The Information Age allows unprecedented access to online information. Discuss the benefits and harms to the society that this may cause.
When comparing the past with the present, there have been massive improvements in our lifestyle. This change has been brought about by the introduction of the Information Age. This era began from the late 20th century and is extremely advanced when compared to any of the previous eras. One of the main highlights of the Information Age was the transmission of data over long distances in fractions of seconds. ”Even in a society accustomed to change, the rate at which computers and communication networks have transformed our lives is breathtaking.”(Quinn 2006: 2). The advent of Information Age has increased the pace of our life and made it easy going. Technology has developed extensively that nowadays from your fridge to your car, it is present everywhere. Even though there have been difference in opinions, the exposure of Internet revolutionized the world in a relatively short time. It has broadened the thinking range and social aspect of people creating a standard to move into a better future with high level of accuracy and intelligence. There are wide varieties of reasons which have accounted for the widespread acceptance of this transformation; however a few important points are the effects of globalization, e-commerce and availability of in-depth and wide information.
Technology has progressed at such an alarming rate that it makes the world look like a very small place. People living oceans apart, now-a-days have the facility to see or talk to friends, family and loved ones without having to pay a huge sum of money. Video conferencing is the answer to all these problems as it provides a medium of connectivity for example when you interact with a person on an everyday basis. In addition, a simple feature like an email has changed the basis of everyday life and business transactions; as earlier on people had to wait for getting letters delivered to them, also endure the hassles of going to the post office and moreover the expensive delivery charges. These days, with the click of a button you can send messages to loved ones in a fraction of a second. Furthermore, the positive side being, these memories can never be stolen from you as the paper doesn’t tatter off, and it is stored forever. There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the use of emails as people can argue that they are mechanical and impersonal, but to ward off such a misunderstanding, latest technology lets you be creative and personal by writing an email in your own handwriting. Therefore, it is practically the same thing but the only difference being that there is no waiting period and the cost of sending is reduced drastically. Besides having all these benefits, there are additional benefits like the chartrooms and programs that help you build relationship with people across the state, country or even continent. Due to this amazing technology called internet, you can get to meet people with different background than yours, people who have different hobbies, thoughts and locations. The technology of internet has gone so far that now-a-days you even have matrimonial sites which help you in finding the suitable mate for yourself. The difference between the matrimonial section in your local newspaper and the matrimonial site online is that it is spread world wide and has an abundance of options given to you. Internet is not only a source for priceless information, but source for on-line groups as well, which are dedicated to specific problems or groups that possess similar resource (Joinson 2003: 146). It is such a huge medium that its benefits can also be reaped by physically challenged people as they get to meet people who are in the same situations as them. Overall, it helps people to socially uplift themselves by having more friends to share their problems and gain advice from. Moreover, internet on the whole facilitates in enhancing existing relationships.
A latest additional feature of the Information Age is the E-Commerce. Internet can be used as a medium to do business as the products and customers are not limited to a certain location. E-Commerce can be subdivided into many categories. Firstly, it deals with Business to Business (B2B) which implies business between different organizations. To be more explicit lets look at a simple example of industries and the retailers where products manufactured by the industries can be purchased by retailers around the world. Secondly, it deals with Business to People (B2P) in which companies and the consumers are highly involved together. Business in malls and roadside shops would be done on the B2P strategy but the only difference would be that the purchasing audiences are spread worldwide and the store will be extremely mobile and accessible to everyone. When a purchasing decision is made and the product is bought through the internet, the delivery is done in various methods, Credit Cards, Cash on Delivery, Transfer of Money, from sites like pay pal who offer paying methods through them. In addition, to all this, these sites are secured and delivery charges vary from site to site. Thirdly, it deals with People to People (P2P) where the most common form is auctions. Auctioning Sites have different sellers selling their product and different buyers bidding to win the auction. Banking is a completely different section where by means of the internet various transactions can be completed and every single detail is the same as it would be in bank. A major advantage of this is that all these forms of businesses are secured, and constantly monitored from time to time for threats by professionals.
Internet is like a massive storehouse for valuable information which can be accessed and utilized by everyone around the globe. There is such a vast amount of information that there are different sites for different type of information. This can include sites for Medical information where doctors post their theories and facts related to their work and get feedback about it from a massive audience. Furthermore, these days, technology has improved hugely that operations can be done even when the specialist is not physically present but can demonstrate the critical operation through video conferencing. Besides, practically all scholarly journals are posted online and are accessible to everyone for use provided that they are credited. There are various government organizations which have separate government sites which provide information on their various rules and regulations. This is highly advantageous for everyone these days from the kids to the adults have access to the internet and this is the best way are keep oneself up to date about the government rules and regulations. Also, now-a-days there are exclusive sites as well for all the well known educational institutions around the world. Moreover, the latest news, music, sports and all other forms of entertainment are also taken care of and the updating of these sites are done quite frequently and that helps in people being up to date about their surroundings. There are different kinds of forums where people can pos their problems, comments, views , etc and get replies from other people as internet is a like a huge library where there are no walls or limitations of any kind and there are ample amount of information for everyone to access.
A major problem of the internet can be the threat of identity theft which includes Credit Card scams, where people can use someone else’s credit card to shop over the internet and this can be easily done by finding the details of the person and his credit card number and using it as your own and is because, people can use anonymous names taken advantage of the fact that they cannot be seen and no one can find out who is at the other end of the screen. Another negative aspect of internet can be the use of pornography as such sites contains a lot of adult material not suitable for children.
In conclusion, the positive and the negative aspects of the internet are like two sides of a coin. But in my view, after the toss, the positive side wins because nothing is perfect in this world. And when put to good use internet can be the answers to all our problems providing we keep a good check on ourselves. Lastly, world wide acceptance of the internet proves that the Information Age is widely accepted and people are ready to move into a better future which includes Artificial Intelligence.
References
Ahmed, F. & Capretz, L. F. 2006, ‘Managing the business of software product line: An empirical investigation of key business factors’, Information and Software Technology, [online], Available: ScienceDirect, [Accessed 6 October 2006].
Gates, B. 1995, The Road Ahead, Viking, New York.
Group C. 1999, Internet business advantage, [online], Vol. 2, No. 23. Available: Proquest, [Accessed 10 October 2006].
Hafner, K., & Markoff, J. 1995, Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier, Simon & Schuster, New York.
Joinson, A. N., 2003, Understanding the Psychology of Internet Behaviour, Palgrave Macmillan, Great Britain.
Kardasis, P & Loucopoulos, P. 2004, ‘Expressing and organising business rules’, Information and Software Technology, [online], Available: ScienceDirect, [Accessed 6 October 2006].
Mann, R. J. & Winn, J. K. 2005, Electronic Commerce [online], Available: UOW Library, [Accessed 7 October 2006].
Quinn, M. J. 2006, Ethics for Information Age, Greg Tobin, U.S.A.
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