THE IMPACT OF ICT ON SOCIETY

THE IMPACT OF ICT ON SOCIETY

FASTER COMMUNICATION SPEED

  In the past, it took a long time for any news or messages

 to be send. Now with the

 Internet, news or messages are sent via e-mail to 

friends, business partners or to anyone efficiently.

 With the capability

 of bandwidth, broadband and connection speed on

 the Internet, 

any information can travel fast and at an instant. It saves

 time and is inexpensive.

LOWER COMMUNICATION COST

  Using the Internet is cost-effective than the other modes 
of communication such as telephone, mailing or courier service.
 It allows people to have access to large amounts of data at 
a very low cost. With the Internet we do not have to pay for any 
basic services provided by the Internet. Furthermore, the cost
 of connection to the Internet is relatively cheap.

RELIABLE MODE OF COMMUNICATION

  Computers are reliable. With the internet, information could

 be accessed and retrieved from anywhere and at anytime. This makes

 it a reliable mode of communication. However, the input to the 

computer is contributed by humans. If the data passed to

 the computer is faulty, the result will be faulty as well. 

This is related to the term GIGO.

GIGO is a short form for Garbage In Garbage Out. It
 refers to the quality of output produced according to
 the input. Normally bad input produces bad output.

EFFECTIVE SHARING OF INFORMATION

  With the advancement of ICT, information can be shared 
by people all around the world. People can share and exchange
 opinions, news and information through discussion groups, 
mailing list and forums on the Internet. This enable 
knowledge sharing which will contribute to the development 
of knowledge based society.

PAPERLESS ENVIRONMENT

  ICT technology has created the term paperless environment. 
This term means information can be stored and retrieved through
 the digital medium instead of paper. Online communication via
 emails, online chat and instant messaging also helps in 
creating the paperless environment.

BORDERLESS COMMUNICATION

  Internet offers fast information retrieval, interactivity, accessibility
 and versatility. It has become a borderless sources for 
services and information. Through the Internet, information
 and communication can be borderless.

SOCIAL PROBLEMS

  There are some negative effects of ICT. It has created social 
problems in the society. Nowadays, people tend to choose online
 communication rather than having real time conversations.
 People tend to become more individualistic and introvert.

Another negative effect of ICT is :

• fraud

• identity theft

• Pornography

• Hacking

This will result a moral decedent and generate threads to the society.

HEALTH PROBLEMS

    A computer may harm users if they use it for long hours frequently.
 Computer users are also exposed to bad posture, eyestrain,
 physical and mental stress. In order to solve the health problems,
 an ergonomic environment can be introduced. For example, 
an ergonomic chair can reduces back strain and a screen filter is 
used to minimize eye strain