INTRODUCTION
WEEK 1
In this week's lesson we discussed about Information technology.It is defined as the use of computers and software to manage information. We also learnt about the history of IT which included four era namely:
- Pre-mechanical
- Mechanical
- Electromechanical
- Electronic
In today's world everything is made easy by technology, so there is a need to be associated with IT in one way or the other. Life has been made easy and simple by the advancement and development of IT since the beggining of 20th century to date!
When I look around today at the conveniences
produced by information and communication technology, I often pause to reflect
on past decades when we did not have any of this. How did it ever get anything
done? A document that now takes a few seconds to attach and send by email took
several days by regular mail not to mention that you had to address the
envelope, put a stamp on it, and deliver it to the nearest post office. As for
banking, you were required to adhere to the hours of the local bank when you wished
to deposit your pay cheque , pay bills, or withdraw funds; thank goodness for
direct deposits, pre authorized payments, and automated tellers! Technology has
certainly changed our lives by giving us the freedom to conduct these
activities from the comfort of our home and at any time we choose. Information
technology has mad the whole world look like a village through computer networking via the world wide web ,you
can access any information about anything at any time any place. This is what we call ; Advancement
in information technology! However, how has this advancement influenced societies’
traditions and cultures that have been standing over time memorial even before
the advancement of technology? This still remains a debatable issue and here I throw
my arguements :
Information technology has helped improve
productivity. Work that needed hours earlier could now be done in minutes, e.g.
a single computer can perform a task that would otherwise have been done by
over ten men in within a minute, this ha led to less demand in hardcore and
unskilled labour to more demand in
skilled and learned man power.
This same technology is now providing more choice when it comes to education. It is no longer necessary to attend lessons in a classroom in order to further our learning. The widespread use of the Internet has globalized education and enabled educational institutions to be able to offer courses to students anywhere in the world. E-learning has changed the way that courses can be taught and distance education has removed the traditional barriers of higher education.Easy access to learning materials in the internet has also facilitated the learning process as a whole. This has replaced the traditional learning styles which were normally based on traditional means of teaching.
The influence of information technology on religious practices has mainly been to the effect of making information about them more accessible. In todays societies, religious institutions are able to convey message to their followers easier and faster enhanced by the advancement in technology. It also brings about all people of same faith together although separated by geographical locations through teleconfrencing, announcements, advertisements and other related fields.
The advances in information technology have heavily influenced commercial businesses in several ways. The most important role of information technology in a commercial business however is to provide a commercial advantage. Advances such as computer aided design, relational database technologies, spreadsheets, and word processing software all provide a commercial benefit to the business, as does automation of manufacturing processes. It has led to international trade and business with world wide markets with world wide brands eg The Apple company, samsung, Nokia, McDonalds etc.
Information technology influenced the way news and media organisations deliver content.Developments such as the Internet and satellite television have created new medium and audiences through which and to which these organisations can disseminate their information. Given the situation thirty years ago the developments that we have seen have enabled the news and media organisations access to more people, they have a wider audience. The audience however now has a wider, global choice. News reports can be received which highlight many different sides of an international conflict for example than was possible before. The relative cheapness of being able to publish information on the Internet for example means that virtually anyone can publish information accessible anywhere in the world.
The change in the continuity of social attitudes or customs o a certain society are also brought about by advancement in IT. Social attitudes have changed with the effect that citizens of a society now expect the various elements of that society to be better informed than previously. They also expect to be able to access more information about a specific product, service or organisation so that they can make informed decisions with regard to their interactions with that entity. It has also enhanced intercultural communication and relations of many kinds. Enabling individuals to learn about other cultures and be fully aware of others.
Information Technology has also had a major impact on the defence capabilities of governments. This covers both a government’s capability to wage war and their intelligence gathering capability. Advances in weapons technology and weapons design has increased the effectiveness of various governments’ armed forces. For example it would have been impossible to design aeroplanes such as the B2 Bomber if it were not for the advances made in information technology. The B2 bomber relies on a “continuous curvature” design to minimise radar signature. It would have been impossible to design or build this machine without the development of computer modelling techniques. Information Technology has also had a major impact on a government’s intelligence agencies. Encryption of sensitive information has enabled government’s to obtain added security.
Interactions between individuals have been enhanced by the development of information technologies. New channels of communication have been opened between people irrespective of the distance between them. Social networks such as facebook, tweeter, you tube, and many others enable individuals to communicate through chatting as well as doing various business advertisements. This proliferation of Internet technologies has enabled people with disabilities such as those who are blind or visually impaired, physical disabilities or others to be able to enjoy access to sources of information and ways of communicating they may not have had the opportunity to have used before. A disabled person using a computer has access to vast amounts of information at his fingertips. People with disabilities can tap into practical disability-related information or converse with other disabled people. Not only that, they can also enter the mainstream. With the help of these computer devices and advanced software many disabled people can be just as competitive as anyone else
Amidst all these great developments,it has also brought about adverse impact on society that the same developments have created. Yet the negative impact has also been serious enough to deserve extremely serious attention and purposeful action.
When I was a kid, we had a social life, and it was called 'outside'. And look at today's kids - Facebook, PlayStations, iPhones, Blackberries, and not to forget, television sets with 300 channels. Kids have become addicted to this and spend most of their precious time in this. They forsake their studies and also indulge in immoral activities as exposed by the internet.
Consider the danger our children are exposed to through the easy access child predators have to them. The predators can establish contact with the children and win their trust and confidence, quite unknown to us unless we are very cyber-vigilant.
Cyber-fraud is another phenomenon that developments in infotech have helped. There are robots that crawl the web harvesting e-mail addresses; e-mail servers that focus on sending out spam mail; and fraudsters who use these to send out announcements that you have won a million dollars in some prize draw (which you will never get even after sending money as “processing fee” to the fraudster)
I totally support the fact that information technology has made our life unbelievably easy. Yes, it has. However, every revolution has its adversities associated. We cannot savor technology optimally if we close our eyes to the negatives, and they are extremely difficult to express. We might have the latest technology serving us big time, but unknowingly, we might be missing out on those teeny-weeny moments of happiness that life bestows on us,we should enjoy technology and use it for the betterment of our living but above all we should enjoy life!
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