Information Age
| Third Industrial Revolution | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947–present | |||
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A laptop connected to the Internet displaying information from Wikipedia. Long-distance communication between computer systems is a hallmark of the Information Age. | |||
| Location | Worldwide | ||
| Key events | Invention of the transistor Computer miniaturization Invention of the Internet | ||
| Part of a series on |
| Human history |
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| ↑ Prehistory (Stone Age) (Pleistocene epoch) |
| ↓ Future |
| History of technology |
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The Information Age is a historical period that began in the mid-20th century. It is characterized by a rapid shift from traditional industries, as established during the Industrial Revolution, to an economy centered on information technology. The onset of the Information Age has been linked to the development of the transistor in 1947. This technological advance has had a significant impact on the way information is processed and transmitted.
According to the United Nations Public Administration Network, the Information Age was formed by capitalizing on computer miniaturization advances, which led to modernized information systems and internet communications as the driving force of social evolution.
There is ongoing debate concerning whether the Third Industrial Revolution has already ended and recent breakthroughs in areas such as artificial intelligence and biotechnology have spawned a Fourth Industrial Revolution. This next transition has been theorized to harken the advent of the Imagination Age, the Internet of things (IoT), and rapid advances in machine learning.