<s>
Information	B-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
communications	I-General_Concept
technology	I-General_Concept
(	O
ICT	O
)	O
is	O
an	O
extensional	O
term	O
for	O
information	B-General_Concept
technology	I-General_Concept
(	O
IT	O
)	O
that	O
stresses	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
unified	B-Protocol
communications	I-Protocol
and	O
the	O
integration	O
of	O
telecommunications	O
(	O
telephone	O
lines	O
and	O
wireless	O
signals	O
)	O
and	O
computers	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
necessary	O
enterprise	B-Application
software	I-Application
,	O
middleware	B-General_Concept
,	O
storage	O
and	O
audiovisual	O
,	O
that	O
enable	O
users	O
to	O
access	O
,	O
store	O
,	O
transmit	O
,	O
understand	O
and	O
manipulate	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICT	O
is	O
also	O
used	O
to	O
refer	O
to	O
the	O
convergence	O
of	O
audiovisuals	O
and	O
telephone	O
networks	O
with	O
computer	B-Architecture
networks	I-Architecture
through	O
a	O
single	O
cabling	O
or	O
link	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
large	O
economic	O
incentives	O
to	O
merge	O
the	O
telephone	O
networks	O
with	O
the	O
computer	B-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
system	O
using	O
a	O
single	O
unified	O
system	O
of	O
cabling	O
,	O
signal	O
distribution	O
,	O
and	O
management	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Skills	B-Application
Framework	I-Application
for	I-Application
the	I-Application
Information	I-Application
Age	I-Application
is	O
one	O
of	O
many	O
models	O
for	O
describing	O
and	O
managing	O
competencies	O
for	O
ICT	O
professionals	O
for	O
the	O
21st	O
century	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
phrase	O
"	O
information	B-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
communication	I-General_Concept
technologies	I-General_Concept
"	O
has	O
been	O
used	O
by	O
academic	O
researchers	O
since	O
the	O
1980s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
National	O
Curriculum	O
has	O
used	O
the	O
word	O
computing	O
,	O
which	O
reflects	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
computer	B-General_Concept
programming	I-General_Concept
into	O
the	O
curriculum	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
United	O
Nations	O
has	O
created	O
a	O
"	O
United	O
Nations	O
Information	B-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
Communication	I-General_Concept
Technologies	I-General_Concept
Task	O
Force	O
"	O
and	O
an	O
internal	O
"	O
Office	O
of	O
Information	B-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
Communications	I-General_Concept
Technology	I-General_Concept
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
biggest	O
growth	O
of	O
16%	O
is	O
expected	O
in	O
the	O
area	O
of	O
new	O
technologies	O
(	O
IoT	B-Operating_System
,	O
Robotics	O
,	O
AR/VR	O
,	O
and	O
AI	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
world	O
's	O
technological	O
capacity	O
to	O
store	O
information	O
grew	O
from	O
2.6	O
(	O
optimally	O
compressed	O
)	O
exabytes	O
in	O
1986	O
to	O
15.8	O
in	O
1993	O
,	O
over	O
54.5	O
in	O
2000	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
295	O
(	O
optimally	O
compressed	O
)	O
exabytes	O
in	O
2007	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
5	O
zetta	B-General_Concept
bytes	I-General_Concept
in	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
the	O
informational	O
equivalent	O
to	O
1.25	O
stacks	O
of	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
from	O
the	O
earth	O
to	O
the	O
moon	O
in	O
2007	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
equivalent	O
of	O
4,500	O
stacks	O
of	O
printed	O
books	O
from	O
the	O
earth	O
to	O
the	O
sun	O
in	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
world	O
's	O
technological	O
capacity	O
to	O
receive	O
information	O
through	O
one-way	O
broadcast	B-Operating_System
networks	O
was	O
432	O
exabytes	O
of	O
(	O
optimally	O
compressed	O
)	O
information	O
in	O
1986	O
,	O
715	O
(	O
optimally	O
compressed	O
)	O
exabytes	O
in	O
1993	O
,	O
1.2	O
(	O
optimally	O
compressed	O
)	O
zettabytes	O
in	O
2000	O
,	O
and	O
1.9	O
zettabytes	O
in	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ICT	B-General_Concept
Development	I-General_Concept
Index	I-General_Concept
ranks	O
and	O
compares	O
the	O
level	O
of	O
ICT	O
use	O
and	O
access	O
across	O
the	O
various	O
countries	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
42	O
Least	O
Connected	O
Countries	O
(	O
LCCs	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
home	O
to	O
2.5	O
billion	O
people	O
,	O
access	O
to	O
ICTs	B-General_Concept
remains	O
largely	O
out	O
of	O
reach	O
,	O
particularly	O
for	O
these	O
countries	O
 '	O
large	O
rural	O
populations.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
ICT	O
newest	O
editions	O
into	O
the	O
modern	O
electronic	O
world	O
include	O
smartwatches	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
Watch	I-Device
,	O
smart	O
wristbands	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Nike+	O
FuelBand	O
,	O
and	O
smart	O
TVs	O
such	O
as	O
Google	O
TV	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Information	B-General_Concept
communication	I-General_Concept
technologies	I-General_Concept
play	O
a	O
role	O
in	O
facilitating	O
accelerated	O
pluralism	O
in	O
new	O
social	O
movements	O
today	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICTs	B-General_Concept
are	O
tools	O
for	O
"	O
enabling	O
social	O
movement	O
leaders	O
and	O
empowering	O
dictators	O
"	O
in	O
effect	O
promoting	O
societal	O
change	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICTs	B-General_Concept
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
garner	O
grassroots	O
support	O
for	O
a	O
cause	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
internet	O
allowing	O
for	O
political	O
discourse	O
and	O
direct	O
interventions	O
with	O
state	O
policy	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
change	O
the	O
way	O
complaints	O
from	O
the	O
populace	O
are	O
handled	O
by	O
governments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
ICTs	B-General_Concept
in	O
a	O
household	O
are	O
associated	O
with	O
women	O
rejecting	O
justifications	O
for	O
intimate	O
partner	O
violence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
a	O
study	O
published	O
in	O
2017	O
,	O
this	O
is	O
likely	O
because	O
“	O
access	O
to	O
ICTs	B-General_Concept
exposes	O
women	O
to	O
different	O
ways	O
of	O
life	O
and	O
different	O
notions	O
about	O
women	O
’s	O
role	O
in	O
society	O
and	O
the	O
household	O
,	O
especially	O
in	O
culturally	O
conservative	O
regions	O
where	O
traditional	O
gender	O
expectations	O
contrast	O
observed	O
alternatives.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Applications	O
of	O
ICTs	B-General_Concept
in	O
health	O
care	O
include	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Applications	O
of	O
ICTs	B-General_Concept
in	O
science	O
,	O
research	O
and	O
development	O
,	O
and	O
academia	O
include	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
second	O
chapter	O
of	O
his	O
book	O
,	O
Technology	O
and	O
Social	O
Inclusion	O
:	O
Rethinking	O
the	O
Digital	O
Divide	O
,	O
he	O
describes	O
three	O
models	O
of	O
access	O
to	O
ICTs	B-General_Concept
:	O
devices	O
,	O
conduits	O
,	O
and	O
literacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devices	O
and	O
conduits	O
are	O
the	O
most	O
common	O
descriptors	O
for	O
access	O
to	O
ICTs	B-General_Concept
,	O
but	O
they	O
are	O
insufficient	O
for	O
meaningful	O
access	O
to	O
ICTs	B-General_Concept
without	O
third	O
model	O
of	O
access	O
,	O
literacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
these	O
costs	O
can	O
be	O
prohibitive	O
to	O
lower-income	O
families	O
accessing	O
ICTs	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
ICTs	B-General_Concept
could	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
address	O
environmental	O
issues	O
,	O
including	O
climate	O
change	O
,	O
in	O
various	O
ways	O
,	O
including	O
ways	O
beyond	O
education	O
.	O
</s>
