Impact of ICT

On individuals

This presentation covers

• How the world of ICT has impacted on individuals.

Introduction

• The world is changing rapidly.

• Technology is helping to push new boundaries in almost all areas including science, design, health, transport, communications and education – to name but a few.

• We know that organisations deal with a lot of technology but how has it changed the way we, as individuals, live?

Communication• Social networking is quite a popular phrase these days.

• Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Bebo are some of the more popular social networking sites but there are loads more.

• Even websites like YouTube have allowed people to communicate in new ways.

Communication

• People are using instant messenger applications such as Live Messenger.

• You could even consider XBOX Live and Playstation Network to be instant messengers.

• You can have video conferencing and Voice Over Internet (VoIP) communication with friends too.

Communication• All this sounds fantastic...

• Yeah its great being able to talk to mates from the comfort of your own home…but is that really a healthy solution to socialising?

• A recent article (at the time of writing this) said that the use of social networking sites has a negative effect on the development of children. Source from BBC News website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7907766.stmTuesday, 24 February 2009

Communication• There are serious concerns over

health these days. With longer working hours and greater demands, people are finding new ways to socialise with others.

• Animal Crossing, a Nintendo game, allows people to chat and interact with each other in a virtual world.

• Other virtual environments include Second Life and other MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online) games.

Animal Crossing on Wii

Communication

• But how do these social interactions compare with face to face interactions?

• This is very much a subjective topic and one in which you will need to form your own opinions.

Travel• People are now turning to technology to help them

with their travel arrangements.

• More and more people are using SAT NAV systems to help them find locations.

• This have both positive and negative effects…

– Positive: People can focus more on driving rather than navigating

– Negative: People are getting worse at map reading!

Travel• As well as using ICT to help you plan

routes you can also use it to book flights, buses and trains.

• You can even specify which seats you wish to sit in!

• Some bus stops have codes which you can text to a number. You will then receive a text message saying when the next buses are due to arrive.

General Living• Worried you didn’t lock

the front door?

• Forgot to set your sky box to record a film?

• Can’t remember what is in your fridge whilst at the shop?

• Why not use your mobile phone to connect to your house and control the devices inside?

General Living• We can already do all those things…

they cost a bit of money but its not far off from becoming a common household ability.

• Companies are already producing fridges which can tell you what recipes you can make with the ingredients that are in your fridge!

• The fridge can also connect to your identified supermarket store can place an order for delivery.

Entertainment• People are now turning to ICT more and more to satisfy their

entertainment needs.

• Digital TV started not that long ago but it is being phased in to replace analogue TV.

• This is bringing added advantages such as interactive television.

• Red button TV allows people to interact with adverts, choose different shows and camera angles.

• Missed a show? Why not watch it online later on?

Entertainment

• Podcasts are increasingly popular with those who have something to talk about.

• Anyone has the ability to become a DJ. Lots of unsigned bands are turning to the internet and podcasts to make people more interested in their material.

• Access to news is also even easier…with news broadcasted around the world.

Entertainment

• Online gaming is also huge.

• The games industry is currently outselling the movie and music industries combined!

• The popularity of online gaming is really taking off. People are even willing to pay subscriptions to play games online.

Entertainment

• XBOX Live offers customers premium content if they pay for a gold account…

• And games like World of Warcraft are more than popular than ever!

Summary

• The topics that are discussed in this presentation barely scratch the surface when it comes to how ICT has impacted on individuals.

• What it does do is give you an insight into how deep the rabbit hole actually goes…

• What you must do now is…

Take the red pill: you write an essay, two sides long, on how ICT has impacted on individuals. You’ll have to choose an area and focus on it as this topic can be very expansive.

Take the blue pill: you write an essay, two sides long, on how social networking sites have affected the way in which people now communicate with each other. You need to discuss the positives and negatives of these sites.