What are the characteristics and roles of infrastructure in developing countries?

The reason why many countries in the world have put forward their own informatization strategy, scrambling to build their own information superhighway, sparing no effort to develop and promote the application of information technology is that informatization can have a great effect on the development of their own economies and societies, and it can help to improve the quality of life of their citizens. This chapter starts from analyzing the characteristics of information technology, then discusses the social impact of information technology, and finally discusses the significance of China's choice of accelerating the strategy of information technology in the context of China's situation. Section I: Characteristics and Role of Information Technology

The various efficacies of information technology on social and economic development are rooted in the characteristics of information technology. Compared with other technologies, the author believes that information technology mainly has the following characteristics Wang Xiangdong: "Information Technology Progress and Industrial Development", in Zheng Youjing, Ming Anshu, Wang Xiangdong, Liu Manqiang and others, "Across the Century: Technological Progress and Industrial Development"

1) wider applicability and stronger permeability. Information is all production activities, economic activities and social life are inseparable from the elements, and with the passage of time more and more reveals its importance, therefore, modern information technology has a wider range of uses. At present, the focus of the application of emerging electronic information technology has been covered to manufacturing, product design, office business, family life, health care, education, transportation and communication, business, scientific research, entertainment, security, finance, meteorology, resource surveying, military, mass communication and many other aspects. It is estimated that 65% of the world's Gross National Product (GNP) is now related to integrated circuits and computers. Wu Xijun and He Guoping, High Technology: Strategic Issues of the Cross-Century, Jiangsu Science and Technology Publishing House, 1992. If this is the case, there is no other technology in history that has had such a wide and profound impact on human society as modern information technology.

②Highly knowledge-intensive, with remarkable economic and social benefits. If other technologies are the extension of human physical strength, then information technology is the enhancement of human intelligence. The popularization and application of information technology is conducive to replacing and saving the consumption of energy and other raw materials and reducing pollution. For example, papermaking consumes a lot of wood and water resources, and in the manufacturing process it also discharges sewage causing environmental pollution. According to a survey in the United States, the global annual cost of printing various forms alone amounted to 120 billion U.S. dollars, of which 1/3 of the form due to changes in content and other reasons for waste. The survey was organized by the U.S. magazine "Happiness", see September 15, 1997 "Computerworld". The conditions for replacing paper with electronic media as the carrier of information are now not only primed, but are beginning to become a reality. The application of information technology is also conducive to improving the technical performance of labor tools, enhancing people's ability to regulate the production and labor process and the actual level of management, facilitating the optimal allocation and rational flow of factors of production, and closely linking production with the market and supply with demand. These will bring significant economic and social benefits.

3) Faster development, shorter update cycle, with a strong timeliness. For example, the international development and production of integrated circuits in compliance with the "Moore (G. Moore) law" Gordon Moore for the Intel Corporation's famous experts, by his discovery of the law of the development of computer integrated circuits technology is known as Moore's Law. That is, from the 1960s to the present about every 18 months integration will be doubled, while the cost is reduced by half; computer invention is less than 50 years, but now the development of the sixth generation of products has formed a hotspot, the emergence of microcomputers only 20 years, not only the design process has been revolutionized a few times, but also the new models have been introduced; optical communications, satellite communications, mobile communications, multimedia communications, etc. to promote the continuous development of communications technology; in particular, the current revolution in digital technology is promoting the development of the computer integrated circuit technology. The current digital technology revolution is promoting the computer, telecommunications, television, information content and other aspects of technology to a large integration, and make all aspects of the information industry presents a rapidly changing scene.

④Large investment and high risk. Modern information technology development, updating and popularization of the application of investment is required, now, in the field of information technology, technology design and manufacturing more and more complex and sophisticated, increasing technical difficulties, information network coverage is also more and more extensive, thus, the related R & amp; D costs and capital investment, especially the need for the initial investment is often huge (see chapter two of the construction of the information superhighway in a number of countries investment plans of some countries to build information superhighways). However, taking into account the strong timeliness of information technology, huge investment also implies huge risks, and once the decision is wrong, it will not only incur heavy losses, but also miss the historical moment of development. Japan has spent more than 20 years of time, invested huge sums of money to develop analog technology-based HDTV, which would like to seize the high ground of the future of television technology and the market, but did not expect the rapid rise of digital television in recent years, all of a sudden changed the direction of the development of television technology, and on the future of Japan's television technology poses a serious threat. Japan had no choice but to stop the development of analog HDTV program in the early 90s, and the huge investment also went down the drain.

People are already experiencing and enjoying the benefits of applying information technology in real economic and social activities. For example, the extensive use of advanced communications technology, greatly improving the information exchange between people; the application of computer design and control of industrial processes, improve the quality of products and save a lot of energy and raw material consumption; information technology used in management to improve the scientific decision-making and timeliness, etc., I believe that readers are already familiar with this, without the need for the author of the pen and ink again. However, from the theoretical generalization of the need to see, the above characteristics of information technology, with a certain combination of its applications, will show people its role, and for different applications, it will show a different role to. For example, in the field of national economic development, the main role of information technology can be shown as follows:

①Pilot role, that is, according to the wide applicability of information technology and permeability, vigorously popularize the application of information technology, can be realized on the transformation of the technological basis of the entire national economy, so that, through the priority of the development of the information industry, can lead to the development of all walks of life;

②Substitute role. That is, by increasing the input of information resources, or the input of people's intelligence and knowledge, to a certain extent, can replace a variety of material resources and energy inputs, and reduce the consumption of material resources and energy, so as to change the traditional mode of economic growth;

③ "soften" role, that is, with the popularization and application of information technology, in the Industrial structure, employment structure, investment structure, information, R & amp; D, public **** relations, intelligence, talent, advertising, management and so on "soft" intangible aspects of the relative enhancement of equipment, energy, raw materials, infrastructure, physical products and so on "hard" tangible aspects. "

4) Optimization, which means that the application of information technology in economic activities can help optimize the quality of factors of production, optimize the management of various factors of production, optimize the allocation of factors of production, and optimize the degree of order and efficiency of their operation;

5) Value-added, which means that it can increase the wealth and supply, and improve the efficiency of products and services;

6) Value-added, which means that it can increase the quality of factors of production and optimize the efficiency of their operation. supply, increase the added value of products and services, so that the past non-resources into resources, and promote national economic growth. It is also pointed out that this value-added is multiplied, therefore, information technology is called the "multiplier" of the economy, and so on. The second section of the impact of informatization on the economy and society

The development and application of modern information technology by the promotion of informatization, although the history is not long, but has been to the economy and society in all aspects of a profound impact. Many experts and scholars at home and abroad have made many achievements in researching this field. For the general public, to recognize the existence of this impact, there is no need for esoteric theories, as long as we observe the facts that have occurred and are occurring around us will be clear. Today, the "information society" and the "information age" are no longer just refreshing theories, but vivid realities that occur daily in every aspect of people's lives and surroundings. Of course, due to the difference in the degree of development, the impact of informatization will be different in developed countries and developing countries. But in any case, the impact of information technology on the economy and society is evident ****, in a nutshell, the author summarizes it as follows: First, increased production, circulation and consumption of information

Informatization is first manifested in the scale of information production, circulation and consumption of information is constantly expanding, and then to further stimulate people's consumption of information to produce a higher demand. Computer, remote sensing, optical communications, microcomputers, intelligent machines, large-scale integrated circuits, integrated digital network, satellite communications and other information technology breakthroughs, not only to promote the entire technological system has undergone a profound change, but also in the world, leading to the dramatic expansion of the information production, circulation and consumption. 80 years since the scientific and technological information to the rate of 20% or so of the rate of incremental increase, and there is a tendency to accelerate the development of the information of the high-speed expansion figuratively referred to as the "high-speed expansion of information". The high-speed expansion of information has been graphically referred to as the "information explosion", while the construction and improvement of the information infrastructure has made it possible to make high use of information resources around the world through communication networks and to realize information **** enjoyment. It has been reported that by October 1997, the number of Internet users worldwide had reached 100 million, expanding at the rate of 1 million per month, with more than 20 million hosts, 600 large libraries, 400 academic repositories and 1 million information sources connected to the Internet. Every day, tens of millions of people around the world in the online roaming, communication and work, online information flow reached trillions of bits, and is still doubling the rate of growth every 100 days In short, China to take to speed up the promotion of informatization strategy, according to the needs of their own interests and the trend of the world's development, after careful consideration of the wisdom of the choice. Informatization is like a double-edged sword, in promoting social progress at the same time, but also inevitably bring some negative impact on society; as a developing country, China in the process of advancing towards the goal of informatization, there are both advantages and many difficulties. However, all these should not shake the faith of our country to move forward to the informatization society, and we believe that through unremitting efforts, avoiding harm and eliminating all difficulties, China's informatization will definitely benefit the society and make contributions to the world.

Biological science and technology

With the development of biological science, biological science and technology has an increasing impact on society. This is mainly manifested in the following aspects: 1. Influence people's ideological concepts, such as the idea of evolution and ecological ideas are being accepted by more and more people. 2. Promoting the improvement of social productivity, such as the biotechnology industry is forming a new industry; agricultural productivity due to the application of biological science and technology and significantly improve. 3. With the development of biological science, more and more people will be engaged in biology-related occupations. 4. Promote people to improve their health and quality of life and prolong their life span. 5. influence people's way of thinking, e.g. the development of ecology promotes people's holistic thinking; with the development of brain science, biological science and technology will help improve human thinking. 6. Impact on the ethical and moral system of human society, such as in vitro fertilization, organ transplantation, artificial modification of human genes, etc., which will challenge the existing ethical and moral system of human society. 7. The development of biological science and technology may also have negative impacts on society and the natural world, such as the mass production of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to modify the natural gene pool of species, which may affect the stability of the biosphere. Understanding the relationship between science and technology and society is an important part of scientific quality.