Information Technology Essay

Advancements in information technology have had many great benefits on society. It has revolutionized the phase of business and living around the world. Information Technology has made Local businesses become international due to a simple website. Information technology (IT) is the use of computers and telecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data. The term is commonly used as a synonym for computers and computer networks, but it also encompasses other information distribution technologies such as television and telephones. It is broadly considered to encompass the use of computers and telecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data. Several industries are associated with information technology, such as computer hardware,software, electronics, semiconductors, internet, telecom equipment and computer services (Chandler, 2012). Therefore, the purpose of this assignment is to discuss the wonders and horrors Information Technology has brought to us. It will first look at the wonders which Information Technology has brought, and then it will look at the horrors. It is from the wonders and horrors were a conclusion will be drawn from. Today information technology involves more than just computer literacy; it also takes into account how computers work and how these computers can further be used not just for information processing but also for communications and problem solving tasks as well. Information technology also involves the development, installation, implementation, maintenance, and the use of computer systems, software and networks for the processing and distribution of data (Daintith, 2009). Our world today has changed a great deal with the aid of information technology. The revolution in IT has itself been brought forth by a company of innovations in telecommunications and informatics, made possible by cheaper new lightweight materials such as optical fibers transmitting information faster. Information flows faster and less expensively throughout the globe, but it will take substantial time to reach full digitalization given the youth of IT (Achimugu et al; 2009). Things that were once done manually or by hand have now become computerized operating systems, which simply require a single click of a mouse to get a task completed. With the aid of Information Technology, we are not only able to stream line our business processes but we are also able to get constant information in ‘real time’ that is up to the minute and up to date (Vermaat,2004). The significance of Information Technology can be seen from the fact that it has penetrated almost every aspect of our daily lives from business to leisure and even society. The world has an estimated 350 million internet users. Over 90% of them are in industrial countries, although developing countries comprise about 85% of the world population (Berndt and Morrison, 1995). Today personal Computers, cell phones, fax machines, email and internet have all not only become an integral part of our very culture but also play an essential role in our day to day activities (Parker, 2003). Information Technology has brought a lot of wonders in our daily living. Some of the wonders include: Globalization – IT has not only brought the world closer together, but it has allowed the world’s economy to become a single interdependent system. This means that we can not only share information quickly and efficiently, but we can also bring down barriers of linguistic and geographic boundaries. The world has developed into a global village due to the help of information technology allowing countries like Chile and Japan who are not only separated by distance but also by language to shares ideas and information with each other. Communication – With the help of information technology, communication has also become cheaper, quicker, and more efficient. We can now communicate with anyone around the globe by simply text messaging them or sending them an email for an almost instantaneous response. The internet has also opened up face to face direct communication from different parts of the world thanks to the helps of video conferencing. Information Technology affects the way companies communicate and establish relations with their clients. In the fast moving and business environment, it is vital for them to interact with clients regularly and quickly to gain their trust and to obtain customer loyalty. With the use of internet and social networks, firms interact with consumers and answer all their queries about the products. Take for instance ‘ Barack Obama- USA President’ as the figure. With the use of networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, blogs, social bookmarking, the leader could approach to the world whenever necessary and the world can receive the news and updates which he has done or wants done within a short period of time. Cost effectiveness – Information technology has helped to computerize the business process thus streamlining businesses to make them extremely cost effective money making machines. This in turn increases productivity which ultimately gives rise to profits that means better pay and less strenuous working conditions. Additionally, to think and to research, we need resources to find what our past people has thought, what quotes they have left for us that is information and theory. Information can now be easily found by a single click in search engines such as Google and yahoo. Business Operations. With the use of technological innovations, business owners and entrepreneur understand their cash flow better, how to manage their storage costs well and enables you to save time and money. Bridging the cultural gap – Information technology has helped to bridge the cultural gap by helping people from different cultures to communicate with one another, and allow for the exchange of views and ideas, thus increasing awareness and reducing prejudice. More time – IT has made it possible for businesses to be open 24 x7 all over the globe. This means that a business can be open anytime anywhere, making purchases from different countries easier and more convenient. It also means that you can have your goods delivered right to your doorstep with having to move a single muscle. Increase the sense of Human Rights- The technology can remind of our human rights, basic needs and give updates where relief or worldwide help is necessary. During earthquakes, terrible floods, while co-operation is necessary the World Wide Web can help us to collect the donation by a desired amount. It is not possible to just figure out everything about the good and bad sides of Information and Technology within a page and article as because it has mixed with every aspects and corners of our lives. Rather, let us look at the side effects, bad sides (cons) which IT-sectors have brought to the Human Society Creation of new jobs – Probably the best advantage of information technology is the creation of new and interesting jobs. Computer programmers, Systems analyzers, Hardware and Software developers and Web designers are just some f the many new employment opportunities created with the help of IT. Information technologies of various kinds, together with globalization, are powerfully affecting the range of employment options for individuals in advanced and developing countries alike- and at various levels of education. Further, the classes of Information Technology that automate, disinter mediate and reduce costs of remoteness are also enabling the construction of increasin gly complex and geographically diverse global supply chains and networks (Spence, 2012) . Advancements in information technology have had many great benefits on society; however, this has not come without its downsides. Below are some of the horrors or disadvantages of information technology: Unemployment – While information technology may have streamlined the business process it has also created job redundancies, downsizing and outsourcing. This means that a lot of lower and middle level jobs have been done away with causing more people to become unemployed. Technology in an organization, company or business, the number of hours that a human works at that company is reduced. Technology is playing multiple roles. The replacement of routine manual work by machines and robots is a powerful, continuing and perhaps accelerating trend in manufacturing and logistics, while networks of computers are replacing routine white-collar jobs in information processing. For instance, the elimination of intermediaries in banking, online retail and a host of government services, to name just a few affected areas. This has even resulted in some people losing their jobs because technology is doing it for them. However this is beneficial for the organization as their profit is increased because they do not need to pay their workers as much because they are not required as much (Spence, 2012). Privacy – Though information technology may have made communication quicker, easier and more convenient, it has also bought along privacy issues. From cell phone signal interceptions to email hacking, people are now worried about their once private information becoming public knowledge. As IT Sectors have wined the people’s heart worldwide. People are here to share and store any kind of information, private date in their hard drives and private online databases. But due to some Cyber-Criminals, nothing is so safe both online and offline. If someone becomes a bit careless, he or she may needs to pay high for it especially when it comes to work related information (Saldarini and DeRobertis, 2003). Lack of job security – Industry experts believe that the internet has made job security a big issue as since technology keeps on changing with each day. This means that one has to be in a constant learning mode, if he or she wishes for their job to be secure. Dominant culture – While information technology may have made the world a global village, it has also contributed to one culture dominating another weaker one. For example it is now argued that US influences how most young teenagers all over the world now act, dress and behave. Languages too have become overshadowed, with English becoming the primary mode of communication for business and everything else Over reliance on technology – a lot of people believe that because computers and the Internet has become such a regular part of modern life, some people particularly children who grow up with it, will not be able to function without it. Some people think that the Internet is making people lazy, particularly when it comes to essay or project research as instead of reading books in a library, one can just perform a Google search. Loss of communication skills – with the ever increasing variety of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, a lot of people are worried that traditional communication skills will be lost. This worry is particularly about children who often engage in these websites because communication and interactive skills are not important with computers. Loss of personal touch – emails and instant messaging has replaced the old tradition of handwriting letters. And although this is advantageous because of time constraints, a personal touch and sense of feeling is lost compared to taking the time to sit down and hand write a letter. We can think, gather human principles (ethical knowledge) and make co-operative relationships between friends and families. But due to harmful aspects of (IT) people are becoming fully technological based. And it can bring huge damage to the society as its taking away the natural thoughts and organic ideas. Health problems – research has shown that technology can cause a number of problems with a person’s health. Many scientists, doctors and researchers are concerned about possible links between technology and heart problems, eye strain, obesity, muscle problems and deafness. Waste emitted from technology can pollute the environment which not only makes people ill, it also damages the environment. The online community is not safe for Family anymore- the family is the foundation of every nation. However, due to Information Technology, children under age may often share Cell Numbers, Private Email Address which can be hacked by people and can pass it to the criminals who have a blue-print to harm the society. And people are losing credit card privacy and other payment processing options. Again, there are some sites created by foul people, which can lead under eighteen teenagers to a different path – That Is going to bring Harm to the Nation. A very good example is the Iris Kaingu Video which circulated not only nationwide but also worldwide and was viewed by both young people and adults. In conclusion, one can safely say Information Technology has brought both wonders and horrors to our society. Things that were once done manually, or by hand have now become easier and faster by the introduction of computer technology in the workplace. Our world today has changed a great deal with the aid of Information Technology which has penetrated in almost every aspect of our daily lives and society. With all the good things about Information Technology, it has brought terrible horrors to some in our societies. A lot of people have lost their jobs because they have become irrelevant due to the introduction of computers in the workplace. It has contributed to the poor livelihood of people. Advancements in information technology have had many great benefits on society. It has revolutionized the phase of business and living around the world. Information Technology has made Local businesses become international due to a simple website. Information technology (IT) is the use of computers and telecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data. The term is commonly used as a synonym for computers and computer networks, but it also encompasses other information distribution technologies such as television and telephones. It is broadly considered to encompass the use of computers and telecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data. Several industries are associated with information technology, such as computer hardware,software, electronics, semiconductors, internet, telecom equipment and computer services (Chandler, 2012). Therefore, the purpose of this assignment is to discuss the wonders and horrors Information Technology has brought to us. It will first look at the wonders which Information Technology has brought, and then it will look at the horrors. It is from the wonders and horrors were a conclusion will be drawn from. Today information technology involves more than just computer literacy; it also takes into account how computers work and how these computers can further be used not just for information processing but also for communications and problem solving tasks as well. Information technology also involves the development, installation, implementation, maintenance, and the use of computer systems, software and networks for the processing and distribution of data (Daintith, 2009). Our world today has changed a great deal with the aid of information technology. The revolution in IT has itself been brought forth by a company of innovations in telecommunications and informatics, made possible by cheaper new lightweight materials such as optical fibers transmitting information faster. Information flows faster and less expensively throughout the globe, but it will take substantial time to reach full digitalization given the youth of IT (Achimugu et al; 2009). Things that were once done manually or by hand have now become computerized operating systems, which simply require a single click of a mouse to get a task completed. With the aid of Information Technology, we are not only able to stream line our business processes but we are also able to get constant information in ‘real time’ that is up to the minute and up to date (Vermaat,2004).