1.5 million years of information systems

Abstract

This paper develops the argument that information systems have not only existed for the last 50 years (as most accounts of ICT argue) or since the 1700 century (as some more accurate readings would propose), but they are indeed as old as mankind. It provides a historical account of how information and communication systems have greatly interacted with some major transformations in human society, in addition to demonstrating the implications of the most recent changes in the last 10 years with the Internet. It builds on literature which distinguishes 3 major phases in the history of mankind and provides accounts of the role of information and communication systems in each of these phases. The main argument is that the “domestication of information systems” is better understood when previous regime transformations and their dynamics are taken into account and investigated. Implications of these developments in relation to innovation and learning are provided.