So what are ICTs?
ICT is a term that has been around for some years, but not everyone is very clear about what exactly it means. While some of us know what Information and Communication Technology stands for, there is still a level of mystery to the term that eludes understanding.
The reason behind this is that there is no fully agreed definition of what, precisely, ICTs are. This is because everything to do with ICT (its concepts, methods and applications) is constantly changing, which means that it is impossible to pin down an adequate definition before that definition must be modified to apply to the evolution of the term. This isn’t particularly helpful when trying to understand what the term is about, but luckily there are some ICT explanations that will never change.
ICT refers to any product that deals with electronic information. This could be hardware or software, so personal computers and emails are included in the same term, since they both deal with electronic information, albeit in different ways. ICTs incorporate products that store, receive, manipulate, transmit or retrieve digital information under the same umbrella.
In this way, you can think of the term as referring to anything to do with computers and computing, basically anything to do with digital information in whatever form it takes. This includes software that runs both online and offline, so Internet programs apply just as well as offline software such as Word, Office, and PowerPoint. As long as the product deals with digital information, it is considered to fall under the general term of ICT.
ICTs are a big part of our everyday lives. We use computers and electronic information for many things, from organizing our social lives and keeping up with friends via email, instant messaging and social networking sites to running large-scale businesses that generate millions of pounds of revenue every year. Think of sites like Amazon and supermarket online stores – without the amazing capabilities of ICT, none of these would exist or make the money that they do.
Computers are used to write letters, write novels, upload and email photos, connect with people on the other side of the world and share news, discover new cultures, and donate to charity.
So many products pertain to ICT, from PCs to interactive whiteboards to the latest eBook reader, so it’s no surprise that the meaning of the term is constantly evolving.
Just remember that it will always refer to the handling of electronic information and will never stray too far from the true meaning of ICT!