IT: Communication and Impacts

Jamie Graham

How IT impacts Society

• IT has effected society massively since the start of the 1970’s.

• Who here uses a phone or iPod every day?

• Do you think this is a good thing?

• Or a bad thing? • Some people would prefer a life

without a phone or iPod.

Positive Economic Effects

• People can work from home more easily, this is helps people who:

• Have disabilities• Have kids• Live in a remote location• It is also helpful for everyone else and means they do

not have to travel.• New jobs are created, some of you may even go on to

work with computers or work designing and inventing new computer technology.

Negative Economic Effects

• People are losing their jobs because machines have been developed so well that they can work:

• Better than people• More accurately than people• Faster than people• Can you think of machines that have

replaced unskilled workers?

TRACTORS!!

Legal Impacts

The law protects people who create movies and music from people who try to steal it or copy it.

When you buy any of those things you are not allowed to give a

copy to anyone or sell a copy

Data Protection Act• A law called the Data Protection Act has 8 laws to protect

your personal data.

1. You must collect data fairly2. It must only be used for the reasons that they say. 3. It can only be used for the reason it was collected. 4. There should not be too much information. 5. It must be correct and be kept up to date. 6. It must not be kept longer than it needs to be.7. The information must be kept safe and secure. 8. The files must not be sent outside Europe.

Computer Misuse Act

• The Computer Misuse Act is a law to stop people viewing others’ private information. It has three main laws:

• It is illegal to access someone else’s computer and look at their files without permission.

• It is illegal to access files to try to commit a crime, stealing from online banks, for example.

• It is illegal to change someone’s files or computer data without permission

Ethical Impacts - Environmental• With more technology being used, more electricity is being used to

charge and power the technology. This is expensive and adds to global warming.

• When we don’t want our phones or iPods, or they break, we often throw them away which is bad for the environment.

A company called WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) says that people who sell electrical equipment must help the person who is buying to get rid of their old electrical equipment.

Ethical Impacts - Privacy

• Because a lot of your personal information is stored on the internet, you privacy is always at risk.

• A lot of your personal activities are recorded and the information is on computers. CCTV films a lot of what you do in public, what you do on your mobile phone, internet searches and what you buy online is recorded online.

• Your information must be kept private on computers.

Unequal Access• Some people have different quality of internet to

others, this could be because some people live further from the server or cannot afford the same broadband.

• Some people like the elderly find it hard to use technology. This means they cannot do many tasks online like they could be able do.

• As well as having to pay for broadband, people also have to pay for their computer, phone or laptop. This can be very expensive and some people cannot afford this.

• People without good reading and writing skills may find it difficult to use technology as a lot of it needs you to read or write.

Unequal Access

• Some countries like Uganda are not able to enjoy the same quality of technology or internet connection as us.

• This means that they could get left behind, with a ‘digital divide’ becoming bigger and bigger.

• This means that countries like Uganda could become disconnected to the rest of the world.

Uganda• In 2003 there was a new ICT rule which meant

ICT lessons had to be given to all students to give fair ICT opportunities to all students.

• When in Uganda, we will have to learn to live without the quality of technology or internet connection that we have become used to and take for granted.

Just 9% of the country

And 0.02%Use the internet

Are broadband subscribers