APPRAISAL OF INDIAN SITUATION- EFFECTIVE UTILISATION OF ICT IN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE
Today we are living in the age of information, and communication where the information societies are rapidly transforming themselves from information society to knowledge society. Information society or rather its Japanese term “Johoka Shokai”, was perceived by the Japanese writer, Yoneji Masuda, “as a society, which would eventually move to a point at which the production of information values became the formative force for the development of the society.”
In India the significance of communication in equipping people with new information and skills; and mobilizing them for their willful participation in various development programmes and activities has been well recognized and emphasized in the country’s blueprint policy i.e the five year plans. Communication is fun, Communication is power, Communication is money and Communication is intelligence today. So a country’s growth, cultural moorings, its inner strength and competitive edge all depend greatly on communication power. In the recent years the country is on the threshold of a new communication revolution of which satellite, TV, Video are major manifestations. In this information age from high frequency wireless communication to digital compression technology, to microwave communication to silicon chips, satellite communication, optic fibers, telematics, computer graphics, Internet, world wide web, Internet protocol TV(IPTV),interactive TV(ITV),digital audio broadcasting(DAB),multimedia and so on, there is no stopping and no looking back. Communication wise the whole world is technically knit together and with the constraints of time and distance disappearing, it has been possible for humanity at large to be integrated at intellectual, economic, cultural and emotional levels, by sharing a global commonwealth of human resources, transforming the whole world virtually into a ‘global village’.
NEW COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES-Different Perspectives And Significance
The concept of global village by Marshall McLuhan is becoming increasingly interconnected by communication technologies that is gradually defining the way we look at the world. The Gutenberg era is over. A new digital communications technology has emerged. An electronic superhighway is beginning to girdle the globe as voice, video and data converge bringing in the wake a new basket of digital multimedia and interactive communications technologies. New technologies such as Global Satellite of Mobile communications(GSM),General Packet Radio service(GPRS), Teletext, Videotex, Virtual Private Network(VPN), Wi-Fi, Coded Division Multiple Access(CDMA) etc are gaining wide acceptance due to several advantages like–
Interactivity Demassification (As opposed to the old economy (which focused more on mass production and mass broadcasting to a mass audience), the new economy breaks down (demassifies) production. The focus, in terms of production, is now shifted to customization, segmentation, and individualization. This trend leads to narrowcasting). Asynchronity (the exchange of data, figures, and conversation takes place on a real time basis, without the presence of all the participants). Immediacy User friendly Narrowcasting(A narrowcast is the transmission of data to a specific list of recipients. Cable television is an example of broadcast model in which the signals are transmitted everywhere and anyone with an antenna can receive them. The internet uses both a broadcast and a narrowcast model. To transmit to selected individuals. Cable TV and satellite radio are examples of narrowcast services because they reach only their subscriber base. Mailing lists are another example.) Infotainment(A television program with a mixture of news and entertainment features, such as interviews, commentaries, and reviews). Ease of updating Instantaneous message dissemination Time saving and Cost Effective
Marriage of mediums or rather, Convergence is today a reality and India is fast waking up to the digital era, re-shaping the way the individuals and organisations produce, process, market, collaborate and share information. The launch of paid Internet radio services on Yahoo! And Rediff.com, Edge, Third Generation(3G) and Bluetooth, Internet on TV, are some of the new technologies that have been used for the benefit of mankind. At the same time ,there is an increasing demand from consumers for data delivery, telephony services, global roaming, e-mail, video and Internet access on one single device. These needs have resulted in global standards that are more open, making available the vast knowledge base and providing substantial increase in productivity, a better quality of life, enhancements in education and recreation and cross cultural understanding.
