Demystifying the Digital Age: a manual to technology, ICT, and how to become a technology literate in 2025

We live in the era of terminology with such terms as technology, ICT, and digital literacy being tossed around everywhere. But what do they truly mean? These terms are abstract and interchangeable to many hence confusivity.

Have you ever been in a situation where you asked yourself, what does information and communication technology mean? or wondering what it is that it really takes to be technology literate, you have arrived at the right place.

The following guide will deconstruct these fundamental concepts to offer a proper understanding of how to navigate our digital world, and we will begin with the greatest question.

 Definition of Technology

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When we mention technology, what comes to our mind are smart phones, laptops and futuristic devices. Nonetheless, technology is much deeper and wider.

Technology is in essence, the practical use of scientific knowledge. Not only the final product but also the whole process of overcoming problems and enhancing human abilities. The wheel was an innovative technology. The world was transformed with the printing press. One type of technology is a lever.

We usually resort to a digital technology when referring to technology nowadays, which is the use of computers, software, and networks to process information. Knowing this extended meaning of technology makes us come to view technology not as magic, but as a human instrument to advancement.

Communication Technology

At this point, we can zoom in on one branch of technology that is mighty and powerful. To tell what communication technology is, we consider tools and systems that are applied to transmit information somewhere to another place.

This has historically featured the telegraph, telephone and the radio. These inventions made distances smaller and enabled exchange of thought at a faster rate. The essence of any communication technology is to fill gaps be it physical or metaphorical, which allows communication and data sharing.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

ICT refers to the inter-relationships of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals), computers, and requisite enterprise software, middleware, storage and audiovisual systems that make users access, store, transmit and manipulate information. In less complicated words, ICT is a union between computing (information) and communication.

Think of it this way:

• Information Technology (IT) is about the data itself—how it’s stored, processed, and secured.
• Communication Technology (CT) is about the pipeline—how that data is sent and received.

The convergence of technologies created ICT, which provides us with the internet, email, video conferencing, social media, and cloud storage. It is the foundation of the modern world economy, education and health care. Information and communication technology is meaningful because it has the capacity to relate information with people instantly and anywhere in the world.

The Human in the Loop: Moving to Technology Literacy

Getting all this powerful technology is one thing and knowing how to utilize it is another thing. This is whereby the technology literate concept is brought in.

Being technological savvy is much more than understanding how to use a Smartphone or a Word Processor. It involves:

• Functional Skills: It involves the capacity to operate existing devices and software in order to carry out intended tasks.
• Critical Thinking: The ability to assess web-based information, identify the valid sources, and misinformation, as well as the ability to comprehend the ethical consequences of using technology.
• Creativity and Problem-Solving: To create new content with the help of digital tools, solve complex problems, and be innovative.
• Flexibility: Becoming familiar with and accepting change and being able to acquire new tools and platforms as they develop.

A technologically literate person will not be a passive consumer of information; he or she will produce, share, work, and think critically in the online world. They are conscientious citizens.

Interesting Technology Facts that define the ICT Revolution

In order to better understand these ideas, we shall examine the following mind bogging facts about technology that demonstrate the magnitude and pace of the ICT revolution:

• Data Overload: It is said that 90 percent of the data in the world has been created just during the past two years. The advanced ICT tools are used to handle and analyze this big data.
• The Internet (Physical Body): The internet which is a pinnacle of ICT has been based on over 1.2 million kilometers of submarine cables that cross the ocean beds 30 times around the earth.
• Power of Your Pocket: Your modern smartphone is more powerful in its processing abilities than the computers that were used to send the Apollo 11 to the moon.
• First Email Spam: The earliest known spam email was sent in 1978, just 7 years after a very first email transmission, and this reminds us that problems of communications technology are not any newer than the technology itself.

Conclusion

Determining what technology is, knowing how to define communication technology, and realizing the complete meaning of information and communication technology are no longer mere academic practices. They cannot be left without as they are indispensable in the 21 st century.

The idea is to transform into an active, technology literate, citizen, rather than a passive one. This concept of demystification of these terms and concepts will enable us to utilize the instruments of the digital era rather than be utilized by them. The process of becoming technologically literate is a long process, but the most worthwhile investment in your personal and professional future.

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