ICT’s Societal Impact: Digital Divide, Fraud, and Entertainment
The Impact of ICT on Society
Digital Divide
Digital divide: Gap between people able to make efficient use of ICT and those who are not.
- Introduction of technology can: Generate jobs, provide greater access to better health services.
Health Services
Health services: Some websites contain information about: Medicine, common ailments & how to treat them, contact details of doctors, waiting lists for hospital treatment. Appointments can also be booked online.
Employment Opportunities
Employment opportunities: ICT used in manufacturing and education, therefore skills needed to get jobs in these areas. Curriculum Vitae (CV) can be created using ICT, sent to companies, Broadband necessary.
Global Digital Divide
Nations: also known as global digital divide. Large gap between third and first-world nations. Accentuates economic divide. Poorly educated nations unable to compete efficiently.
ICT and Disabilities
Disabilities:
- Input devices simplify computers for the disabled. Instant messaging allows communication. Useful for the deaf (webcams), for people with sight problems, font can be enlarged etc.
- People who cannot move/find it difficult to leave their home: online shopping, banking and entertainment services available and touch screens/voice recognition systems also make it easier for them.
- PCs have many features to help the disabled: Overlay or concept keyboards, purpose-built keyboards, predictive word processors, speech recognition software, tracker balls, joysticks, touch screens, head wand.
- Improvements have been made for the disabled in the areas of banking, booking systems, health services, employment and government i.e on their websites, their financial services, their available information and their special offers.
Legal and Political Systems
Legal and political systems:
- Increased access to legal information/advice on: legal contracts, divorce, child-support and maintenance, power to attorney, finances etc.
- Increased involvement in focus groups. Done on message boards, using messaging or tele-conferencing.
Advantages of Online Focus Groups
Advantages: broader opinions, can meet any time, no money spent on food.
Disadvantages of Online Focus Groups
Disadvantages: Reduced interaction, moderators have no influence on discussions.
- Increased influence with political representatives:
Internet Forums
Internet forums – discussion websites. Allow anonymous posting, controlled by administrators or moderators.
Weblogs (Blogs)
Weblogs (or blogs) – used to record daily lives/events considered important. Politicians use to get close to voters, voters can speak directly to them through blogs. Features: reverse chronological posting order, unfiltered or uncensored.
Wikis
Wikis – software allowing anyone to make pages for own website, edited to allow others to add information to the pages. Allow quick creation of pages and also links to similar politics.
Advantages of Wikis
Advantage: Interactive, so people can make changes and remove errors.
Disadvantages of Wikis
Disadvantage: gives anyone chance to give distorted opinions about anything.
Computer Fraud
Computer fraud
- Much easier to commit due to technological availability. Many different ways of committing fraud: People issuing cheques into own accounts on behalf of a company using relevant software, false invoices (e.g. for non-essential equipment) delivering to personal address, identity theft by stealing a person’s identity details. Methods – Finding personal details in bins, watching people fill in forms/listening to phone calls disclosing personal details, using skimming devices, intercepting post and accessing databases containing personal data.
- Stolen information used to:
-Apply for mortgages, credit cards and take over bank accounts.
-Also used for Phishing/Pharming
-To prevent this, firewalls, anti-virus and anti-spyware software should be installed.
Antisocial Use of ICT
Antisocial use of ICT
- Hacking
- Misuse of personal data: e.g. name, address, date of birth occupation.
- Deleting personal data: hackers send virus (logic bomb) to delete certain data, or by stealing password.
- Amending personal data: changing data to cause embarrassment through organisations such as – hospitals, police, government security services.
- Distributing personal data
- Viruses: malicious program code made to infect computers/corrupt or delete data. Can be obtained through: e-mail attachments, internet `offers´.
Protection methods: anti-virus software, back-up systems (separate from computer)
- Spam: messages sent in bulk to use up memory capacity of server concerned. ISPs most affected. Carried out in e-mails, instant messaging, blogs, mobiles etc.
- Cyber bullying
Home Entertainment Systems
Home Entertainment Systems
- Home Theatre systems: Surround sound, Large/wide screen, LCD/plasma screens, blu-ray disks for high definition (HD)
- Satellite Television: programs transmitted via communication satellites (i.e. program signals sent to uplink satellite dish which is pointed at specific satellite with transponder, which send signal back to receiving dish – on house).
Low Noise Blockdown (LNB) converter strengthens weakened signal. Receiver box decrypts signals, enabling viewer to see programs.
- Terrestrial Television: also known as broadcast television. Programme providers transmit program signal using large aerial/antenna from broadcast centre, using transmitter to gather and combine signals to travel long distances. Cooling systems needed.
- Music Centres: equipped with: frequency modulation, CD player, amplifier, speakers, universal serial bus (USB) port, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card etc. FM – frequency modulated transmission, AM – amplitude modulated transmission.
- Portable or personal stereo systems: not all able to receive FM broadcasts, as some can only receive transmissions served by a digital audio broadcasting (DAB) tuner. Some come with electronic programming guide (EPG) allowing them to store stations.
- Interactive Games Consoles: sophisticated graphics requiring powerful processors and graphics engines. Can play people around the world with correct hardware links to internet.
- Video-on-demand systems: allows viewing of videos over network. Either constant transmission or downloaded to set-top box. Can also be received through internet, mobile phones, and portable media players. Video server can be LAN or WAN.
Internet Auctions
Internet Auctions: Sites that allow people to buy and sell their own things over the internet in an auction.
-Necessary equipment: PC, modem or broadband connection, internet browser.
-Features of sites: Account registry facilities, item browsing, search facility, help menu, option to `watch´ progress of desired items etc.
Advantages of Internet Auctions
-Advantages: Sellers can sell unwanted clutter without hassle. Purchaser can possible buy items for lower price than shops. Worldwide market. More available goods.
Problems with Internet Auctions
-Problems: Site cannot be held responsible for quality of goods. Returning is difficult. A lot of scammers on sites. Buyers can get carried away, spending much more than intended.
Online Transaction Services
-Online transaction services: Many e-commerce businesses that allow payments to be made through auction sites as intermediaries between buyer and seller, such as Paypal. Security of sites assured by yellow padlock on internet window. Site enforced by encryption, thus safer for money transfer.
-Goods may be intercepted by hackers who have accessed address details, but unlikely due to security of most sites.
Booking Systems
Booking systems
-Online booking systems offer: immediate confirmation, no double bookings, printing of e-tickets, virtual tours.
Airlines
-Airlines: online bookings/check-in, e-tickets, hotel/rental car reservations.
Site features: home page, booking details, available flights, cost, customer details and payment options, checking in facilities.
Travel Agents
-Travel agents: can use off the-shelf or purpose-built software. Book tickets for individuals or businesses.
Rail Companies
-Rail companies: customers can see/select times/routes online and book/print tickets.
Cinema Booking Systems
-Cinema computer-based booking systems: allow cinema owners/managers to cut costs and increase profits. Can buy tickets online, over the phone or at kiosks in the cinemas.
Theatres
-Theatres: safe bookings with e-mail address/unique code linked with tickets.
Appointment Booking Systems
-Appointment booking systems: for booking appointment with doctors, hairdressers, dentists etc. either online, over phone or through e-mail.
Advantages to Companies
-Advantages to companies: less rent for premises, fewer staff needed, larger market.
Advantages to Customers
-Advantages to customers: no transport costs, can book any time, immediate confirmation.
Disadvantages to Companies
-Disadvantages to companies: less personal touch, staff needs retraining, risk of fraud.
Disadvantages to Customers
-Disadvantages to customers: must have computer and internet access, small risk of interception by hackers
Information Services
Information Services
-Trading: less time consuming online, easier communication between countries/companies. Benefits: extended market, businesses can compare with wider range of suppliers. Many governments willing to provide information and advice on their website.
Government Services
-Governments: services offered: education/learning, motoring, home and community, employment, money, tax and benefits, health/well-being, travel/transport, environment/greener living, crime, justice/the law, rights and responsibilities.
Academic Institutions
-Academic institutions: offer information on courses, extra-curricular activities, measurements of success. Requires website with well-organised e-mail facilities.
Stocks and Shares
-Stocks and shares: many sites provide information on up-to-date figures of prices and stocks, allow to create a virtual portfolio/buy and sell shares without paying to see possible losses/gains to be made. Investors can buy stocks for a fee (varies from site to site)
Public Interest
-Public interest: sites which inform about a country´s rights/laws/environmental information.
Educational Research
-Educational research: provide teachers with information about educational research. Non-profit organisations. Provide descriptions of government policy on education, focusing on curriculum, assessment and initial teacher training frameworks.
Government
Government
Central Government
-Central government: inland revenue allows individuals to complete tax forms online/make payments.
Information Held by Government Sites
-Information held by government sites:
Income tax records, tax collection and payment information, budget calculations (using `what if´ scenarios.
Local Government
-Local government: services offered:
Electoral register – all voters details such as name, address, nationality kept.
Local tax records – record of all citizens who have paid taxes.
Budget calculations – use computer models of spending and income to calculate budgets.
Issuing of Documents
-Issuing of documents: some governments offer online facilities to apply for passports, driving licences, ID cards.
Government and Internet Security
-Governments and internet security: users log on to website, all sent and received information transferred through secure socket layer (SSL) which creates secure link between user’s browser and government server, to ensure data is not altered during transmission.
If user forgets to log off or remains inactive for period of time, logs off automatically.
Passports, ID cards computerised to such extent that can have data in form of biometric data or held on magnetic strip. Easier to verify that they are genuine.