The information society is one in which information is the defining feature, unlike the industrial society where steam power and fossil fuels were distinguishing elements. Information society is a concept that responds to the expansion and ubiquity of information. The term has been in use since the 1970s, but has gained in popularity and is now widely used in social and political policy.

Source: Information Society https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100003718