Creating Awareness In Information Technology
In the last couple of decades, the field of Information Technology (IT) has developed at such a fast pace that almost all aspects of our society depend on it. IT has not only increased regarding quantity and quality, but also in penetration, diversity, and reach. Its importance in our daily lives is undeniable because it guarantees safety, comfort, and peace to human beings while also improving communication. However, the seamless nature with which information technology integrates into our lives has increased our dependence thereby enslaving us. Similarly, the latest developments are proving to be more destructive rather than constructive as criminals use technology to mask their identity and commit a crime. Therefore, this paper addresses the urgent need for governments, corporations, and other stakeholders to create awareness into recent developments in information technology and its impact.
The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) defines information technology as, "the study, design, development, implementation, support, or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware". As a science of handling information, IT supports the transfer of knowledge in socio-economic and technical fields. Therefore, it integrates information, communication, and computing technologies, and as a result, changes the manner in which the society learns, works, and lives. Currently, information technology has grown in size and diversity thereby including facets of computing and technology. As a result, IT covers many fields such as computer science, engineering, and telecommunications. Further, professionals in the IT industry perform duties that include data management, networking, designing computer networks, engineering computer hardware, software design, and managing entire computer systems. The fields that IT covers and the duties performed by professionals continue to increase due to the increasing globalization of IT. Governments and companies play an integral role in improving the adoption and integration of technology in the society.
Benefits of Information Technology
Information technology continues to empower individuals by offering them unparalleled access to information that is integral to providing education, information on business performance, access to markets, as well as influencing social interactions. Further, it improves productivity in the workplace thereby stimulating economic growth and prosperity in countries. In developing nations, IT plays a significant role in reducing poverty and improving the living standards by empowering people through education and by creating new employment opportunities. Therefore, as the global economy faces many challenges such as fluctuating oil prices and the effects of the 2008 economic crisis, information technology can play a critical role of stimulating financial performance and sustaining competitiveness in the long term.
Similarly, information technology improves government efficiency, encourages transparency, and better service delivery to its citizens. An example of a remarkable technology that has transformed the lives of people is the telephone. In the last decade or so, technology improvements have increased the number of mobile phones available to consumers thereby creating a social and economic impact. It has reduced poverty levels in developing nations as people can use it to share information, transfer money, and improve crop yield by monitoring weather patterns. These are some of the benefits of information technology to the individual and society.
Shortcomings of Information Technology
However, advancement in information technology has also come with its fair share of challenges. The integration of technology in day-to-day activities has increased human beings' level of dependence on technology. From mobile phones to the internet, human activity is increasingly dependent on technology, and as such, any disruption to this technology would have devastating consequences to the individual and society. The destructive nature of technology can prove to have far-reaching consequences to human beings. Nowadays, terrorists use high-tech devices to wage cyber warfare on independent nations, companies, and individuals. The cyber warfare takes place through disinformation and cyber-attacks. Cybercriminals use computers and the internet to spread hate, fear, disinformation, or attack critical computer networks or systems like power grids with the goal of destabilizing governments and societies. Through hacking, the attackers can disrupt or shut down critical infrastructures such as nuclear plants, power grids, hospitals, and government functions thereby creating panic, confusion, and substantial economic losses. On the other hand, disinformation creates hate, mistrust, and racial tension within the society leading to division and fighting among people.
Another potential consequence of overusing information technology is anxiety and depression. Excessive use of mobile devices, playing computer games, and watching television leads to anxiety and depression, and in certain instances, mental health problems. These health challenges are due to some influences. For example, the increase in the amount of news and information on digital devices may increase an individual's obsession with digital interaction or detachment to the real world. These feelings deprive the affected individual's real-life relationships leading to anxiety and depression.
Impatience is due to too much use of information technology. When expecting communication from an individual or corporation, nervousness may kick in especially if the recipient has twenty-four-hour access to the internet or other social messaging platforms. Similarly, having access to articles on any subject or issue reduces tolerance towards anything that takes time to learn. The impatience affects relationships since it becomes difficult to understand and appreciate challenges.
Overdependence on technology also causes technology addiction. The dependence may become too extreme such that an affected individual goes through severe anxiety when they fail to access technology. For example, the habit may be towards social media, pornography, gaming, and other technology-related issues. Therefore, the failure to obtain any information that one is addicted to may lead to withdrawal symptoms that may affect social interaction and behavior. Finally, using technology such as smartphones frequently to substitute or improve a skill may negatively affect our ability to access the capability. For instance, using calculators to perform simple mathematical calculations may limit an individual's ability to perform mental sums in a fast manner. Similarly, using smartphones to access maps for navigating from one location to another may restrict a person's ability to read maps or navigate without the help of a GPS device. As discussed above, technological dependence is having a negative impact on our society. However, recent developments in information technology pose significant threats to the society.
Recent Advances in Information Technology
Technology never stagnates but rather, it continues to evolve with the goal of meeting future demands. Some of the latest emerging trends in information technology are cloud computing, mobile applications, user interfaces, analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and augmented reality. Cloud computing is a concept of information technology, and it refers to the use of computer services, software, and hardware, as a service over the internet. It offers three types of services, that is, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS). It is important as it reduces a company's IT infrastructure cost, it provides a virtual platform for storing organizational data, and facilitates maintenance and installation services since computers do not require individual installation or maintenance. Mobile applications are an emerging trend in IT, and they run in smartphones or tablets. They are available in mobile operating systems free of charge while others at a cost. Their use has increased in the last couple of years due to the growing use of smartphones. They serve diverse roles like messaging, to manage health, fitness, and lifestyle, public health surveillance, and professional education. However, the growing demand for efficient applications has increased the popularity of mobile app development. Therefore, some independent and freelance developers are creating more apps to tap into the increasing market for applications. In-app advertising and purchasing will continue to grow as smartphone users continue to use mobile apps to perform day-to-day activities. Therefore, marketing companies will collaborate with app developers to create integrated advertisements that do not obstruct the functioning of a mobile application. Finally, new generation mobile games that have multiplayer and contain high-security features are going to emerge soon.
User interfaces refer to the manner in which users interact with applications, and it is a new trend in IT due to the rise in popularity in mobile technology or touch screens. Touch screens have improved consumer experience as they allow users to interact with the displayed text. The designs are responsive while they have a seamless interface and soothing colors. These trends help to improve the ease of use of user interfaces thereby improving a consumer's experience.
Analytics is a recent IT advancement, and it refers to the process of discovering the informational patterns of data. It is important as it is a tool for supporting the decision-making process since it converts raw data into significant information. The method of extracting raw data seeks to provide future solutions to businesses, and as a result, companies resort to predictive and prescriptive analytics for professional guidance. Predictive analytics is the process of mining information from data sets with the primary aim of forecasting future trends. It is part of data mining, and companies are using the data to predict future trends; hence, using this information to inform business decisions.
On the other hand, prescriptive analytics scrutinizes data to ascertain the decisions to take and the steps required to actualize the intended goals. The techniques used to realize this process include simulation, neural networks, machine learning, and graph analysis. Therefore, information technology provides businesses with methods and software that assess the effect of future decisions, and as such, adjust the decisions before implementation.
Another example of the advancement in IT is Artificial Intelligence. AI refers to the creation of intelligent machines that work and imitate human actions. It falls under computer science where a device thinks and mimics human behavior. Some of the computers that use AI include speech recognition software, learning, problem-solving, and planning. The overall goal of AI is to benefit the society by coming up with technology that will solve societal problems. Some of the industries that will benefit from AI include production and manufacturing, medicine, and criminal justice. AI developers are creating robots and incorporate the latest software with the hope of improving their intelligence such that they hand tasks like object manipulation, mapping, motion planning, solving mathematical problems, and working in the justice department to identify criminals. As information technology develops and becomes more sophisticated, the more AI improves and performs tasks that require a high level of intelligence. It is increasingly becoming clear that soon, AI technologies will replace human labor due to improvements in the programming techniques.
IoT is a system of interconnected computing devices that use the internet to collect and share data. It installs network sensors in physical devices thereby enabling remote monitoring and control. The technology is prevalent industries such as banking, retail, healthcare, and consumer goods. The number of things connected to the internet continues to increase, and the interconnectedness is important as it increases innovation in business. Presently, the integration of connected home devices continues to rise, and as a result, our daily activities have become integrated into a single system. It allows users to use a computer device connected to the internet to monitor their businesses, homes, and any other task that they should perform.
Finally, augmented reality (AR) is another development in information technology, and it refers to an interactive experience in the real-word where technology superimposes images generated by a computer to resemble the real world. Augmented reality has a positive future as marketing companies will be able to position products in spaces or locations and make them seem as if they were there. Although marketers use AR from a brand perspective, the future shows that it will help companies to offer services to consumers, and solve problems. For instance, IKEA allows its consumers to see how furniture would appear in homes. These developments show how AR will continue to improve and grow soon.
These advancements in information technology push the boundaries of what technology does by offering new functions and solutions to existing problems. The above discussion highlights recent developments in information technology and their influence on our society. From businesses to individual decisions, advancement in information technology continues to have an impact on our lives. The goal and intention of these developments is to simplify human labor by coming up with technological innovation that provides a wide range of solutions to problems that human beings face. However, certain people use some of the technological advancement to engage in criminal activity. It is therefore important for consumers and other stakeholders to arrest the threat of exploitation of technology advancement for their illegal activities.
In conclusion, the above are some of the recent advancement in information technology, their importance, and disadvantages. As human beings exploit their ingenuity, technological progress will improve due to the innovation and improvement of existing technology. Therefore, developments in technology will continue to increase as human beings seek to create inventions that make work easier.
