Why there's more postives than negatives of Computing

In my opinion the benefits of computers outweights the negatives;
You can use computers to kill of time with the varied games available online, surf the internet watching videos and listening to music, it's a good way to relax and ease stress, this has helped society as people use this as an alernative for anti-social behaviour.

It's also used for purchasing and selling products online which is much easier and safer (depending on what site used) as you do not have to put the effort in going out which makes life better.

The way people learn and teach from obtaining information from the web, particularly using search engines, has made a big impact on the way we learn and obtain other information as it is much quicker than going to library to look something up resulting in more revision time.

It's helped us to find out the Weather forecast as it measures the wind, temperature and other factors to predict what the future weather outcomes will be, this has helped us as we have been more cautious and prepared during windy or snowy days, it's possibly even saved people's life as they are more prepared for extreme conditions.

Computers have also helped developed the world's scientific research, for example we can use computers to observe ancient fossils and predict how long ago they were made, this has helped us develop our awareness of the sanctity of life.
The net effect of all these innovations is to make this world a more connected place. For example individuals can not only communicate with others anywhere in the world instantly and economically, but they can also buy and sell things worldwide on facilities websites like eBay. The business industry has become more efficient and effective due to availability of better and faster information. Also, in general the pace of life has quickened.

Less fortunate people that can't access computers

Computers and technology has been used globally around the world for years which has made life easier for many people however, there are some people that are less fortunate and either can't obtain access to computers or simply have difficulties with using them.

Firstly we have older civillians, yes they may have access to the computers however, they preffer doing things "the old way" or they have difficulties with using the technology due to them not being adapted to computers, this is a huge disadvantage for them as movements are very difficult due to pains recieved as a person becomes older, they could use internet shopping to avoid having to go out to purchase groceries and many more uses such as skype instead of travelling to see someone, however "sometimes it's better to do things the old way" -James Bond

There are also people with servere disabilities and in their unfortunate circumstances it could be either very difficult to use computers or impossible, although the decent society today have produced systems to help the less fortunate such as Stephen Hawking's voice synthesizer however, some people may have some deformities like not having arms/hands and this is difficult as the internet provides communication, educational resources, job applications and other aspects to support the life of people.

There are also people that struggle financially and cannot obtain a computer however in the U.K and U.S.A there are internet cafes for when computers are needed, yet computers could be used to find job applications for people that struggle financially and I believe their main priority would be putting food on the table. There are also some people across the globe that have no access to computers at all, this makes life hard for them as they can't post the poverty occurring in their country or the civil wars. If they were able to maybe there would be a change however, people at the moment with a sustainable wealth are currently annonymous to majority of the less fortune.

 

Not having a computer is a disadvantage as globally computers are

constantly being used developing the lives of people, the people that

are not able to use one or are not fortunate enough to have one are

missing out on entertainment, communication, research/education and

much more. Hopefully one day the world will be able to provide and

 be more considerate for the less fortunate people.

Dangers across the internet

Computers also have some negative aspects towards the community Albert Einstein once quoted

"I fear the day when the technology overlaps with our humanity. The world will only have a generation of idiots." this is due to abuse of technology, some people may use the internet to cyber bully people sending threats and all types of anti-social behaviour, there are however, methods of removing these people to avoid communication such as 'blocking' them if it's occuring on a Social Network site such as Facebook.

There are also risk of catching viruses on your computer, this is very dangerous as if you have any important documents such as bank details they can be accessed with ease, however this can be avoided by simply having a anti-virus detector to not only remove viruses but detect which sites contain unreliable sources preventing you from obtaining a virus.

The internet is worldwide, therefore you MUST be cautious towards who you communicate with, almost anyone in a society could access the internet, this means that there are people with concerning criminal behaviour habbits such as peadophiles and you wouldn't be aware that you're talking to them, there has been many disturbing cases in the past however, as people become more educated on being cautious and do not meet up with absolute strangers then this situation could be avoided, plus with the 'blocking' system you can avoid communication with suspicious characters.

Also there are some ignorant people on the internet that may be less considerate to people leading them to 'cyber bully' people weaker than them, this is a bad aspect of computing as it makes the victim feel uncomfortable with themselves if they are bullied, however the internet also provides online services for people that are being bullied or need someone to talk to.

Disadvantages of ICT in Society

At the same time we praise ICT and how it has helped with the progression of our society & enviroment, we also criticise the excessive use of it due to factors such as; more unemployment due to use of computer systems in successful retailers such as the self check out system in Tesco, Asda & Sainsburies are used instead of workers as it has a low running cost in comparison to a worker’s wages and the pattern of lives of people changes when they begin to have a higher use or increasing engagement for computing.

Another issue from ICT is that people are rejecting the casual routine of even going shopping for online shopping instead, this could be consequence to a less motivated society as they get too comfortable to the lazy lifestyle, another issue is that there are many physical illnesses obtained from constant use of a computer such as eye problems, RSI, back pains, wrist pains and other body pains that could be very irritating, this makes lives of people very difficult as they would require treatment to recover from these illnesses and it may even interfere with the casual routine of a person's life.

The most common known issue with computing is the fact that there is a large qauntity of paper used daily, this has a impact on the society as many trees are cut in order to be processed into paper which increases the Global Warming issue. One of the biggest concerns is privacy of personal information such as bank details, adresses and other important data which can be transferred globally within seconds if acccessed by the wrong hands.

There is also the risk of obtaining viruses or being hacked, this is due to strange webites, spam and phishing that are a huge risk because if you keep important information on the computer such as bank details someone could hack you and obtain these important documents. Viruses and hackers could also delete important files that are on the computer which is another concern as this causes much stress.

 

Advantages of ICT in society

Society would never be like it is today without the use of computers, this is because a lot of our daily activities have technology involved

For educational purposes for instance technology is used with; interactive whiteboards, video clips with information and also transferring documents, with technology our knowlegdge is expanded and is developed daily, without technology we wouldn't discover the many things that have been explored today

In everyday activities computers are used, when working out at gym the calories burned off are measured by a computer, this is simple and mini computers like this are used frequently without people even realising, they help us keep track of progress.

When contacting someone by social network sites instead of the prior use of sending letters, this is much faster and more modern, it also makes people more sociable as they are able to communicate with various people. 

When obtaining cash from a bank the data is kept on a computer, it's also used for online banking, this avoids the need of going out and finding an ATM, it makes life much more easier.

Another advantage from computing in our society is that it's assisted our communication possibilities, without computer technology the millions of telephone calls in a day wouldn't be possible, it has also helped us with systems such as skype, hotmail ect. making global communication with people from a long distant much more easier, this also helps increase our socialising skills with sites such as Facebook where you could organise meeting up with friends, however cautions must be taken to avoid strangers. 

ICT is also used for entertainment when streaming online and seeing the hilarious things on the internet or catching up on television shows or even relaxing and listening to music are all forms of entertainment that are used during leisure time.

It's also used to prevent crime such as tracking criminals and DNA use which combines with Science and a crucial change is how it has helped patients in hospitals keeping track of their healths ect.

There is also use of Cloud Computing  to store files on remote servers instead of storing it onto a local server. Examples of this are accessing software online instead of buying a CD for it, this helps people financially as they can develop their knowledge, for instance I downloaded a copy of "My Maths" CD for when I was revising for my exams.


We also use online services to download job applications, renewment of memberships, pay bills/bank transactions, this avoids the hassle of having to get up and go do these long transactions, it is also more safe (aslong as you keep a record and have proof of these transactions by not going onto unusual websites)

Computers controlling out society?

Our society consist highly of the use of computers, without it our enviroment wouldn't be as developed as it is now, however with the speed that the society is "improving" at, it's a concern for many people at the same time, I will be expanding on this point and exploring both the positive and negative sides of computing within the world.