In this chapter, Internet-based communication technologies (and Web 2.0 tools, in particular) have been regarded as the last step in the development of communica- tion technologies. This approach is particularly useful in order to have a broad perspective on the changes ICT are bringing along in the social practices of so called knowledge society. As a matter of fact, new ICT emerged in a media market already covered by other technologies, where they had to “negotiate” their space.
The new configuration of the media market has brought along new communication practices, and these, in turn, made new social practices emerge, since communica- tion permeates any other social practice.
Two specific practices have been presented in the chapter, both dealing directly with information management, namely journalism and Internet search engines.
Journalism and the news market have been seriously challenged by the spread of Internet-based technologies and of Web 2.0 in particular. As has been shown, the information sources of journalists are changing, thus reraising the issue of their trust and credibility; the process of delivering news is changing, since the Internet is gain-
ing more and more space in comparison to newspapers; the role itself of journalists is challenged, since bloggers are entering the market; and so on.
Analogously, even a very recent and ICT-based practice, such as that of searching information over the Internet, is undergoing some radical changes, due mainly to the diffusion of Web 2.0 tools. Internet search engines, “are trying more and more to rely upon pragmatic features of Web sites, that is, they are taking into account the behaviors of people who publish a Web site and people who visit it. This turn can be traced back to the growing awareness that Web sites—and, broadly speak- ing, electronic communication—are used by real communities of persons in order to fulfill real communicative needs.” (Cantoni et al., 2006, p. 61)
Both examples show the importance of digital literacy in the knowledge society: in the specific fields of journalism and Internet search engines, being able to publish online information and/or to retrieve it guarantees inclusion in the society, while those who are not able to deal with online information will be more and more excluded from social life. As has been shown, Web 2.0 tools and services are increasing the possibility for Internet users to publish information on the Web, thus lowering the digital divide not only in terms of access to digital information or services, but also in terms of the publication of digital content.
These changes concern not only the field of information management, but also many other social practices, as is shown by the changes in the way we teach and learn (e-learning), work, buy, and sell (e-business and e-commerce), relate to government and other public services (e-government), access health (e-health), use banking services (e-banking), and so on.
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