Digital Revolution

The term Digital Revolution ( also Electronic Revolution ) is the caused by digitization and computer upheaval that causes a change in both the technology as well as ( almost) all areas of life since the end of the 20th century, similar to the Industrial Revolution 200 years earlier. Heinrich Klotz speaks of a " second modernity ".

History and Trend

It is believed that it was the first time possible to mankind in 2002, more information to store digital than in analog format, which therefore can be seen as the beginning of the " digital age ". The almost complete digitization of the world's stored information set took place in less than 10 years, during the decade around the turn of the millennium. It is estimated that in 1993 only 3% of the world's information storage capacity was digital, while it was already 94 % in 2007.

The global telecommunications capacity ( bi-directional exchange of information) was in 1986 to 20% in 1993 to two -thirds ( 68%), and digitized in 2000 to 98 % .. The global broadcast and broadcasting capacity on the other hand ( one-way transmission of information ), lags significantly behind. In 2007, only 25 % were digital.

The digitization of information and communication processes has led to an information explosion. In particular, the global telecommunications and information storage capacity per capita in the two decades 1986-2007 between 23% and 28 % per year growth (for comparison: the world economy is growing about 3% to 6% per year).

Technological Change

The digital revolution is based on the invention of the microchip and its steady performance increase ( Moore's Law ), the introduction of flexible automation in production and the development of global communications networks like the Internet.

An important role was played by the general computerization. In the 1980s, computers began to be found not only in business and research, but also in the private sector application, partly graphical user interfaces were used, which mimicked the conventional desk. Initially toy hackers, the home computer was soon to the estimated tool that is used as well as the telephone and television.

The computer has become commonplace today, at work, in science, education and many other areas. Take a critical role in a so-called digital goods (software and digital information ). These differ from classical, tangible products (eg hardware ) in that they can often be used or copied, without consuming itself and regardless of how much work goes into them. Digital and subsequently digitized goods can be distributed or sold to customers cost-effectively and directly in particular over the Internet. This has a significant impact on traditional distribution channels, particularly in the media sector. In addition to new competitors, the trade grows here more competition from freely available goods or the illegal distribution of copyrighted material, eg by means of file-sharing platforms.

This circumstance is attempted by means of expansion of patent law and international agreements (such as TRIPS ) to address that would secure intellectual property in software and information. Is at odds with the concept of free software.

The new technique also yielded dangers data network-related disasters ( D- hazards), a working field of civil protection.

In the first modern muscle strength was (see Horsepower ) by the steam engine (see also Watts) replaced. In the second modernity, the thinking power of humans (see IQ) through the machine (see AI ) is replaced. One example is chess computer like Deep Blue or Hydra, which can be defeated by any man more sure. A combination of technical strength and technical power of thought is the robot. Industrial robots are taking over the people of the industrial production. At the same time created entirely new industries. So the mobile phone only with computer use ( circuit of compounds ) was realized.

The digital revolution is not finished. A high potential will be seen for example in the development of the robot. As an example, expects Ian Pearson, chief futurist at British Telecom, from 2020, with machines with consciousness. see also: Industry 4.0. Likewise, great progress can be expected also in the artificial intelligence still. The time at which artificial intelligence, human intelligence will surpass and then advance the progress itself is called the Technological Singularity. As the name suggests, an event, " according to [ the ] people's lives, as we know it, can not go on ," said Stanislaw Ulam. Hans Moravec estimated the computational power of the brain to 100 teraflops, Raymond Kurzweil 10,000 teraflops. This computing power have already reached supercomputer. According to Gordon Moore, the computing power doubles every 18 months. ( See sources Technological singularity )

Social and economic consequences

Worldwide introduced the digital revolution to great mentality changes, especially through its impact on the children's and youth culture.

She had significant than global economic, social and cultural concurrency and communication proportion of the direction of the process of globalization.

According to the U.S. economist Jeremy Rifkin believes the work will disappear by the digital revolution in the long term, since even the cheapest human labor is more expensive than the machine. Based on this assumption, arguing some of the advocates of a basic income.

Internet and mobile phones are now defined by politicians and development agencies as an aspect of basic needs, as they promoted democracy. The development in the information economy also leads to the stabilization of the market economy and the achievement of prosperity: " bring information to the markets work, and markets create wealth ". That, more and more people see not only the benefits but also the limitations and " freedom Fallen" ( radiation hazards propagated by mobile internet eg " Digital Dementia" [ Manfred Spitzer ] ): At the same time a "digital polarization" ( Thiede ) makes increasingly noticeable the digital revolution brings with it the more, the more they will be further developed.

Legal and policy implications

The mass collection, storage and transmission of digital data erschaffte a status quo of supervision, as he was unknown in the history of mankind before. The opportunities offered by the digital revolution technical capabilities, their potential threats to the right to privacy and the possibility of a substantially transparent citizen were still largely unknown, as the basic human rights conventions of the United Nations have been completed, including the UN Civil Pact.

The international legal questions posed by the digital revolution, moved in the course of surveillance and espionage in 2013 by leaps and bounds in the focus of social and political debate. This includes a largely unresolved issues relating to human rights, counter-espionage and state sovereignty.

Impact on science

According to Pieter Drenth, ex-president of the All European Academies, the digital revolution advances science has made possible a variety of fields: achievements in genome sequencing, predictions of climate research, complex models in physics and chemistry, nanotechnology, neurophysiological bases of language development and cognitive functions, economic simulations and comparative studies in language and literature. Actually every scientific discipline has benefited from the developments in computer technology.

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