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Social Impacts of ICT By Haania Amir
Change The old ‘conventional’ ways on learning are now mere traditions; books are now read online, everything- from definitions to the news- can be searched for online, and even the youngest of kids knows about and are on Facebook, twitter and the likes. The elder generation is either all about telling us how ‘in their time they didn’t have it so easy’ or marvel at the intelligence that is technology. IT, itself, has turned into an ‘agency of socialisation’ for the new generation. So the songs that you needed the radio to listen to are available for download from iTunes, and any video online can be found of YouTube. Organisations like Apple and Microsoft have taken the technological world by storm, and new and more advanced products are available every day.
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Leisure + Entertainment ICT has infiltrated the leisure lives of the everyone; there are social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter, that have tons of users worldwide, and their activity online can therefore be easily monitored. These networks have also encouraged users to display personal information online; this would be like letting the public know of your private life unless privacy settings are installed. This is also used by employers as a means to confirm that their employees are genuine; of course, this action goes alongside the typical CRB checks and what-not's. Not only on the internet, but televisions and technological devices like iPods and Mp3 players are widely used for entertainment. Websites like YouTube and Megavideo are available so we can watch whole movies online, legally. Multi-tasking is now not only for women; you can watch T.V and text a friend, or listen to music and email someone simultaneously. Every game is available online, and playing them on gaming devices like the Wii or Xbox has decreased outdoor activities, and the virtual world is graphic enough to seem real. We can shop online, books holidays and order items. IT is now involved in every aspect of life- whether public or private.
Education Schools and institutions have accepted IT to an extent; there are computer, laptops and Macs available for educational purposes, but using electronic devices for leisure in school in strictly prohibited in most cases. The academic institutions have a knack for using ICT in an enjoyable way to teach; there are ‘smart software’ as an interactive form of learning in western schools, and although some 3rd world countries do not have all the technological items, they are not far behind.
Economics Products that used to be printed out on paper or sold in material form can now be saved onto a disk, emailed or converted into other forms on a computer; e-books are very popular today, because an e-reader can save multiple books, and books do not have to be carried around. Almost all files can be converted into word or PDF format, and that has reduced use of paper. Customers don’t have to visit the actual store to purchase anything; they can visit the online stores and order items and can also pay online. This has resulted in some good, old-fashioned shops and displays being shut-down, and replaced with new, technologically advanced shops. Also, organisation now record information in the form of files on the hard-drive, and the same with client information, which means that the money spent on paper copies of data is now invested in buying electronic devices, like up-to-date versions of windows, or the latest Del computer. A plus side to the technological advancements is the amount of new posts created that has helped tackle some of the unemployment issues that plague this world; jobs of ICT Technician or Network Manager, Graphics Designer or Network Moderator have helped to provide for a larger number of people and have proven to be positive for the society. It has also led to an increase in global economy, and counters the argument that ICT has only affected life in a negative way.
Threats Because of the increased use of IT based products, threats have increased on the cyber plain. This means that users are under risk of their systems being ‘hacked’; the are certain specially designed software that can override one’s system’s protection, like firewalls and anti-virus. These are called viruses and can affect any electronic device. Spam is a different sort of risk in the virtual world. Users can send the same message repeatedly to a single or multiple audience on the internet. Although this can be countered by blocking or reporting the content, it still affects the user, and is a problem unless the correct actions are taken. Phishing is another cyber crime. The user is send information about illegitimate organisations purporting as legal and is asked to divulge personal information in the forms of surveys and other questions. Users that are new in the cyber world can fall to this bait, because of their lack of experience with such crimes, and give out personal information that they should keep to themselves. This can in turn result in ‘identity-theft’; impostors take up appearances and form aliases online. It is a rather commonly-occurring crime on social networks, with profile pictures and information being stolen and a new account being created. A way to deal with this is reporting the imposing account. After a certain number of reports, the networks delete the false users from the website. Bullying takes place in more than one format; cyber bullying is when users are attacked virtually; this could mean via hate mail/speech, hoax calls, fake friends online etc. it leaves a mark as deep as your average school bullying and can go unnoticed for a long time period. The victim may also be attacked with edited pictures that can be crude, or with status updates that discriminately single them out. Spyware is also a major threat; most computers can be installed with spyware that monitors the users’ moves; it is also used to track online movements of users and is used on a lot of websites; although it is a breach of privacy, it is used in law to provide alibis, or to proof someone guilty of a crime. Hard drive failure is perhaps the biggest of all problems; all the data on the system can be erased very quickly if the hard drive fails. This is why most anti-virus software come with a back-up device. All the important data is copied onto a back-up device, which can be used in case of the hard drive malfunctioning. However, because the backup is in a material form, it can be lost to other forms of destruction, for example fire, or can malfunction if exposed to water.
