Transcript The Impact of Communication Technology

The Impact of
Communication
Technology
Part 1
Political and Social
Technology Assessment
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To assess something means to
evaluate it.
When you study the effect of a new
technological device, you are doing
technology assessment.
Because technological change can
have a major impact on our society,
the U.S. government has established
the Office of Technology Assessment.
Categories of Impact
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Six categories that relate to
communication technology:
• Political
• Social
• Economic
• Environmental
• Cultural
• Ethical
Political Impact
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If a technology has political effects, the
effects relate to government.
The mass media (television, radio,
newspapers, magazines, and books)
have a real impact on our political
system.
Politicians have “media advisors” to
make them look and sound good in the
media.
Political Impact - continued
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The media can influence the political
process. For example, candidates in
elections have dropped out overnight
after reports that appeared in the
media.
Popularity of candidates go up and
down depending on their media
image.
……Political
continued
(Satellite Communication)
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Today, communication satellites allow
us to send messages around the world
instantly.
Officials in our government routinely
telephone officials in other
governments.These calls travel via
satellite.
Political continued
(Satellite Communication)
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Television signals sent by satellite bring us
news from other countries even while it is
happening.
Such rapid flow of information affects how
governments relate to one another.
Communication satellites are also used to
spy on other countries. Mapping satellites
photograph areas being watched for
defense purposes.
Social Impact
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How people live together has been
deeply influenced by communication
technology.
The effects range from the power
government has over us to the way
we spend leisure time.
Social Impact – Government
Tracking
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Government computers keep track of us
by our social insurance number. This
number is used in connection with
drivers licenses, bank accounts, income
taxes and so forth.
When we spend money, we leave a trail
that may be followed. If we use a credit
card or write a cheque, the credit card
company or bank keeps a computer
record of how much money we spent.
Social Impact – Government
Tracking
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When all this information is
combined, it provides an economic
profile of a person. This profile is
known as a credit rating.
When we ask to borrow money from
a bank, the bank checks this credit
rating to see if we are a “good risk”.
Social Impact – Education
and Training
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Microcomputers made their way
into classrooms in the 1980’s.
Teachers use computers to help
them deliver curriculum.
Educational video tapes have
become a useful aid for many
teachers.
Social Impact – Education and Training
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Industry has also made good use of
technology when training their employees.
Interactive video can help train people
such as pilots. They learn to fly planes by
using a flight simulator.
Teachers will never be replaced by
technology, but their time may be freed up
so that they can give more individual
attention to each student.
Social Impact – Information Storage and
Retrieval
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For the past five centuries, all important
information was stored in written or printed
documents.
These documents, usually books and
magazines, were kept in libraries.
Libraries are beginning to store information in
other ways such as Optical disks.
Optical disks can store large amounts of data.
For example, an entire encyclopedia can fit on
one fifth of an optical disk.
Using a computer, you can instantly locate the
information you want in the encyclopedia.
Social Impact - Information Storage and
Retrieval
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More importantly, you do not need to
travel to the library to get the
information.
Some computer data can now be sent
over telephone lines and you can access
it from your home using a home
computer.
The same might be done for a catalog
with items for sale. You select the item
you want to buy and the system
automatically withdraws the amount
from your bank account and ships the
purchase to you.
Information Storage and Retrieval
What will be the effect on society?
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Retrieving information in this way will
make it easier for researchers to gather
information.
On the other side of the coin, there will be
far more information available to the
average person.
We will have to become more selective
about what we choose to read or view.
Otherwise, we will suffer from
“information overload”.
Social Impact – Leisure Time
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What did people do with their spare time
before television.
We read books, listened to the radio,
talked to families and friends, and
entertained ourselves with hobbies.
Now, TV and computers have become the
ways many people entertain themselves.
People do not go visiting as often as they
did years ago.