Impact of ICT A brief introduction

This presentation covers Introduction to the use of ICT. Basic pros and cons of ICT.

Presentations to follow: How the use of ICT has impacted on individuals. How the use of ICT has impacted on organisations. How the use of ICT has impacted on society.

Introduction People often turn to ICT to help them solve problems. Indeed, ICT has allowed all kinds of developments ranging from improved golf balls to building impressive skyscrapers. Burj Dubai – 818 metres

Introduction The question is though…do we always need ICT to help us solve our problems? There was a time when people were still able to make impressive structures without the need for ICT. Great Wall of China Great Pyramids Hanging Gardens of Babylon Titanic etc Depiction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Introduction This presentation aims to discuss the advantages and disadvantages to ICT and to look at how people use ICT at home, work and how they interact with it in society. Chances are you will be expected to discuss how ICT has impacted on a particular group of people in an exam…be prepared!

Pros and Cons Lets start off with exploring some of the basic pros and cons of ICT. Advantages: Number crunching is easy for a computer. They are reliable when it comes to performing calculations as they follow precise rules – they always calculate brackets first, do addition before subtraction etc. Because of this, they are fantastic at performing repetitive tasks at speed, such as generating utility bills etc.

Pros and Cons Advantages When it comes to searching for data, they can search large quantities at speed. The huge amount of data that is now recorded…it would take a human many life times to sort through it all. For a computer…a blink of an eye is all that is needed sometimes. Also, computers are great for controlling devices in unpleasant conditions – which, in some cases – could be harmful to humans. Sensors and controls allow humans to work on other (safer) things whilst the computers deal with the more hazardous jobs.

Pros and Cons Disadvantages A lot of people live in an information rich world. A large majority of people do not (see digital divide). With the wealth of information and services available people want instant results. Hardware limitations can slow this process down. How many times have you got frustrated waiting for a video to buffer before it would start playing?

Pros and Cons Disadvantages The truth is, much of the hardware we have now still doesn’t manage to keep up with our demands – unless you don’t mind paying lots of dosh for it! Even the UK is flagging behind some countries in terms of broadband speeds.

Pros and Cons Disadvantages In 1975 a bloke called Gordon Moore predicted that the number of semiconductors on a microchip would double roughly every two years. Until now, this prediction remains true. We are reaching the maximum limit for the number of semiconductors per chip…which means the way computers are having to work is changing. These days it is fairly common to find multiple processors inside a computer which share workloads. This is the basic principle under which super computers now work.

Pros and Cons Disadvantages As we start to build upon communication systems we are finding that we need more and more bandwidth to meet our needs. Problem is…we don’t have the capacity to meet those needs fully. Some countries have the ability to stream 4 HD movies at the same time. In the UK we struggle to achieve that kind of speed – we simply do not have the infrastructure to do that.

Investigate Do some research into what problems the world of ICT might be facing in the future. How are organisations addressing these problems. Think about what type of technology you have now and what the limitations are. What future technologies might be released to help solve those problems? If you read about the new Windows 7 operating system you might find out a little more about how Microsoft think we will interact with computers in the future.

Activity Describe the technologies that you have seen in films and television programmes recently, for example, the ability to manipulate images on a computer screen in The Minority Report, or Robots that look like humans in A.I. How realistic is the technology that was used? Do you think those types of technology will eventually be introduced? What are the advantages and disadvantages?