在一个信息型社会或信息性社会中，信息的创造、分发、散播、使用、集成和操纵是一种重要的经济、政治和文化活动。

信息社会的目标是通过具创意而有成效地使用信息技术，以取得国际上的竞争优势。在经济上相对应的就是知识型经济，即通过开发知识来创造财富。有方法参与这种社会的人有时被称为数码公民。信息社会是众多用以提示我们已经进入了一个新的社会阶段的用词之一。

造成这种急剧改变的可能是科技、经济、职业、空间、文化，或者是以上所有因素的结合。信息社会被视为工业社会的继承。而有紧密关系的概念包括：后工业社会（Daniel Bell）、后福特主义、后现代社会、知识型社会、远程通信社会、信息革命、液态现代性，以及网络社会（曼纽·卡斯提尔）。

An information society is a society where the creation, distribution, use, integration and manipulation of information is a significant economic, political, and cultural activity. Its main driver are digital information and communication technologies, which have resulted in an information explosion and are profoundly changing all aspects of social organization, including the economy, education, health, warfare, government and democracy.<ref =name"DT&SC">Hilbert, M. (2015). Digital Technology and Social Change [Open Online Course at the University of California] freely available at: https://canvas.instructure.com/courses/949415</ref> The People who have the means to partake in this form of society are sometimes called digital citizens. This is one of many dozen labels that have been identified to suggest that humans are entering a new phase of society.