Information technologies deal with the tools, materials, and processes involved in the creation, transmission, and storage of messages. The study of information technologies can be broken into three major subsystems, communications technology, multimedia technology, and drafting and design.
Communication technology is the transfer of messages from a sender to a receiver using electronic or technical means. This transfer of messages can be as simple as a e-mail from one person to another or as complex as a sensor telling a machine to adjust it processes. Everyday, thousands of messages are transferred through television, the radio, printed materials, the World Wide Web, and other various media.
Multimedia technology is the combination of graphics, photos, videos, sounds, animations, and text to product dynamic presentations. Newspapers, magazines, slide shows, web sites, and videos, are all examples of multimedia presentations.
Drafting and design is the use of specific tools and process to create technical designs.
In the past fifty years information, communication, multimedia, and drafting technologies have created the greatest impact on our world. We are living in the information age. Technology's rate of change is direct ely related to all the many advancement in information technologies. Messages can be sent and received in seconds using a variety of media. The internet provides a library of useful information at one's fingertips. Televised newscaster form around the world keeps us informed of news and events. Satellite radio allows twenty four hour a day commercial free music in homes, vehicles, and with portable devices.
