Summary

Is the much talked about information society simply a name or a new nature? According to the modern sociological definition, society is a base system of norms and values that guide people in their actions. Accordingly, when posing a question about the information system, we need to view how information and communication technology has changed the base system of norms and values, compared to former societies. So, if the information society is the new nature, something completely new must have arisen within it in comparison with the current base system of norms and values: either new norms and values, or even a new paradigm of how we view society. The author examines whether this is the case. In addition to the current criteria, the author also proposes another criterion for defining the information society as a new type of society, a new social phenomenon. As a general thesis, the criterion is quite simple: any society has changed in its base values when new needs have arisen, that is, new benchmarks for preventing damage.