Computers Impact on Modern Life

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Computers Impact on Modern Life

            The computer technology has continually persisted within the human society since the seventeenth century. This has infused a high level of significance attributed to the technology especially within the latter half of the twentieth century when computer usage across the globe gained considerably. With the heightened application of the internet within twenty-first century, computers have altered contemporary lifestyles, both in a constructive and negative manner. Morley notes that “computers…have become indispensable tools for modern life, making ordinary tasks easier and quicker than ever before and helping make today’s worker more productive” (39). The automobile industry has enhanced its designs to improve comfort and services that cars accord to their owners and consequently the utility attached to the products. Research and technology industries like medicine and space studies have been able to obtain superior milestones within their respective practices for enhanced social wellbeing. The leisure industry like film production have also benefited from the technology in the creation of pragmatic movies like animations by infusing special filming effects.

With regard to productivity, computers have lead to economic advancement through the creation of trade globalization by overcoming the spatial differences accorded to geographical issues that inhibited the growth of business organizations with regard to market extensions (Bowers 3). Electronic commerce, commonly referred to as e-commerce has expanded business areas with the stimulation of healthy competition within the global environment enhancing consumer well being in terms of affordable and superior products. Businesses have perfected their internal processes within the various departments like human resource and accounting, in a manner that is time and cost effectual. With the computer speed, information generation and analysis through generation of graphs and simulations has enabled business organizations in reducing the magnitude of business risks that tend to be very costly (FortuneCity, 2011). The macro effect therefore evidenced by these various merits is the enhancement of monetary returns in such organizations.

Socially, computers and the internet have improved the communication process in terms of reliability and accessibility with services like electronic mails, real-time chat and newsrooms, amongst others. Statistics have evidenced the level of internet communities has greatly increased with the period 2005 having 1.17 billion consumers (Noguelra 11). With this number of users, the advertisement industry has matured over the years with the various web promotional channels used to create business awareness on a global basis. The online communities have also achieved a neutral foundation in which various communal issues like politics can be addressed for mutual welfare. Teleconferencing as a means of working has also supported trade growth. Unemployment levels have been checked with the ease of information dissemination, which is very beneficial to areas, which have communication barriers (Rosenberg 78). This has been greatly achieved through internet supportive cell phones that a user is able to access from any location despite the period.

Computers have also positively transformed the learning field with the ability of instructors to enhance the learning process with the inclusion of superior teaching techniques like the use of slide shows (Tomlon and Mary 139). This has actually infused a level of variances within classrooms from the conventional teaching forms and subsequently, learning has become more appealing to students. Additionally, distance learning has significantly improved with the internet especially in undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Electronic learning has overcome the weakness of classroom crowding as well as infiltrating a level of flexibility within the learning curriculums to fit working individuals who may be pursuing higher forms of education. Despite the various benefits accorded to computer technology in the current world setting, various detrimental impacts have also been indentified.

Morley outlines such problems as “privacy and security risks and concerns (such as malware, identity theft, phishing, and spam), the differences in online and offline communications, the anonymity factor, and the amount of unreliable information…on the internet” (39). Malware includes the use of infected programs for data corruption like viruses and worms. Business rivals may tend towards such unethical practices as a way of reducing competition. The affected organization is then faced with considerable losses in both monetary and non-monetary aspect with the extreme possibility of permanent trade closures. Identity theft is used for criminal practices with the perpetrators masquerading on internet application like credible individuals with the aim of committing crimes. This poses a risk to the real individuals as they may later face lawsuits and sentences for uncommitted felonies. Information unreliability has also had an unconstructive impact with lack of credibility leading affecting business premises and learning organizations.

With tampered results, a trading company may deceive consumers into investments that would be costly to the affected. Students have also become less industrious in personal research with the ability to copy and plagiarize educational information from the internet. This has led to numerous failures within the learning field (Bowers 140). Within the environment, aspect computers have been identified as contributors of greenhouse gases, specifically carbon dioxide, leading to ecological degradation. In conclusion, computers have both merits and demerit within the current society and efforts should be accorded to the reduction of the disadvantages for a better world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Bowers, C. Let them eat data: how computers affect education, cultural diversity, and the prospects of ecological sustainability. Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 2000. Print.

Conlon, Tom, and Mary Simpson. “Silicon Valley versus Silicon Glen: the impact of computers upon teaching and learning: a comparative study.” British Journal of Educational Technology 34.2: 137-150. Print.

FortuneCity. The Impact of Computers. 2011. Web. 8 April 2011. <http://tatooine.fortunecity.com/vonnegut/320/history.htm>.

Morley, Deborah. Understanding Computers in a Changing Society. Florence: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.

Noguelra, Simone. The origins of the Net and its impact on modern life. Jan 2006. Web. 8 April 2011. <http://www.scribd.com/doc/2601316/The-origins-of-the-Net-and-its-impact-on-modern-life>.

Rosenberg, Richard. The social impact of computers. West Yorkshire: Emerald Group Publishing, 2004. Print.