Easy Information Access
Computers have revolutionized the everyday access of information, whether for business, scientific or personal use. In the space of 15 minutes, you can buy movie tickets, check the latest sports scores and research different brands of pickup trucks from your home computer. Smartphones, PCs and other computing devices have standard ways of handling data, allowing a rapid and free exchange of information. Computer software has become easy and intuitive to use, giving more people access to the information they want with less effort.
Automated Machinery
Computers now control many kinds of machines, vastly improving the convenience, safety and productivity of their use. For example, computers are crucial to the antilock brakes that are commonplace in vehicles. Motion sensors fitted to each wheel continually feed data to a dedicated computer. If you brake hard and a wheel stops rotating, the computer “pumps” the brakes rapidly, restoring proper motion to the wheel. The computer takes action in a few thousandths of a second, preventing the car from skidding out of control.
Fast, Accurate Data Processing
In many areas, computers have taken on small, repetitive tasks, freeing people’s time for more important endeavors. Before computers became fixtures in business, bookkeeping was handled by legions of clerks. Today, computers process millions of records in seconds, improving reliability and accuracy while reducing costs. Scientists enjoy the same advantage, giving computers the mathematical chores that were once done with pencil and paper. As a result, research penetrates into the secrets of nature with greater speed and accuracy than was previously possible.
Sedentary Lifestyle
Computers have made video games, Web surfing and other forms of leisure possible. Although these pursuits led to the development of whole new industries, they also seduced many people into excessively sedentary habits. Time spent at the computer requires little physical exertion. Because it is common for enthusiasts to play on their computers for hours at a time, long-term consequences can include obesity, poor eating habits, and social isolation.
Laptop computers and other mobile devices allow many people to work from home or be on call 24 hours a day, making it harder to keep work and home life separate. Work-related duties can interfere with family time at a moment’s notice. The deterioration of boundaries between personal and professional time can strain relationships and make it difficult to relax when you’re never completely away from the office.
Loss of Privacy
The widespread use of personal computers and mobile devices has led to an avalanche of personal data in electronic form, such as contact lists and Facebook posts. Before computers found a place in every home, much of this information was either disorganized or not connected. The Internet’s ease of data gathering combined with deliberate efforts by businesses to exploit personal information has led to a widespread sharing of formerly private data.
Negative Effects of Technology on Communication
Technology has revolutionized the way people communicate, linking humans in a real-time network across the globe. However, technology has also changed communication in many ways, and some of them are not for the better. While some of these negative effects are relatively minor, in some cases they have had profound effects on the lives and well-being of users.
An Omnipresent Distraction
Cell phones and mobile devices allow users to stay connected even when away from their computers. While this can be a great benefit, especially in emergencies, it can also be a dangerous distraction. Hundreds of thousands of people suffer injuries every year in accidents involving a distracted driver, and texting and cell phone use are primary sources of distraction behind the wheel. While it may only take a driver a few seconds to read a text message, during that time his vehicle could travel the length of a football field without his eyes on the road. Technology can also be a distraction at home or in the office, as always-present instant messaging applications and social networks can draw a user’s attention away from more important matters.
Technology can also affect the quality of communication. One of the great benefits of the Internet is its anonymity, allowing users to explore and communicate without having to give away their personal details. Unfortunately, this can also lead to users behaving in ways completely different than they would in a face-to-face conversation. When the Internet reduces a person to a faceless screen name, it can make it hard for some users to remember that an actual person exists behind the avatar, which can encourage hostility and exclusionary behavior. Young people are especially prone to online hostility, with 43 percent of kids reporting that they’ve suffered online bullying — 25 percent of them on more than one occasion.
Social Isolation
Technology can create elaborate social networks online, but these can unexpectedly lead to social isolation. In some cases, communicating online replaces face-to-face interaction for users, reducing the amount of time they actually spend in the company of other human beings. In addition, these social networks sometimes replace a small number of strong social connections with a larger number of much shallower connections, leading to situations where a user may have large numbers of “friends” but few actual real-world companions. This can lead to depression and feelings of loneliness, and the lack of a support system can make it difficult for users to reach out and find help for these issues. According to Slate, polling suggests the number of adults who describe themselves as “lonely” has doubled since 1980, and that spending more time online with social networks can actually have an adverse effect on a user’s happiness level.
Privacy Issues
Another potential hazard of communicating via technology is a lack of privacy. Communications you send over the Internet may be insecure, allowing third parties to read email conversations or intercept instant messages. If an outsider manages to compromise an email account or application, he may gain access to months or even years of correspondence. Encryption can help keep communications safe from prying eyes, but protecting every link in the social communication chain can be difficult. Malware authors are even beginning to target phones and mobile devices, recognizing them as always-available windows into their owners’ personal lives.
Cybercriminals exploit communication technology to steal financial information and perpetrate identity theft. They do this by installing illegal spyware on people’s computers without their consent, or by exploiting security vulnerabilities on online merchants’ websites to steal customers’ bank and credit card details. Hackers also send out phishing emails, which direct customers to a bogus website, such as a fake banking website. Viruses and worms cause computers to malfunction, and hackers sometimes use unwitting people’s computers to generate spam email. Firewalls, along with software to halt viruses and spyware, help to deter online criminals.
Privacy
Communication technology is used to store as well as transmit information. By its essential nature, the technology raises concerns about data protection and privacy. State and federal laws govern data protection, restricting access to sensitive financial or medical information to personnel who have a need to know. However, sensitive information stored on a computer can be compromised through gossip, carelessness or by people who have a grudge against their employers.
Child Safety
Children may be computer savvy, but technology also exposes them to a number of risks, including graphic sexual images, sexual predators who solicitor youngsters on chat rooms and through email, and online bullying, particularly on social networking sites. Parents can help keep their children safe by monitoring their online activity and installing software that filters out sexual content and making use of child friendly search engines, such as Surf Safely and Ask Kids. Contact the police if your child tells you that she is being harassed or stalked on the Internet.
Everything you need to know about Computer 