Impact of IT on Ethical

Think about recent “leaks” of information via Twitter/facebook – how do they affect society?

One of the main reasons of people connecting to a social network website like Twitter is because they want to know information where they can’t find it nowhere else. There are many celebrities registered within the website, some of them might also use slang and inappropriate language and they get followed by millions of people. People do that because they want to know more about the person. This affects the society because people get obsessed to the profile page and stay tuned everyday.

Good point:

·         People will know more things about anything thanks to social websites

Bad Point:

·         It is not sure whether the information leaked is true or not

·         Important and famous people must be careful of what they say or otherwise it will be spread all over the web

  

Do we always know when people are tracking our activities on the web?

People surf the internet and do many things like, updating their statuses, buying products, viewing videos etc.

Do we always know when people view what to do? The answer is no. There are many examples to show the evidence of why sometimes we may not know if someone is viewing our information :

·         In social network websites like Facebook, you share statuses, pictures, videos and more. What some people don’t know is that not only the people in your friends list can view what you do, but also people that don’t really know you.

·         Websites like Amazon, once you’ve registered, they are allowed to see what you buy, and once you buy a products, they make you suggestions on products you might be interested in.

·         The same thing works with Youtube. Once registered, they are allowed to see what you upload and watch, and have also the right of deleting one of your videos in case they are not following the website’s rules.

Good Points:

• People and companies will get to know you more, including your interests and where you live
• It will prevent people from posting explicit contents
• Some website may be able to track bad actions such as downloading illegal content

      Bad Points:

• Some websites like Facebook do record information of your geographic location, and it is dangerous because all your virtual friends will get to know where you are whenever you post on your profile, ruining your privacy.
• Sometimes people's posts may be read by anonymous people, which it's quite dangerous

Is it fair that some older people or young children can’t afford access to the internet and so miss out on vital services?

It is important that people get access to the internet nowadays, because it gives out opportunities for people of any age. There are a few good and bad points of why internet may affects those people who can’t afford the access of internet.

Good Points:

·         Young children will be not influenced by pornographic websites, because the internet is not protected at all, and young children are very vulnerable

·         People do not get obsessed with the Internet

·         Watch news

Bad Points:

·         Less opportunity because most of job applications are based online

·         Young people will not be able to research on their studies
·         If older people would have owned a PC including the knowledge of using it, it would have been easy to find any kind of information
·         Not being able to take advantage of online shopping including selling 

We all know that most of older people do not know how to use effectively computer machines, as they are used to the practical work. Older people will be missing out lot of opportunities because the world wide internet provides things for everyone.
Nowadays information is being delivered on the Internet really quick, and it would be very useful for older people  to take advantage of this, because nowadays everything is written online and newspaper deliverys are becoming less and do not contain lot of information. Older people would be able to get even more information compared to magazines and newspaper through leaks and reveal of information that is made on the Internet, and it would have been a big advantage for them.

Legal Impacts on IT

Reference : http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ict/legal/
Data Protection Act (1998)

The data protection act protects personal information about living individuals in the UK. Many companies hold information about their customer which they are personal.

This personal information may be:

·         Addresses

·         Phone numbers

·         Names

·         If needed, also people’s background

Data Protection act does not apply only in companies but also in Hospitals, Police and etc.

This law requires that companies that keep any personal information about people on their databases, to register with the Data Protection Registrar, and respects the eight data protection principles, which are:

·         Companies can use personal data for the only purpose which it was collected

·         Companies must not share personal information with others

·         People have the right to access at their information at any time

·         Personal information must not be kept, if its no longer needed

·         The person must agree if the information goes outside Europe

·         All companies that collects personal information must first register with the information commissioner’s office

·         Companies that holds personal information must have an adequate security measure

·         In case the information is not correct, people have the right to request a correction

Breaking the Data Protection Act, it will lead everyone to a fine to pay.

Copyright, Designs & Patents Act (1988)

The Copyright, Design & Patents Act protects people’s work avoinding from being copied or used it to get benefits of it. This law applies to things like:

·         Articles

·         Pictures

·         Videos

·         EBooks

·         Music

·         Software Applications

This law gives power to the owner to take control of his/her work, and puts a rule whether the work can be copied or not. For example a software application, the person who bought the application cannot share it with other people or upload it into the internet because it breaks the law, and this will take the person into serious consequences, by getting a fine or also go to prison if this is not the first time.

Computer Misuse Act (1990)

The computer misuse protects people and avoids them to use computer to commit a bad action. Examples of computer misuses may be:

·         Hackers trying to enter someone else’s computer or network

·         Copying someone else’s work which is very easy to do because information can be viewed so easily

·         People who make threats to others risking their lives

·         Bullying

·         Under 18 people getting access at porn websites

Any of these commitments the user will get a fine to pay or even go to prison. Fine may also get so high depending on the commitment done.

Impact of IT on Economics

People expected to be available 24/7 e.g. with Blackberries

Mobile phones have evolved so much in the last few years, and have revolutionised many professions.

There are many jobs out there with the main requirement of people using computers and many other devices in order to complete tasks. For example, employees working in a call centre, do not only communicate with their customers, but they are required to use computers in order to be able to view every single persons details in order to proceed or complete anything asked by the customer.

There are jobs where people need to be available all the time to use IT devices, for example a mobile. They are required to do so in order to complete their tasks during the journey and it’s great because people working wouldn’t actually need to arrange meetings if there is no need of it if they can use their own devices to do so.

Some people need to be available to be contacted 24/7 through a website or an email service because of their activities that makes them to be available at all times. People are able to have a conversation online with a customer adviser for example, and they are available at all times, because the company expects their customers to be helped with their doubts or emergencies anytime. People can also call workers where are available to be phoned in case of emergency.

Flexibility of working patterns: working from home, working shift, etc

IT has revolutionised and created many new opportunities. People can actually work from home by using their home computer. There are many tasks to complete for those working from their home, from completing surveys to advertising an official website to other people through email or even a social network. Workers get paid to make a website more popular and the most clicked website by persuading people and make them visit the website very often by offering a special value to them for example.

The good points of working from home are:

·         The worker does not need to move from house and will never use transport or anything to reach a place.

·          The amount of money the worker can get paid can be very high depending on how many hours and how many people are being advertised a page for example.

Bad points of working from home may be

·         It can be stressful at times because the worker will need to use the computer for many hours, and talk to many people everyday.

·         At times it can be very hard to get money because the worker wouldn’t find many people interested.

Easier to source products from all over the world ( growth of economies in India and China)

It is easier to get products from all over the world because people can actually go online and find what they are interested in. Many online businesses owning an online website where they can get customers to buy their products, are making lot of profit because of they may sell products at the best value for people. Many businesses in India and China do earn lot of money by selling products online.

The good point of sourcing products from all over the world are:

• It is quick and easy to buy products online
• It is cheaper to source products from elsewhere
• Many people are interested of buying products from all over the world

The bad points are:

• Taxes and shipping may be expensive at times
• The quality of some products may be very low
• Some products may be missed and not delivered

Machines taking place of number of workers – less need for unskilled labour

We know that IT has offered many jobs, but it has given also more facilities. There are many jobs that do not need a special worker to do a specific task anymore, but a computer replaced, because it does the job that normal a worker does sometimes.

Good points of replacing workers with computer machines that can do a task:

·         The company would save money because they wouldn’t have as many employees if they use computers

·         It is sure that computer does all the tasks, instead of having someone who is not sure what to do

Bad points are:

·         Sometimes computer machines may experience faultiness and do not work properly

·         Less work places for people who are looking for employment

Easier to set up small business using the web

Internet has become a great tool for businesses. Businesses can actually start they’re own businesses by creating a webpage attracting other customers. Businesses can now advertise and sell their products and services.

Small Businesses will have to face costs at the start in order to set up their website. Businesses would need to buy:

• Domain - Businesses will need to buy their own domain, allowing them to have their own name of the website.
• Web hosting - Businesses will need their website to be published in the world wide internet, and available to be seen by customers.

Good points of starting a business using the web are:

·         Businesses can advertise themselves on the web, including social networks like Facebook for example.

·         Businesses can earn extra profit by placing adverts around their webpage, and get money depending on how many clicks their website has received per day.

·         Receive feedback from customers improving their businesses

·         Be able to post pictures and videos about their products or services.

·         Get more customers

Bad Points are:

·         The business will have to spend lot of time with confronting customers, so they would need more staff to do so

·         The business will also receive messages where people will criticise their company

Easier to track consumer spending – marketing

IT has also changed the way companies can know what customers are interested in and what they buy. For example, Amazon uses a system where they can send information about products that their customers might be interested in, by checking what their customers bought in the past. It’s a good way of getting more customers buying from their websites.

Good Points

·         Businesses will get more chance of customers buying products from their website, because people will see a list of things that relates to products bought in the past.

Bad Point:

·         Sometimes this system might be wrong and show products that does not really involve with the customer’s interests

How have Ebay, Amazon, LastMinute, iTunes, GoCompare affected the Market?

Online websites like Ebay and Amazon, have massively affected the Market and the way of selling and buying things.

Good Points:

·         People do not need to move from their houses

·         Get better deal on products that costs more in stores

·         People can also sell things

·         Be part of an auction bid, with getting the chance of winning it

·         it is quick and easy, people can make a transaction in less then a minute

Bad Points:

·         People get scammed a lot by sellers using the websites, by getting products that do not look the same or are fake

·         People might be confused and buy products from a fake official website, risking their credit card details stolen

·         It might take time to report a failure of shipping to the website

Companies have affected the Market by adding features of bidding and selling on the Internet. Companies like Ebay offers everyone to sell their stuff through their website, and also review other products available online. Advertising and webspaces are now used by companies to persuade new customers on the Internet. This affects the Marketing because street shops won't sell as much as online services anymore, and people often prefer of buying stuff off the internet because it is much cheaper and also have the availabilty of being part of bids, and sell their stuff for other interested people.

Impact of IT on society

Today I will be focusing on how society have effected be the WWW (World Wide Internet), giving people a new way to do things in the everyday life.

How facebook, MSN, Twitter, etc have affected our friendships

Social networks like Facebook have affected our society and nowadays it’s a new way of meeting new people and making friends, which is really a quick process because many people are online every day and stay tuned to other people's posts. It's also useful for those who are looking for an old friend haven't seen for a very long time, and there might be a chance of finding the other person connected on Facebook, because nowadays almost everyone has got an account registered on the social network website. It has become also a place where people try to have as many friends as they can, reaching also thousand friends on their contact friends list, which sometimes may be extremely dangerous at times, because Facebook is a virtual world of people of many types, which means that some people connect to Facebook to commit a bad action, which it could cost someone’s life. There are also bullying and threating issues which a lot of teenagers are going through, and many suicides happened in the last few years, which it can be really stressful for those teenagers being on Facebook, which they have a bad influence in the real life.

How new on-line communities join people together (including those in remote locations)

There are forum communities which are suitable for people who want to talk about a specific topic they like, giving the chance of meeting someone interested of your same interests and this would be an excellent way of making friends. Some forums offer monthly competitions which is really good, you can get comments and critics sometimes which not only improves your social life, but also your skills, including your writing because members registered within a forum don’t use text or slang words and some forums don’t give permission to do that for people who have signed up recently. It is also dangerous sometimes because most people in forums like to use a random nickname and also a random avatar (Personal Picture), and you might not know the real identity of the person you are talking to.

Online communities join people also from remote locations, allowing them to connect to forums even from far away.  It is available worldwide, people can connect from everywhere, also using mobile devices allowing them to post topics and private messages.

Good Points:

• People can connect to online communities from remote locations
• Sharing opinions and ideas
• Talk about same interests

Bad Points:

• Anonymous people that may be dangerous ( Often members registered in online communities have a nickname and a random picture, which it can be quite dangerous at times)
• Face people who do not talk in a proper manner or incite a bad topic (eg. Racism)#
• No instant messaging (Forums usually do not have the instant messaging function, which allows users to chat in real time without refreshing the page, causing messages to be delivered not instantly.)

Effect of computer games

Computer gaming has become now also a way of making friends, playing online with people worldwide nowadays is what people do, mostly teenagers. But lot of teenagers spend their life with playing consoles instead of going out, which affects their social life. It is a way where people can play against other people which enables the ability to talk through microphone with them, or by chat, which is a good experience. Not only teenagers play games, but also people who are adult enough to have a place at work.

Good Points:

• Meeting new people ( Gaming is a good way of meeting many people while you play with them. Online gaming allows everyone to talk to each other also through microphone and also webcams sometimes)
• Expanding english dictionary ( Gaming expands the knowledge of using english vocabulary, and improves the spelling, which is really good)
• Anti-stress ( It is a stress free activity for those who had a long day and just relax by playing not longer than 30 - 45 minutes per day )

Bad Points:

• Bullyism ( Online gaming includes bullies, and it is very common nowadays that people get bullied and offended by players that take games seriously, sometimes even threating people) 
• Game addiction ( People might get addicted in Online gaming and this affects their life badly in so many ways)
• Social life ( Some people might have a very bad social life, and most of them do not have many friends in real life, but only in the online gaming community, which it is really bad because it takes them into a different world)
• Missing out opportunities in life if addicted ( Many people have missed out many important occasions in their life, like attending schools, going to work, and this affects badly the community because people start to not care anymore about their life and only think about playing games.)

Internet addiction

Many people are getting addicted to internet, which affect their life so badly sometimes. Some people can’t stay without internet, for many reasons: Social networks, shopping, gambling etc. Teenagers are affected pretty much to social networks, and in some cases it could be really bad causing them to not sleep a lot and staying overnight, giving them a big distraction with their work at school. Internet addiction is really dangerous because it puts people in a position where they will not concentrate on their own life, causing a really bad depression also sometimes.

No need to leave house – online shopping, Wikipedia instead of library, etc.

People don’t need to leave their houses if they need to find any kind of information. Students prefer to use websites like Wikipedia for their researches instead of going into library; People prefer to find the best values on products on websites like EBay, Amazon, Play.co.uk. It is really a good way to find what you are looking for, but people nowadays get scammed a lot and get their bank credit card information stolen, because many computer users are not fully aware on how online shopping really works.

Welcome everyone!

I have been asked to prepare a blog to support the training, outlining the effects IT has had on individuals, communities and society.