--- title: "Hurdles in industrial to information transition" subject: "Technology, Environment and Society" chapter: 3 key: "semester_7/technology_environment_and_society:hurdles-industrial-info-transition" source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/hurdles-industrial-info-transition site: BCT Engineering --- # Hurdles in industrial to information transition Technology, Environment and Society · Chapter 3: Brief History of Human Civilization - Asked in: 2082 Baisakh, 4 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/hurdles-industrial-info-transition - Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/chapter-3 ## Question Describe about key hurdles people faced during the transformation of industrial society to information society. ## Short answer People faced job losses from automation, skill gaps, digital divide, high technology costs, and resistance to change. Other hurdles included information overload, privacy and security threats, social isolation, outdated laws, and health issues like e-waste and sedentary work. ## Answer The change from industrial to information society (from about the 1970s) brought new opportunities, but people faced several hurdles: 1. **Job loss and unemployment** – automation and computers replaced many factory and clerical jobs; workers in old industries (steel, coal, textiles) lost jobs. 2. **Skill gap** – new jobs needed computer and technical skills; older and less educated workers found it hard to retrain. 3. **Digital divide** – unequal access to computers, internet and skills between rich and poor, urban and rural, and developed and developing countries. 4. **High cost** of hardware, software and network infrastructure in the early stage. 5. **Resistance to change** – fear of technology, habit of old methods, and opposition by trade unions. 6. **Information overload and misinformation** – too much information, fake news and difficulty in judging reliable sources. 7. **Privacy and security problems** – cyber crime, hacking, data theft, surveillance. 8. **Social and cultural change** – less face-to-face contact, isolation, generation gap, and erosion of traditional values. 9. **Legal and policy gaps** – laws for e-commerce, intellectual property and cyber crime came late. 10. **Health and environmental issues** – sedentary work, eye strain, and growing e-waste. These hurdles were reduced by education and retraining programmes, cheaper technology, ICT policies, and cyber laws (in Nepal, the Electronic Transactions Act, 2063). ## Check yourself The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why. 1. Why did many workers face unemployment during the shift to the information society? A. Too many new factories opened B. Automation and computers replaced factory and clerical jobs C. Wages rose sharply D. Education stopped Answer: B. Automation and computers replaced many factory and clerical jobs, especially in old industries. (Key point: Job loss) 2. What is the digital divide? A. Difference in internet speed between two cities only B. Unequal access to computers, internet and skills between rich and poor, urban and rural, countries C. Division of a computer's memory D. Gap between hardware prices Answer: B. The digital divide is unequal access to ICT and skills across groups and regions. (Key point: Digital divide) 3. Which measure reduced these hurdles? A. Banning computers B. Stopping education C. Education and retraining, cheaper technology, ICT policies and cyber laws D. Closing the internet Answer: C. Retraining, cheaper tech, ICT policies and cyber laws (e.g. Nepal's Electronic Transactions Act, 2063) helped. 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