```text
Hunting-gathering     stone tools, nomadic
       |
       v
Agricultural          ~10,000 BC: plough, land
       |
       v
Industrial            ~1760: steam, coal, factory
       |
       v
Information           ~1970s: computer, internet
```

**1. Agricultural society (from the Neolithic Revolution, about 10,000 BC)**
- Domestication of plants and animals; settled villages; land was the main wealth.
- Tools: plough, sickle, irrigation; energy from humans and animals.
- Feudal social structure; slow change; most people were farmers.

**2. Transition to industrial society (from about 1760)**
- Agricultural revolution (crop rotation, enclosures, seed drill) increased food and freed labour.
- The Renaissance and Scientific Revolution gave science and a rational mindset.
- Trade and colonies gave capital, raw materials and markets.
- Steam engine, textile machines, iron and coal created factories; people moved to cities as wage workers.
- Capital and machines became the main resources.

**3. Transition to information society (from about the 1960s–70s)**
- Automation and mass production reduced the need for factory workers; jobs moved to services (banking, education, health, trade).
- Electronics revolution: transistor (1947), IC (1958), microprocessor (1971) and personal computers (1980s).
- Telecommunication: satellites, optical fibre, internet (WWW in 1991), mobile phones and later smartphones.
- Higher education produced knowledge workers; research and software became major industries.
- Globalisation: manufacturing moved to cheaper countries while design, finance and information work stayed in developed ones.

| Point | Agricultural | Industrial | Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main resource | Land | Capital, machines | Knowledge, data |
| Energy | Muscle | Coal, oil, electricity | Electricity, renewables |
| Main workers | Farmers | Factory workers | Knowledge workers |
| Settlement | Village | City | Networked, global |
| Pace of change | Very slow | Fast | Very fast |

Each stage did not remove the earlier one: farming and industry still exist, but they are now run and improved by information technology (e.g. smart farming, automated factories). Nepal shows a mix of all three stages today.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. What defines an information society?
   A. Land is the main wealth
   B. Machines and capital are the main resources
   C. Creating, sharing and using information is the main activity and knowledge is the key wealth
   D. People mostly work as farmers
   Answer: C. In an information society, knowledge and ICT drive the economy and most people do information and service jobs. (Key point: Definition)

2. Which factor helped free labour from farms to move into industry?
   A. Agricultural revolution (crop rotation, seed drill) increasing food output
   B. Invention of the internet
   C. Collapse of trade
   D. Decline of science
   Answer: A. Higher food production from better farming freed labour, who became wage workers in cities. (Key point: Agriculture to industry)

3. Which development belongs to the transition to the information society?
   A. Spinning jenny
   B. Microprocessor (1971) and the internet
   C. Plough and sickle
   D. Puddling process
   Answer: B. Electronics (transistor, IC, microprocessor) and telecom (internet, mobile) drove the information society. (Key point: Industry to information)

4. In the comparison table, what is the main resource of each stage in order (agricultural, industrial, information)?
   A. Capital, land, knowledge
   B. Land, capital/machines, knowledge/data
   C. Knowledge, land, capital
   D. Land, knowledge, machines
   Answer: B. Land for agriculture, capital and machines for industry, knowledge and data for information. (Key point: Comparison)

## Related in Technology, Environment and Society

- [Industrial society entering information society](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Aindustrial-to-info-society) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 3, asked 2×
- [Civilization: agricultural, industrial, information society](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Aenlighten-civilization-societies) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 3
- [Renaissance as foundation of industrial society](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Arenaissance-foundation-industrial) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 3