---
title: "Short note: Information age"
subject: "Technology, Environment and Society"
chapter: 1
key: "semester_7/technology_environment_and_society:information-age-note"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/information-age-note
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Short note: Information age

Technology, Environment and Society · Chapter 1: Technology

- Asked in: 2074 Asoj, 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/information-age-note
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/chapter-1

## Question

Write a short note on information age.

## Short answer

The information age, from about the 1970s, is when information and knowledge processed by computers and the internet became the main sources of production, power and wealth. It features digital technologies, knowledge workers, a service economy and globalisation, with benefits like fast communication and problems like the digital divide and cyber crime.

## Answer

The **information age** (also called the digital or computer age) is the period, from about the 1970s, in which **information and knowledge** processed by computers and the internet are the main sources of production, power and wealth. It followed the industrial age and was triggered by the microprocessor (1971), personal computers and the internet.

**Characteristics:**
- Information and knowledge are the key economic resources.
- Wide use of computers, internet, mobile phones, cloud computing and AI.
- Knowledge workers form most of the workforce.
- Service-based economy (IT, banking, education, media).
- Globalisation: instant communication, global markets, e-commerce.
- Flat, networked organisations; remote and flexible work.
- Rapid innovation and lifelong learning.

**Benefits:** fast communication, online education and health care, e-governance, new jobs (IT outsourcing), transparency.

**Problems:** digital divide, cyber crime, loss of privacy, misinformation, unemployment for unskilled workers, e-waste, screen addiction.

**Nepalese context:** mobile and internet use have spread widely, digital payments (mobile wallets, QR payments), online government services and IT export are growing, but rural internet access and digital literacy remain limited.

## Check yourself

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

1. What triggered the information age?
   A. Steam engine
   B. Microprocessor (1971), PCs and the internet
   C. Printing press
   D. Railways
   Answer: B. The microprocessor, PCs and internet started the era from about the 1970s. (Key point: Trigger of information age)

2. The information age economy is mainly:
   A. Agriculture-based
   B. Service-based
   C. Barter-based
   D. Mining-based
   Answer: B. IT, banking, education and media lead. (Key point: Economy type)

3. Which is a problem of the information age?
   A. Digital divide and loss of privacy
   B. Lack of computers in the world
   C. No communication
   D. Fewer jobs for IT
   Answer: A. Digital divide, cyber crime, privacy loss, misinformation and e-waste are problems. (Key point: Problems)

## Related in Technology, Environment and Society

- [Industrial vs information age; information as wealth](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Aindustrial-vs-info-age-wealth) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 1, asked 2×
- [Compare industrial age and information age](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Acompare-industrial-info-age) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 1, asked 2×
- [Information age characteristics and unmasking social problems](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Ainfo-age-unmask-problems) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 1
- [Information age and digital technology against COVID-19](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Ainfo-age-covid-digital) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 1
- [Knowledge and characteristics of information age](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Aknowledge-info-age-characteristics) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 1
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