What Is the Role of Information Technology?
Strictly speaking, Information Technology (IT) has been influencing society for thousands of years. Smoke signals, the abacus, writing, paper, pens and the printing press were all once considered the forefront of IT because those technologies were the latest and greatest in communication.
But today it is widely accepted that the forefront of IT lies in digital communications. As with all historical Information Technology developments, digital communication technology is revolutionary in terms of society, business, defence and culture.
But what is it about digital communications that sets it apart from all other previous technological advances? What is the role that this technology can play in modern society?
Firstly, IT acts as a facilitator. It is a medium that permits large volumes of information to be stored, processed or transferred at lightning speed. This means that there is more information at hand to make decisions, maintain relationships, monitor markets or follow movements.
The power of this notion should not be underestimated, it allows people to make decisions based on masses of up to date information. The military, educational institutions and large business have long understood the power of this notion but it has only been in the last ten years that mainstream society has also embraced the power of information for both social movements and small business. Read the rest of this entry »
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The Importance of High-Tech and Internet Know-How
The world around us is changing rapidly at a faster rate. High-technological advances and the internet seem to be the centre of attraction today driving us toward globalization. Millions of people from different corners of the world worship high-tech slick gadgets and spend much of their time on the internet. Simply put, the main reason people will look obsolete in tomorrow’s world is because they have spent years and learned nothing about the basic use of some of these high-tech gadgets and the internet.
Over the past decade, companies, universities, and organizations around the globe have invested heavily in acquiring high-tech gadgets and equipments, adding everything from desktop computers, to security tracking devices, to blu-ray DVD players, and laptop connections. Most have also taken their businesses online, no wonder why the internet business world is getting flooded daily.
In his book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki said: “Land was wealth 300 years ago. So the person who owned the land owned the wealth. Then, it was factories and production, and America rose to dominance. The industrialist owned the wealth. Today, it is information. And the person who has the most timely information owns the wealth.” But if I may ask, “Where else can one get the timeliest information even from the strangest part of the world? It is on the internet, of course. The internet is a place where information flies around the world at the speed of light, and is has now become the mainstream of global information. Most people now turn to the internet first whenever they seek to find key information. From my personal opinion, students that have the privilege to get on the internet have a distinct advantage over the students who are less fortunate.
Many of today’s youth, most especially in the developing countries, have never had a course on how to use a computer, or any of today’s high-tech gadgets, let alone understand how to use the internet. But they do not know that without computer literacy and a little knowledge of the internet, they might not be prepared to face the world that awaits them – a world in which timely information is wealth. Read the rest of this entry »
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Technology Acceleration
Technology is a GOOD THING. Well, most of the time it is.
I’m sure you’ve seen articles bemoaning the NEGATIVE role that technology advancement has played in our lives. I have recently joined the ranks of those doing the bemoaning.
Gadgets are Great
Don’t get me wrong–I’m a tech guy through and through. I’ve chosen to work in the technology industry for 20 years, and I love gadgets as well as the next guy. I’ve got TIVO, a laptop, a cell phone, Wi-Fi, all the standard Hi-Tech fare. I’m an email fanatic. With great anticipation I’m eyeing Home Theater equipment; just waiting for prices to drop a little more and for standards to settle a bit. I love many of the things that technology does to enrich our personal lives, and embrace the productivity improvements that it brings to doing business. And I believe that those who create new technologies and products ALMOST ALWAYS have good intentions, from a societal perspective.
The Law of Unintended Consequences
But I also believe that the law of unintended consequences is alive and thriving in the technology marketplace. In creating products and services that didn’t previously exist in our world, the good is sometimes offset (and occasionally overwhelmed) by effects on the negative side of the ledger.
Take automobiles, for example. Certainly cars are no longer an example of new technology. But at the turn of the century, they represented one of the greatest leaps forward in technology, and have had wide-ranging, positive societal effects. Autos provided a completely different level of personal mobility, with too many positive effects on our daily lives to list. For businesses, the enhanced business productivity was so enormous that it not only lowered costs, but also allowed totally new businesses to be conceived. Autos and the internal combustion engine that enabled them are truly among the great inventions of all time. Read the rest of this entry »
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