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This article provides information 12 Main Features of Knowledge Society !
The idea and concept of knowledge society were very popular towards the end of twentieth century. This concept has been widely contested too and has been questioned by various scholars from diverse corners. Social scientists have criticised it content, form and direction.
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The theoretical discourses that examine technology and human progress and the dimensions of knowledge and digital divide in knowledge societies are:
i. All societies are knowledge societies and hence the argument that the present society is an emerging knowledge society is questioned.
ii. There still exists an ambiguity in defining knowledge society, which is evident from the interchanged use of knowledge and information society as well as knowledge economy.
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iii. Ambiguity exists not only in defining knowledge society but also defining in the very concept of knowledge with relation to knowledge society.
iv. The very ambiguity in defining knowledge and knowledge society makes it difficult to measure knowledge society empirically.
v. The difficulty in measuring the knowledge society makes it difficult to measure the extend of penetration of knowledge society into all spheres of society.
vi. Knowledge society is often referred to as like long learning society. But projects and plans by individuals and groups and institutions to develop lifelong learning are more credibly regarded as a response to the requirement of the state in knowledge society rather than to an independent requirement of the knowledge society itself.
vii. Growth in higher education is taken into account in assessing the growth in knowledge society. The question is that whether the higher education ensures a the emergencies of an egalitarian society. Or does the knowledge society ensure equal to higher education to all sections of the population can knowledge society ensure an equal standard for higher education.
viii. Studies on knowledge society indicate a growing “digital divide” within and across the communities. It looks as if the pre-existing inequalities in the society are only reinforced in knowledge societies.
ix. It is often chained that knowledge societies would bring progressive transformations in the society. However, innumerous examples of system crash, deskilling, ever insufficient upskilling, redundant mountains of hardware, incessant innovation, enforced creativity, workplace and life-style stress etc., also represent a substantial matter of “knowledge failure” or “systemic waste”. One should not take sight away from such realities of knowledge society.
x. The different theoretical strands related to Internet based knowledge transmission have their own critical approach about knowledge society.
xi. Some of the knowledge society imperatives such as international economy, fully modernised state, the future of work and well being all seem to be thrust upon the people leaving no scope for the people to make their own choice for accepting or rejecting the system.
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xii. It is also argued that the social fatalism has reached such a height that the latest technological determinism strips the collective and individual intelligence or knowledge of people of its most precious characteristics, namely the ability to critically question and to device alternatives to what must inevitably be.