Abstract

The event that has had the greatest impact on the high-tech economy and is of greatest sociocultural significance in contemporary society is the emergence and spread of the computer network. It can be seen from this process that the network is both the sum of a whole set of information technology facilities and technical regulations, and a sociocultural construct. The network has provided us with an advanced means of information transmission and a platform for open information exchange, as well as a unique sociocultural space. It is no exaggeration to say that as a powerful global technological tool of contemporary society, the computer network "has allowed us to have immediate communication on a global scale. This communication has also allowed us to produce the concept of a ‘great society’ that keeps on growing: a cybernation that is dedicated to freedom and rapid evolution."1