Editing Information and communications technology

{{short description|Extensional term for information technology}}
[[File:A Mind Map on ICT and Pedagogy.jpg|thumb|A mindmap of ICTs]]
{{Internet history timeline}}

'''Information and communications technology''' ('''ICT''') is an extensional term for [[information technology]] (IT) that stresses the role of [[unified communications]]<ref name="ICT-D-00">{{cite web | url=http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/modern-network-architecture/cloud-network-architecture-and-ict/ | title=Cloud network architecture and ICT - Modern Network Architecture | author=Murray, James | publisher=[[TechTarget]] =ITKnowledgeExchange | date=2011-12-18 | access-date=2013-08-18 | url-status=dead | archive-date=2017-09-20 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920133800/http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/modern-network-architecture/cloud-network-architecture-and-ict/ }}</ref> and the integration of [[telecommunications]] ([[telephone]] lines and [[wireless]] signals) and computers, as well as necessary [[enterprise software]], [[middleware]], storage and audiovisual, that enable users to access, store, transmit, understand and manipulate information.

ICT is also used to refer to the [[convergence (telecommunications)|convergence]] of audiovisuals and [[telephone network]]s with [[computer network]]s through a single cabling or link system. There are large economic incentives to merge the telephone networks with the computer network system using a single unified system of cabling, signal distribution, and management. ICT is an [[umbrella term]] that includes any communication device, encompassing radio, television, cell phones, computer and network hardware, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and appliances with them such as video conferencing and distance learning. ICT also includes analog technology, such as paper communication, and any mode that transmits communication.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ozdamli|first1=Fezile|last2=Ozdal|first2=Hasan|date=May 2015|title=Life-long Learning Competence Perceptions of the Teachers and Abilities in Using Information-Communication .Technologies|journal=Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences|language=en|volume=182|pages=718–725|doi=10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.819|doi-access=free}}</ref>

ICT is a broad subject and the concepts are evolving.<ref name="ICT - What is it">{{cite web|title = ICT - What is it?|url = http://www.tutor2u.net/business/ict/intro_what_is_ict.htm|website = www.tutor2u.net|access-date = 2015-09-01|archive-date = 2015-11-02|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151102060252/http://www.tutor2u.net/business/ict/intro_what_is_ict.htm|url-status = dead}}</ref> It covers any product that will store, retrieve, manipulate, process, transmit, or receive information electronically in a digital form (e.g., personal computers including smartphones, digital television, email, or robots). Skills Framework for the Information Age is one of many models for describing and managing competencies for ICT professionals in the 21st century.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.computer.org/web/pressroom/framework|title=IEEE-CS Adopts Skills Framework for the Information Age • IEEE Computer Society|website=www.computer.org|access-date=14 March 2018}}{{dead link|date=May 2025}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The phrase "information and communication technologies" has been used by academic researchers since the 1980s.<ref>William Melody et al., ''Information and Communication Technologies: Social Sciences Research and Training: A Report by the ESRC Programme on Information and Communication Technologies'', {{ISBN|0-86226-179-1}}, 1986. Roger Silverstone et al., "Listening to a long conversation: an ethnographic approach to the study of information and communication technologies in the home", ''Cultural Studies'', 5(2), pages 204–227, 1991.</ref> The abbreviation "ICT" became popular after it was used in a report to the UK government by [[Dennis Stevenson, Baron Stevenson of Coddenham|Dennis Stevenson]] in 1997,<ref>The Independent ICT in Schools Commission, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070104225121/http://rubble.ultralab.anglia.ac.uk/stevenson/ICT.pdf ''Information and Communications Technology in UK Schools: An Independent Inquiry''], 1997. Impact noted in Jim Kelly, [http://specials.ft.com/lifeonthenet/FT3NXTH03DC.html What the Web is Doing for Schools] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711045405/http://specials.ft.com/lifeonthenet/FT3NXTH03DC.html |date=2011-07-11 }}, Financial Times, 2000.</ref> and then in the revised [[National Curriculum (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)|National Curriculum]] for England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2000. However, in 2012, the [[Royal Society]] recommended that the use of the term "ICT" should be discontinued in British schools "as it has attracted too many negative connotations".<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 2012 |title=Shut down or restart? The way forward for computing in UK schools |url=https://royalsociety.org/~/media/education/computing-in-schools/2012-01-12-computing-in-schools.pdf |access-date=2024-12-14 |website=Royal Society |page=18}}</ref> From 2014, the National Curriculum has used the word ''[[computing]],'' which reflects the addition of [[computer programming]] into the curriculum.<ref>Department for Education, {{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-computing-programmes-of-study|title=National curriculum in England: computing programmes of study}}</ref>

Variations of the phrase have spread worldwide. The United Nations has created a "[[United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force]]" and an internal "Office of Information and Communications Technology".<ref>United Nations Office of Information and Communications Technology, [https://unite.un.org/content/about About] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204082751/https://unite.un.org/content/about |date=2018-02-04 }}</ref>

==Monetization==
The money spent on IT worldwide has been estimated as US$3.8 trillion<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.idc.com/promo/global-ict-spending/overview|title=IDC - Global ICT Spending - 2018 - $3.8T|website=IDC: The premier global market intelligence company|access-date=2018-09-24}}</ref> in 2017 and has been growing at less than 5% per year since 2009. The estimated 2018 growth of the entire ICT is 5%. The biggest growth of 16% is expected in the area of new technologies ([[Internet of things|IoT]], [[Robotics]], [[Augmented reality|AR]]/[[Virtual reality|VR]], and [[Artificial intelligence|AI]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.idc.com/promo/global-ict-spending/forecast|title=IDC - Global ICT Spending - Forecast 2018 – 2022|website=IDC: The premier global market intelligence company|access-date=2018-09-24}}</ref>

The 2014 IT budget of the US federal government was nearly $82 billion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Federal Information Technology FY2014 Budget Priorities |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/egov_docs/2014_budget_priorities_20130410.pdf |website=obamawhitehouse.archives.gov}}</ref> IT costs, as a percentage of corporate revenue, have grown 50% since 2002, putting a strain on IT budgets. When looking at current companies' IT budgets, 75% are recurrent costs, used to "keep the lights on" in the IT department, and 25% are the cost of new initiatives for technology development.<ref name="omtco1">{{cite web|title=IT Costs – The Costs, Growth And Financial Risk Of Software Assets|url=http://omtco.eu/references/sam/it-costs-the-costs-growth-and-financial-risk-of-software-assets/|publisher=OMT-CO Operations Management Technology Consulting GmbH|access-date=26 June 2011|archive-date=12 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812110122/http://omtco.eu/references/sam/it-costs-the-costs-growth-and-financial-risk-of-software-assets/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The average IT budget has the following breakdown:<ref name="omtco1"/>
* 34% personnel costs (internal), 31% after correction
* 16% software costs (external/purchasing category), 29% after correction
* 33% hardware costs (external/purchasing category), 26% after correction
* 17% costs of external service providers (external/services), 14% after correction

The estimated amount of money spent in 2022 is just over US$6 trillion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.idc.com/promo/global-ict-spending/forecast|title=IDC - Global ICT Spending - Forecast 2018 – 2022|website=IDC: The premier global market intelligence company|access-date=2018-09-24}}</ref>

== Technological capacity ==
The world's technological capacity to store information grew from 2.6 (optimally compressed) [[exabytes]] in 1986 to 15.8 in 1993, over 54.5 in 2000, and to 295 (optimally compressed) [[exabytes]] in 2007, and some 5 [[Zettabyte Era|zettabytes]] in 2014.<ref name="HilbertLopez2011">[https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1200970 "The World's Technological Capacity to Store, Communicate, and Compute Information"], Martin Hilbert and Priscila López (2011), [[Science (journal)|Science]], 332(6025), 60–65; see also [http://www.martinhilbert.net/WorldInfoCapacity.html "free access to the study"] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIKPjOuwqHo "video animation"].</ref><ref name="InfoBiosphere2016">{{Cite journal|doi = 10.1016/j.tree.2015.12.013|pmid = 26777788|title = Information in the Biosphere: Biological and Digital Worlds|journal = [[Trends in Ecology & Evolution]] |volume = 31|issue = 3|pages = 180–189|year = 2016|last1 = Gillings|first1 = Michael R|last2 = Hilbert|first2 = Martin|last3 = Kemp|first3 = Darrell J| bibcode=2016TEcoE..31..180G | s2cid=3561873 |url = http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/38f4b791}}</ref> This is the informational equivalent to 1.25 stacks of [[CD-ROM]] from the [[earth]] to the [[moon]] in 2007, and the equivalent of 4,500 stacks of printed books from the [[earth]] to the [[sun]] in 2014. The world's technological capacity to receive information through one-way [[broadcast]] networks was 432 [[exabytes]] of (optimally compressed) information in 1986, 715 (optimally compressed) [[exabytes]] in 1993, 1.2 (optimally compressed) [[zettabytes]] in 2000, and 1.9 [[zettabytes]] in 2007.<ref name="HilbertLopez2011"/> The world's effective capacity to exchange information through two-way [[telecommunication]] networks was 281 [[petabytes]] of (optimally compressed) information in 1986, 471 [[petabytes]] in 1993, 2.2 (optimally compressed) [[exabytes]] in 2000, 65 (optimally compressed) [[exabytes]] in 2007,<ref name="HilbertLopez2011"/> and some 100 [[exabytes]] in 2014.<ref name="HilbertBitsDivide">{{Cite journal|doi = 10.1016/j.telpol.2016.01.006|title = The bad news is that the digital access divide is here to stay: Domestically installed bandwidths among 172 countries for 1986–2014 |url=http://escholarship.org/uc/item/2jp4w5rq |journal = [[Telecommunications Policy]] |volume = 40|issue = 6|pages = 567–581|year = 2016|last1 = Hilbert|first1 = Martin}}</ref> The world's technological capacity to compute information with humanly guided general-purpose computers grew from 3.0 × 10^8 MIPS in 1986, to 6.4 x 10^12 MIPS in 2007.<ref name="HilbertLopez2011"/>

==Sector in the OECD==
The following is a list of [[OECD]] countries by share of ICT sector in total value added in 2013.<ref>{{citation | doi=10.1787/888933224163 | title=Figure 1.9 Share of ICT sector in total value added, 2013}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Rank !! Country !! ICT sector in % !! Relative size
|-
|  1 || {{flagcountry|South Korea}}      || {{bartable|10.7||10}}
|-
|  2 || {{flagcountry|Japan}}        || {{bartable|7.02||10}}
|-
|  3 || {{flagcountry|Ireland}}        || {{bartable|6.99||10}}
|-
|  4 || {{flagcountry|Sweden}}         || {{bartable|6.82||10}}
|-
|  5 || {{flagcountry|Hungary}} || {{bartable|6.09||10}}
|-
|  6 || {{flagcountry|United States}}        || {{bartable|5.89||10}}
|-
| 7 ||{{flagcountry|India}}        || {{bartable|5.87||10}}
|-
| 8 ||{{flagcountry|Czech Republic}}       || {{bartable|5.74||10}}
|-
| 9 ||{{flag|Finland}}          || {{bartable|5.60||10}}
|-
| 10 ||{{flagcountry|United Kingdom}}        || {{bartable|5.53||10}}
|-
| 11 ||{{flagcountry|Estonia}}        || {{bartable|5.33||10}}
|-
| 12 ||{{flagcountry|Slovakia}}        || {{bartable|4.87||10}}
|-
| 13 ||{{flagcountry|Germany}}       || {{bartable|4.84||10}}
|-
| 14 ||{{flagcountry|Luxembourg}}         || {{bartable|4.54||10}}
|-
| 15 ||{{flagcountry|Switzerland}}        || {{bartable|4.63||10}}
|-
| 16 ||{{flagcountry|France}}    || {{bartable|4.33||10}}
|-
| 17 ||{{flagcountry|Slovenia}} || {{bartable|4.26||10}}
|-
| 18 ||{{flagcountry|Denmark}}       || {{bartable|4.06||10}}
|-
| 19 ||{{flagcountry|Spain}}    || {{bartable|4.00||10}}
|-
| 20 ||{{flagcountry|Canada}}    || {{bartable|3.86||10}}
|-
| 21 ||{{flagcountry|Italy}}    || {{bartable|3.72||10}}
|-
| 22 ||{{flagcountry|Belgium}}          || {{bartable|3.72||10}}
|-
| 23 ||{{flagcountry|Austria}}  || {{bartable|3.56||10}}
|-
| 24 ||{{flagcountry|Portugal}}         || {{bartable|3.43||10}}
|-
| 25 ||{{flagcountry|Poland}}         || {{bartable|3.33||10}}
|-
| 26 ||{{flagcountry|Norway}}         || {{bartable|3.32||10}}
|-
| 27 ||{{flagcountry|Greece}}        || {{bartable|3.31||10}}
|-
| 28 ||{{flagcountry|Iceland}}          || {{bartable|2.87||10}}
|-
| 29 ||{{flagcountry|Mexico}}          || {{bartable|2.77||10}}
|}

==ICT Development Index==
The [[ICT Development Index]] ranks and compares the level of ICT use and access across the various countries around the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/backgrounders/general/pdf/5.pdf|title=Measuring the Information Society|date=2011|access-date=25 July 2013|publisher=International Telecommunication Union}}</ref> In 2014 ITU (International Telecommunication Union) released the latest rankings of the IDI, with Denmark attaining the top spot, followed by South Korea. The top 30 countries in the rankings include most high-income countries where the quality of life is higher than average, which includes countries from Europe and other regions such as "Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Japan, Macao (China), New Zealand, Singapore, and the United States; almost all countries surveyed improved their IDI ranking this year."<ref name="librarylearningspace.com">{{cite web|title = ITU releases annual global ICT data and ICT Development Index country ranking - librarylearningspace.com|url = http://librarylearningspace.com/itu-releases-annual-global-ict-data-ict-development-index-country-rankings/|access-date = 2015-09-01|date = 2014-11-30}}</ref>

==The WSIS process and development goals==
On 21 December 2001, the [[United Nations General Assembly]] approved Resolution 56/183,  endorsing the holding of the [[World Summit on the Information Society]] (WSIS) to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing today's information society.<ref name="Intro1">{{Cite news| title= Basic information : about was 
| date= 17 January 2006 |publisher= International Telecommunication Union| url=http://www.itu.int/wsis/basic/about.html | access-date= 26 May 2012}}</ref> According to this resolution, the General Assembly related the Summit to the [[United Nations Millennium Declaration]]'s goal of implementing ICT to achieve [[Millennium Development Goals]]. It also emphasized a multi-stakeholder approach to achieve these goals, using all stakeholders including civil society and the private sector, in addition to governments.

To help anchor and expand ICT to every habitable part of the world, "2015 is the deadline for achievements of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which global leaders agreed upon in the year 2000."<ref name="itu.int">{{cite web|title = ICT Facts and Figures – The world in 2015|url = http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/facts/default.aspx|website = ITU|access-date = 2015-09-01}}</ref>

==In education==
[[File: Mobile software development laboratory in The Estonian Information Technology College.jpg|thumb|Today's society shows the ever-growing computer-centric lifestyle, which includes the rapid influx of computers in the modern classroom.]]There is evidence that, to be effective in education, ICT must be fully integrated into the [[pedagogy]]. Specifically, when teaching literacy and math, using ICT in combination with Writing to Learn<ref>{{cite web|title=What is Writing to Learn, WAC Clearinghouse|url=https://wac.colostate.edu/resources/wac/intro/wtl/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading, Carnegie.Org 2010|url=https://www.carnegie.org/media/filer_public/9d/e2/9de20604-a055-42da-bc00-77da949b29d7/ccny_report_2010_writing.pdf}}</ref> produces better results than traditional methods alone or ICT alone.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Genlott |first1=Annika Agélii |last2=Grönlund |first2=Åke |title=Closing the gaps – Improving literacy and mathematics by ict-enhanced collaboration |journal=Computers & Education |date=August 2016 |volume=99 |pages=68–80 |doi=10.1016/j.compedu.2016.04.004 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation ([[UNESCO]]), a division of the United Nations, has made integrating ICT into education as part of its efforts to ensure equity and access to education. The following, which was taken directly from a UNESCO publication on educational ICT, explains the organization's position on the initiative.<blockquote>Information and Communication Technology can contribute to universal access to education, equity in education, the delivery of quality learning and teaching, teachers' professional development and more efficient education management, governance, and administration. [[UNESCO]] takes a holistic and comprehensive approach to promote ICT in education. Access, inclusion, and quality are among the main challenges they can address. The Organization's Intersectoral Platform for ICT in education focuses on these issues through the joint work of three of its sectors: Communication & Information, Education and Science.<ref>{{cite web|title=ICT in Education|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/|website=Unesco|access-date=10 March 2016}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File: OLPC Laptops at school in Rwanda2.jpg|thumb|OLPC Laptops at school in Rwanda]]
Despite the power of computers to enhance and reform teaching and learning practices, improper implementation is a widespread issue beyond the reach of increased funding and technological advances with little evidence that teachers and tutors are properly integrating ICT into everyday learning.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Birt |first1=Jacqueline |last2=Safari |first2=Maryam |last3=de Castro |first3=Vincent Bicudo |date=2023-03-20 |title=Critical analysis of integration of ICT and data analytics into the accounting curriculum: A multidimensional perspective |journal=Accounting & Finance |volume=63 |issue=4 |language=en |pages=4037–4063 |doi=10.1111/acfi.13084 |s2cid=257675501 |issn=0810-5391|doi-access=free }}</ref> Intrinsic barriers such as a belief in more traditional teaching practices and individual attitudes towards computers in education as well as the teachers own comfort with computers and their ability to use them all as result in varying effectiveness in the integration of ICT in the classroom.<ref>Blackwell, C.K., Lauricella, A.R. and Wartella, E., 2014. Factors influencing digital technology use in early childhood education. Computers & Education, 77, pp.82-90.</ref>

=== Mobile learning for refugees ===
{{main|Mobile learning for refugees}}

School environments play an important role in facilitating language learning. However, language and literacy barriers are obstacles preventing refugees from accessing and attending school, especially outside camp settings.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|last=UNESCO|url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000261278|title=A Lifeline to learning: leveraging mobile technology to support education for refugees|publisher=UNESCO|year=2018|isbn=978-92-3-100262-5}}</ref>

Mobile-assisted language learning apps are key tools for language learning. Mobile solutions can provide support for refugees' language and literacy challenges in three main areas: literacy development, foreign language learning and translations. Mobile technology is relevant because communicative practice is a key asset for refugees and immigrants as they immerse themselves in a new language and a new society. Well-designed mobile language learning activities connect refugees with mainstream cultures, helping them learn in authentic contexts.<ref name=":7" />

=== Developing countries ===
==== Africa ====
[[File: M-Learning Policy Forum.jpg|alt=A computer screen at the front of a room of policymakers shows the Mobile Learning Week logo|thumb|Representatives meet for a policy forum on M-Learning at UNESCO's Mobile Learning Week in March 2017.]]
ICT has been employed as an educational enhancement in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]] since the 1960s. Beginning with television and radio, it extended the reach of education from the classroom to the living room, and to geographical areas that had been beyond the reach of the traditional classroom. As the technology evolved and became more widely used, efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa were also expanded. In the 1990s a massive effort to push computer hardware and software into schools was undertaken, with the goal of familiarizing both students and teachers with computers in the classroom. Since then, multiple projects have endeavoured to continue the expansion of ICT's reach in the region, including the [[One Laptop per Child|One Laptop Per Child]] (OLPC) project, which by 2015 had distributed over 2.4 million laptops to nearly two million students and teachers.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002318/231867e.pdf|title=Digital services for education in Africa|last=Agence Française de Développement|date=February 2015|website=unesco.org|access-date=19 May 2018}}</ref>

The inclusion of ICT in the classroom, often referred to as [[M-learning|M-Learning]], has expanded the reach of educators and improved their ability to track student progress in Sub-Saharan Africa. In particular, the mobile phone has been most important in this effort. Mobile phone use is widespread, and mobile networks cover a wider area than internet networks in the region. The devices are familiar to student, teacher, and parent, and allow increased communication and access to educational materials. In addition to benefits for students, M-learning also offers the opportunity for better teacher training, which leads to a more consistent curriculum across the educational service area. In 2011, UNESCO started a yearly symposium called Mobile Learning Week with the purpose of gathering stakeholders to discuss the M-learning initiative.<ref name=":2" />

Implementation is not without its challenges. While mobile phone and internet use are increasing much more rapidly in Sub-Saharan Africa than in other developing countries, the progress is still slow compared to the rest of the developed world, with smartphone penetration only expected to reach 20% by 2017.<ref name=":2" /> Additionally, there are gender, social, and geo-political barriers to educational access, and the severity of these barriers vary greatly by country. Overall, 29.6 million children in Sub-Saharan Africa were not in school in the year 2012, owing not just to the geographical divide, but also to political instability, the importance of social origins, social structure, and gender inequality. Once in school, students also face barriers to quality education, such as teacher competency, training and preparedness, access to educational materials, and lack of information management.<ref name=":2" />

==== Growth in modern society and developing countries ====
In modern society, ICT is ever-present, with over three billion people having access to the Internet.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|title = ITU releases annual global ICT data and ICT Development Index country rankings|url = http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2014/68.aspx#.VeUVoKBViko|website = www.itu.int|access-date = 2015-09-01}}</ref> With approximately 8 out of 10 Internet users owning a smartphone, information and data are increasing by leaps and bounds.<ref>{{cite web|title = Survey: 1 In 6 Internet Users Own A Smartwatch Or Fitness Tracker|url = http://arc.applause.com/2015/01/12/survey-1-6-people-smartwatch-fitness-tracker/|website = ARC|access-date = 2015-09-01}}</ref> This rapid growth, especially in developing countries, has led ICT to become a keystone of everyday life, in which life without some facet of technology renders most of clerical, work and routine tasks dysfunctional.

The most recent authoritative data, released in 2014, shows "that Internet use continues to grow steadily, at 6.6% globally in 2014 (3.3% in developed countries, 8.7% in the developing world); the number of Internet users in developing countries has doubled in five years (2009–2014), with two-thirds of all people online now living in the developing world."<ref name="librarylearningspace.com" />

==== Limitations ====
However, hurdles are still large. "Of the 4.3 billion people not yet using the Internet, 90% live in developing countries. In the world's 42 Least Connected Countries (LCCs), which are home to 2.5 billion people, access to ICTs remains largely out of reach, particularly for these countries' large rural populations."<ref>{{cite web|title = ITU releases annual global ICT data and ICT Development Index country rankings|url = http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2014/68.aspx#.VeUcN6BVikp|website = www.itu.int|access-date = 2015-09-01}}</ref> ICT has yet to penetrate the remote areas of some countries, with many developing countries dearth of any type of Internet. This also includes the availability of telephone lines, particularly the availability of cellular coverage, and other forms of electronic transmission of data. The latest "Measuring the Information Society Report" cautiously stated that the increase in the aforementioned cellular data coverage is ostensible, as "many users have multiple subscriptions, with global growth figures sometimes translating into little real improvement in the level of connectivity of those at the very bottom of the pyramid; an estimated 450 million people worldwide live in places which are still out of reach of mobile cellular service."<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Favourably, the gap between the access to the Internet and mobile coverage has decreased substantially in the last fifteen years, in which "2015 was the deadline for achievements of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which global leaders agreed upon in the year 2000, and the new data show ICT progress and highlight remaining gaps."<ref name="itu.int"/> ICT continues to take on a new form, with nanotechnology set to usher in a new wave of ICT electronics and gadgets. ICT newest editions into the modern electronic world include smartwatches, such as the [[Apple Watch]], smart wristbands such as the [[Nike+ FuelBand]], and smart TVs such as [[Google TV (operating system)|Google TV]]. With desktops soon becoming part of a bygone era, and laptops becoming the preferred method of computing, ICT continues to insinuate and alter itself in the ever-changing globe.

Information communication technologies play a role in facilitating [[accelerated pluralism]] in [[new social movements]] today. The internet according to [[Bruce Bimber]] is "accelerating the process of issue group formation and action"<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Bimber|first=Bruce|date=1998-01-01|title=The Internet and Political Transformation: Populism, Community, and Accelerated Pluralism|journal=Polity|volume=31|issue=1|pages=133–160|doi=10.2307/3235370|jstor=3235370|s2cid=145159285}}</ref> and coined the term [[accelerated pluralism]] to explain this new phenomena. ICTs are tools for "enabling social movement leaders and empowering dictators"<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Hussain|first1=Muzammil M.|last2=Howard|first2=Philip N.|date=2013-03-01|title=What Best Explains Successful Protest Cascades? ICTs and the Fuzzy Causes of the Arab Spring|journal=International Studies Review|language=en|volume=15|issue=1|pages=48–66|doi=10.1111/misr.12020|issn=1521-9488|hdl=2027.42/97489|hdl-access=free}}</ref> in effect promoting societal change. ICTs can be used to garner [[grassroots]] support for a cause due to the internet allowing for political discourse and direct interventions with state policy<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kirsh|first=David|date=2001|title=The Context of Work|journal=Human Computer Interaction|volume=16|issue=2–4|pages=305–322|doi=10.1207/S15327051HCI16234_12|s2cid=28915179}}</ref> as well as change the way complaints from the populace are handled by governments. Furthermore, ICTs in a household are associated with women rejecting justifications for intimate partner violence. According to a study published in 2017, this is likely because "access to ICTs exposes women to different ways of life and different notions about women's role in society and the household, especially in culturally conservative regions where traditional gender expectations contrast observed alternatives."<ref>Cardoso LG, Sorenson SB. Violence against women and household ownership of radios, computers, and phones in 20 countries. American Journal of Public Health. 2017; 107(7):1175–1181.</ref>

==In health care==

* [[Telehealth]]
** A review found that in general, outcomes of such ICT-use – which were envisioned as early as 1925<ref>{{cite web |last1=Novak |first1=Matt |title=Telemedicine Predicted in 1925 |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/telemedicine-predicted-in-1925-124140942/ |website=Smithsonian Magazine |access-date=27 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref> – are or can be as good as in-person care with health care use staying similar.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Albritton |first1=Jordan |last2=Ortiz |first2=Alexa |last3=Wines |first3=Roberta |last4=Booth |first4=Graham |last5=DiBello |first5=Michael |last6=Brown |first6=Stephen |last7=Gartlehner |first7=Gerald |last8=Crotty |first8=Karen |title=Video Teleconferencing for Disease Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment |journal=Annals of Internal Medicine |date=7 December 2021 |volume=175 |issue=2 |pages=256–266 |doi=10.7326/m21-3511 |pmid=34871056 |s2cid=244923066 |issn=0003-4819 |url=https://www.pcori.org/sites/default/files/PCORI-Rapid-Review-Report-Video-Teleconferencing-Disease-Prevention-Diagnosis-Treatment.pdf}}</ref>
* [[Artificial intelligence in healthcare]]
* [[Software for COVID-19 pandemic mitigation]]
* [[mHealth]]
* [[Clinical decision support system]] and [[expert system]]
* [[Health administration]] and [[hospital information system]]
* Other [[health information technology]] and [[health informatics]]

==In science==
Applications of ICTs in science, research and development, and academia include:
* [[Internet research]]
* [[Online research methods]]
* [[Science communication]] and communication between scientists
* [[:Category:Scholarly databases|Scholarly databases]]
* [[Metascience#ICTs|Applied metascience]]

==Models of access==
Scholar [[Mark Warschauer]] defines a "models of access" framework for analyzing ICT accessibility. In the second chapter of his book, ''Technology and Social Inclusion: Rethinking the Digital Divide'', he describes three models of access to ICTs: devices, conduits, and literacy.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|title=Technology and Social Inclusion|last=Warschauer|first=Mark|publisher=The MIT Press|year=2004|isbn=0-262-23224-3|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|pages=[https://archive.org/details/technologysocial0000wars/page/39 39–49]|url=https://archive.org/details/technologysocial0000wars/page/39}}</ref> Devices and conduits are the most common descriptors for access to ICTs, but they are insufficient for meaningful access to ICTs without third model of access, literacy.<ref name=":3" /> Combined, these three models roughly incorporate all twelve of the criteria of "Real Access" to ICT use, conceptualized by a non-profit organization called Bridges.org in 2005:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pasdbp.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/bridgesorg_real_access_real_impact1.pdf|title=The Real Access / Real Impact framework for improving the way that ICT is used in development|date=26 December 2005}}</ref>

# Physical access to technology
# Appropriateness of technology
# Affordability of technology and technology use
# Human capacity and training
# Locally relevant content, applications, and services
# Integration into daily routines
# Socio-cultural factors
# Trust in technology
# Local economic environment
# Macro-economic environment
# Legal and regulatory framework
# Political will and public support

=== Devices ===
The most straightforward model of access for ICT in [[Mark Warschauer]]'s theory is devices.<ref name=":3" /> In this model, access is defined most simply as the ownership of a device such as a phone or computer.<ref name=":3" /> Warschauer identifies many flaws with this model, including its inability to account for additional costs of ownership such as software, access to telecommunications, knowledge gaps surrounding computer use, and the role of government regulation in some countries.<ref name=":3" /> Therefore, Warschauer argues that considering only devices understates the magnitude of digital inequality. For example, the [[Pew Research Center]] notes that 96% of Americans own a smartphone,<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/mobile/|title=Mobile Fact Sheet|website=Pew Research Center|date=13 November 2024 }}</ref> although most scholars in this field would contend that comprehensive access to ICT in the United States is likely much lower than that.

=== Conduits ===
A conduit requires a connection to a supply line, which for ICT could be a telephone line or Internet line. Accessing the supply requires investment in the proper infrastructure from a commercial company or local government and recurring payments from the user once the line is set up. For this reason, conduits usually divide people based on their geographic locations. As a [[Pew Research Center]] poll reports, Americans in rural areas are 12% less likely to have broadband access than other Americans, thereby making them less likely to own the devices.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/05/31/digital-gap-between-rural-and-nonrural-america-persists/|title=Digital gap between rural and nonrural America persists|last=Perrin|first=Andrew|website=Pew Research Center|date=19 August 2021 }}</ref> Additionally, these costs can be prohibitive to lower-income families accessing ICTs. These difficulties have led to a shift toward mobile technology; fewer people are purchasing broadband connection and are instead relying on their smartphones for Internet access, which can be found for free at public places such as libraries.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pewinternet.org/2019/06/13/mobile-technology-and-home-broadband-2019/|title=Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2019|last=Anderson|first=Monica|date=13 June 2019|website=Pew Research Center}}</ref> Indeed, smartphones are on the rise, with 37% of Americans using smartphones as their primary medium for internet access<ref name=":6" /> and 96% of Americans owning a smartphone.<ref name=":5" />

=== Literacy ===
[[File:Youth and adults with ICT skills, 2017.svg|thumb|Youth and adults with ICT skills, 2017]]
In 1981, [[Sylvia Scribner]] and [[Michael Cole (psychologist)|Michael Cole]] studied a tribe in [[Liberia]], the [[Vai people]], who have [[Vai syllabary|their own local script]]. Since about half of those literate in Vai have never had formal schooling, [[Sylvia Scribner|Scribner]] and [[Michael Cole (psychologist)|Cole]] were able to test more than 1,000 subjects to measure the mental capabilities of literates over non-literates.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|title=The Psychology of Literacy|last=Scribner and Cole|first=Sylvia and Michael|year=1981|isbn=9780674433014}}</ref> This research, which they laid out in their book ''The Psychology of Literacy'',<ref name=":4" /> allowed them to study whether the literacy divide exists at the individual level. [[Mark Warschauer|Warschauer]] applied their literacy research to ICT literacy as part of his model of ICT access.

[[Sylvia Scribner|Scribner]] and [[Michael Cole (psychologist)|Cole]] found no generalizable cognitive benefits from Vai literacy; instead, individual differences on cognitive tasks were due to other factors, like schooling or living environment.<ref name=":4" /> The results suggested that there is "no single construct of literacy that divides people into two cognitive camps; [...] rather, there are gradations and types of literacies, with a range of benefits closely related to the specific functions of literacy practices."<ref name=":3" /> Furthermore, literacy and social development are intertwined, and the literacy divide does not exist on the individual level.

Warschauer draws on [[Sylvia Scribner|Scribner]] and [[Michael Cole (psychologist)|Cole]]'s research to argue that ICT literacy functions similarly to literacy acquisition, as they both require resources rather than a narrow cognitive skill. Conclusions about literacy serve as the basis for a theory of the digital divide and ICT access, as detailed below:<blockquote>There is not just one type of ICT access, but many types. The meaning and value of access varies in particular social contexts. Access exists in gradations rather than in a bipolar opposition. Computer and Internet use brings no automatic benefit outside of its particular functions. ICT use is a social practice, involving access to physical artifacts, content, skills, and social support. And acquisition of ICT access is a matter not only of education but also of power.<ref name=":3" /></blockquote>Therefore, Warschauer concludes that access to ICT cannot rest on devices or conduits alone; it must also engage physical, digital, human, and social resources.<ref name=":3" /> Each of these categories of resources have iterative relations with ICT use. If ICT is used well, it can promote these resources, but if it is used poorly, it can contribute to a cycle of underdevelopment and exclusion.<ref name=":4" />

== Environmental impact ==
{{See also|:Category:Environmental technology|Information and communication technologies for environmental sustainability}}

=== Progress during the century ===
In the early 21st century a rapid development of ICT services and electronical devices took place, in which the internet servers multiplied by a factor of 1000 to 395 million and its still increasing. This increase can be explained by [[Moore's law]], which states, that the development of ICT increases every year by 16–20%, so it will double in numbers every four to five years.<ref name=":8">{{Cite journal|last1=Gerhard|first1=Fettweis|last2=Zimmermann|first2=Ernesto|date=2008|title=ITC Energy Consumption - Trends and Challenges|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237397470|journal=The 11th International Symposium on Wireless Personal Multimedia Communications (WPMC 2008)|via=ResearchGate}}</ref> Alongside this development and the high investments in increasing demand for ICT capable products, a high environmental impact came with it. [[Software]] and Hardware development as well as production causing already in 2008 the same amount of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions as global air travels.<ref name=":8"/>

There are two sides of ICT, the positive environmental possibilities and the shadow side. On the positive side, studies proved, that for instance in the [[OECD]] countries a reduction of 0.235% energy use is caused by an increase in ICT capital by 1%.<ref name=":9">{{Cite journal|last1=Lange|first1=Steffen|last2=Pohl|first2=Johanna|last3=Santarius|first3=Tilman|date=2020-10-01|title=Digitalization and energy consumption. Does ICT reduce energy demand?|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800919320622|journal=Ecological Economics|language=en|volume=176|pages=106760|doi=10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106760|bibcode=2020EcoEc.17606760L |s2cid=224947774|issn=0921-8009|url-access=subscription}}</ref> On the other side the more [[digitization]] is happening, the more energy is consumed, that means for OECD countries 1% increase in internet users causes a raise of 0.026% electricity consumption per capita and for emerging countries the impact is more than 4 times as high.

Currently the scientific forecasts are showing an increase up to 30700 TWh in 2030 which is 20 times more than it was in 2010.<ref name=":9"/>

=== Implication ===
To tackle the environmental issues of ICT, the [[European Commission|EU commission]] plans proper monitoring and reporting of the [[Greenhouse gas|GHG]] emissions of different ICT platforms, countries and infrastructure in general. Further the establishment of international norms for reporting and compliance are promoted to foster transparency in this sector.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021|title=Rolling Plan for ICT standardization 2021|url=https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/collection/rolling-plan-ict-standardisation/ict-environmental-impact|access-date=2022-01-08|website=Joinup |publisher=European Commission }}</ref>

Moreover it is suggested by scientists to make more ICT investments to exploit the potentials of ICT to alleviate CO<sub>2</sub> emissions in general, and to implement a more effective coordination of ICT, energy and growth policies.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lu|first=Wen-Cheng|date=2018-12-01|title=The impacts of information and communication technology, energy consumption, financial development, and economic growth on carbon dioxide emissions in 12 Asian countries|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-018-9787-y|journal=Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change|language=en|volume=23|issue=8|pages=1351–1365|doi=10.1007/s11027-018-9787-y|bibcode=2018MASGC..23.1351L |s2cid=158412820|issn=1573-1596|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Consequently, applying the principle of the [[coase theorem]] makes sense. It recommends to make investments there, where the marginal avoidance costs of emissions are the lowest, therefore in the [[Developing country|developing countries]] with comparatively lower technological standards and policies as [[High tech|high-tech]] countries. With these measures, ICT can reduce environmental damage from economic growth and energy consumption by facilitating communication and infrastructure.

=== In problem-solving ===
ICTs could also be used to address [[environmental issues]], including [[climate change mitigation|climate change]], in various ways, including ways beyond education.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fox |first1=Evan Michael |title=Mobile Technology: A Tool to Increase Global Competency Among Higher Education Students |s2cid-access=free |journal=The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning |date=2019 |volume=20 |issue=2 |doi=10.19173/irrodl.v20i2.3961 |s2cid=242492985 |language=en |issn=1492-3831|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Digitalisation for a circular economy: A driver for European Green Deal |url=https://www.epc.eu/en/events/Digitalisation-for-a-circular-economy-A-driver~30dbd0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231008095531/https://www.epc.eu/en/events/Digitalisation-for-a-circular-economy-A-driver~30dbd0 |archive-date=Oct 8, 2023 |website=EPC}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Charfeddine |first1=Lanouar |last2=Umlai |first2=Mohamed |title=ICT sector, digitization and environmental sustainability: A systematic review of the literature from 2000 to 2022 |journal=[[Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews]] |date=2023 |volume=184 |pages=113482 |doi=10.1016/j.rser.2023.113482 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2023RSERv.18413482C }}</ref>

==See also==

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Behavioral change support system]]
* [[Cloud computing]]
* [[Cognitive infocommunications]]
* [[DICOM]]
* [[Digital divide]]
* [[Moinee Foundation|Example of information and communication technologies for education]]
* [[Gender digital divide]]
* [[Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative]]
* [[Infocommunications]]
* [[Information Age]]
* [[Market information systems]]
* [[Mobile web]]
* [[Picture archiving and communication system]] 
* [[21st century skills]]
* [[World Innovation, Technology and Services Alliance]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

== Sources ==
* {{Free-content attribution
| title = A Lifeline to learning: leveraging mobile technology to support education for refugees
| author = UNESCO
| publisher = UNESCO
| page numbers = 
| source = UNESCO
| documentURL = https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000261278
| license statement URL = 
| license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin|2}} 
* Cantoni, L., & Danowski, J. A. (Eds.). (2015). [http://www.degruyter.com/view/product/179986 Communication and Technology]. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.
* Carnoy, Martin. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20121030130827/http://www.uoc.edu/inaugural04/eng/carnoy1004.pdf ICT in Education: Possibilities and Challenges]." Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, 2005.
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20150508034358/http://adb.org/sites/default/files/pub/2009/Good-Practice-in-ICT-for-Education.pdf Good Practice in Information and Communication Technology for Education]." Asian Development Bank, 2009.
* {{cite journal | last1 = Grossman | first1 = G. | last2 = Helpman | first2 = E. | year = 2005 | title = Outsourcing in a global economy | journal = Review of Economic Studies | volume = 72 | pages = 135–159 | doi=10.1111/0034-6527.00327| citeseerx = 10.1.1.159.5158 }}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Feridun | first1 = Mete | last2 = Karagiannis | first2 = Stelios | year = 2009 | title = Growth Effects of Information and Communication Technologies: Empirical Evidence from the Enlarged EU | journal = Transformations in Business and Economics | volume = 8 | issue = 2| pages = 86–99 }}
* Oliver, Ron. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20030415172537/http://elrond.scam.ecu.edu.au/oliver/2002/he21.pdf The Role of ICT in Higher Education for the 21st Century: ICT as a Change Agent for Education]." University, Perth, Western Australia, 2002.
* Walter Ong, Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word (London, UK: Routledge, 1988), in particular Chapter 4
* {{cite book|title=Measuring the Information Society: The ICT Development Index|publisher=International Telecommunication Union|date=2013|page=254|url=http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/publications/mis2013/MIS2013_without_Annex_4.pdf}} 
* [https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/publications/mis2014/MIS2014_without_Annex_4.pdf Measuring the Information Society Report: 2014]. International Telecommunication Union.
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{wiktionary|ICT|information and communications technology}}
* [http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/facts/default.aspx ICT Facts and Figures]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Information And Communication Technologies}}
[[Category:Information and communications technology| ]]