THE ROLE AND IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN SOCIETY AXBOROT TEXNOLOGIYALARINING JAMIYATDAGI O‘RNI VA TA’SIRI

Abstract

In the twenty-first century, information has become, alongside material resources, one of the main drivers of social development, and information technologies have fundamentally changed the way people work, study and communicate. This article analyses the role of information technologies in modern society and their impact on its main spheres of life. The theoretical basis of the study is formed by the concepts of the information society proposed by A. Toffler, who distinguished agrarian, industrial and information waves of development, and by M. Castells, who described contemporary society as a network society built on information flows and digital networks. The study draws on two groups of sources: the strategic policy document “Digital Uzbekistan – 2030” and works on information society theory and information technologies. The methods of comparison, generalisation and systematisation by sphere were applied. The article examines the use of digital technologies in the economy, education, healthcare, public administration, social life and culture, with reference to the experience of Uzbekistan, including the IT Park, the HEMIS information system in higher education and the Single Portal of Interactive Public Services. The results show that information technologies increase labour productivity, make education and medical services more accessible, and make public administration more transparent. At the same time, their impact is not one-sided: the comparative analysis summarised in a table identifies such risks as job reduction due to automation, over-reliance on ready-made information and plagiarism, the spread of false information, internet addiction, cybercrime, personal data leaks and the digital divide. The article concludes that the effect of information technologies depends not on the technology itself but on how it is applied and regulated. Three directions for reducing negative effects are proposed: improving the digital literacy of the population, strengthening the legal framework for information security and personal data protection, and developing digital infrastructure in remote areas. Particular emphasis is placed on teaching young people and students to evaluate information critically.