The Digital Enterprise

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Data, information and knowledge, and the processing thereof, are of vital importance in our society. We are increasingly dependent on information systems and data to make decisions in a wide range of domains. Sensor and network technology helps us to collect and analyze data in real-time, and to speed up decision making in all areas of our society. The possibilities of information and computer science are endless, but they also raise concerns: for instance about privacy, security, and identity, but also about interpretation and perception of data. All these developments have led to the present-day information society. The information society is a society in which the creation, distribution, use, integration and manipulation of information is a significant economic, political, and cultural activity. The aim of the information society is to gain competitive advantage internationally, through using information technology (IT) in a creative and productive way. The knowledge economy is its economic counterpart, where wealth is created through the economic exploitation of understanding. People who have the means to partake in this form of society are sometimes called digital citizens. This is one of many dozen labels that have been identified to suggest that humans are entering a new phase of society. This course offers an overview of the Information Science, providing both a theoretical grounding and a pragmatic approach to applying key concepts. Drawing on ideas, tools, and techniques from such disciplines as sociology, cognitive science, organizational behavior, and computer science, the course shows the information society from different perspectives: the society , and its various aspects, as a whole, but also elements such as an individual organization, information technology, and people. The course serves as an introduction to other Information and Computer Science courses, in which the various topics of Information Society will be discussed in more detail.