Pertemuan 2 - ICT Literacy - Fesa Asy Syifa Nurul Haq, S.Kom., MMSI

Summary

The lecture explains how information and communication technology (ICT) has transformed society, work, learning, communication, and entertainment. It covers the evolution of industry and information societies, digital literacy and skills, and how people access and use ICT.

1. Industrial revolutions and social change

The lecture describes four industrial revolutions:

• Industry 1.0: Began in 18th-century England with steam power. Steam engines supported transportation and mechanized textile production, increasing output.
• Industry 2.0: Electricity enabled mass production. Conveyor belts and production-line systems divided work into specialized tasks, making production faster and cheaper.
• Industry 3.0: Computers, robots, semiconductors, and integrated circuits advanced automation and information processing. The Colossus computer is mentioned as an early machine used to break Nazi codes during World War II.
• Industry 4.0: Combines automation with cyber technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and cognitive computing. These developments can improve data processing, support business innovation, and create new jobs.

2. The information society and its indicators

An information society uses ICT to manage information and improve people’s lives. Information is distributed, used, and manipulated in economic, political, and cultural activities. It can also become a source of economic value and competitive advantage. People who participate in this environment may be described as digital citizens.

The lecture says the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) measures progress toward an information society through ICT access and use. Indicators discussed include:

• The importance of information in everyday life, organizations, and workplaces.
• The use of ICT for social activities, education, business, and other purposes.
• The ability to exchange digital data quickly over long distances.
• Public awareness of and access to information.
• The treatment of information as an economically valuable commodity.
• Access to high-speed information networks.
• A shift from printed information to electronic formats.
• A shift from manual services to electronic services.
• Changes in economic activity and increasingly global competition.

The lecture identifies the ITU as an international organization concerned with standards and coordination for telecommunications and radio, and notes its role in measuring ICT-related progress.

3. Society 5.0

Society 5.0, a concept introduced by Japan, aims to integrate cyberspace with the physical world. Data collected through technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) can be processed using AI and applied to people’s needs. The goal is to use advanced technology to improve quality of life and address social and economic problems—not simply to innovate for its own sake.

The lecture traces earlier types of society as hunting, agricultural, industrial, and information societies (Societies 1.0–4.0). Society 5.0 is presented as a response to concerns that Industry 4.0 could place technology ahead of human needs.

Possible applications include:

• Delivery: Drones, IoT, and AI could help speed up deliveries and reduce logistical obstacles.
• Health: AI could help provide health-related information, such as indicators concerning heart health and blood pressure.
• Smart homes: AI-based systems could support home security and respond to residents’ needs.
• Transportation: AI could help identify routes underserved by public transport, support access to remote areas, and detect when a driver may be unfit to drive.

The lecturer notes that some elements already exist, but Society 5.0 envisions them being more fully connected and organized around societal needs.

4. Digital literacy: five essential capabilities

Digital literacy involves using technology to learn, find and understand online information, develop technical competence, and behave responsibly online. The lecture outlines five important capabilities:

1. Digital culture

   • Understand how the internet and technology shape people’s behavior, thinking, communication, and communities.
   • Use technology safely and competently, including when creating an online identity or participating in online communities.

2. Critical thinking

   • Analyze and evaluate information, arguments, patterns, and connections.
   • Ask questions and check whether information is credible, accurate, or potentially false.
   • Apply information to real-world situations and express conclusions in one’s own words.
   • Use these habits to consume content wisely and participate empathetically online.

3. Online safety

   • Recognize online risks and protect personal security when searching, sharing, and browsing.
   • Be aware of issues such as photo sharing and consent, online blackmail or exploitation, plagiarism, copyright, and viruses.
   • Build safe online habits appropriate to the user’s age and situation.

4. Digital ethics

   • Access, question, analyze, and evaluate online content responsibly.
   • Respect other people’s creative work and privacy.
   • Promote responsible, honest, and trustworthy use of online resources.

5. Finding and evaluating information

   • Search for information accurately and assess what is found.
   • Distinguish reliable information from misinformation and opinion.
   • Recognize that search engines alone cannot determine whether information is trustworthy.

5. Digital skills and practical competencies

Digital skills are the ability to find, evaluate, use, share, and create content with digital devices such as computers and phones. The lecture gives two broad aims:

• Use ICT to solve problems and achieve useful outcomes.
• Avoid harmful effects by using technology safely.

Practical skills discussed include:

• Basic digital skills: Use applications, software, and digital hardware.
• Communication: Send and receive information clearly and accurately.
• Handling information and content: Select, organize, and understand information.
• Transacting online: Understand digital transactions and make informed purchases.
• Problem-solving: Identify and address obstacles encountered in digital environments.
• Safe and lawful browsing: Avoid scams and illegal or copyright-infringing content, and use online services appropriately.

The lecturer also mentions operational, management, adaptation, and social skills as categories of digital skills. A 2018 ITU survey is cited as indicating that developing countries continued to lag behind developed countries in digital skills, including programming and basic computer use.

6. ICT access and use

ICT access can be assessed through measures such as:

• The number of households with computers.
• The number of households with internet access.
• The number of people who own or use mobile phones.
• Subscriptions to fixed or mobile broadband, at home or at work.

ICT use can be measured through internet use, international bandwidth, and fixed and mobile broadband traffic. The lecture reports a global increase in internet use, citing 51.2% of the world’s population, and growth in mobile broadband. It also notes that developing countries remained behind developed countries in ICT skills, bandwidth, and internet use.

Mobile phones are used for calls, messages, games and entertainment, and internet access. The lecture observes that mobile devices have become increasingly popular because they are portable, and that greater digital literacy can support broader uses of them.

Speakers and sources featured

• Speaker: Fesa Asy Syifa Nurul Haq, S.Kom., MMSI (introduced in the subtitles as “Ibesa”).
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU): Cited for ICT and information-society indicators and survey findings.
• Japanese government: Cited in connection with the Society 5.0 concept.