Introduction to ICT and Its Impact

ICT Introduction

• ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology
• ICT comprises infrastructure and components enabling modern computing.
• ICT encompasses all devices, networking, applications, and systems facilitating digital interactions between individuals and organizations.

Uses of ICT in Daily Life

• ICT enhances communication, providing real-time interactions across distances.
• ICT creates job opportunities.
• ICT supports education through online learning and resources.
• ICT facilitates social interactions and relationships.

Impact of ICT on Society

• Positive Impacts:

  • Enhanced access to information
  • Easier access to education
  • New tools and opportunities
  • Improved communication
  • Increased security
  • Wider participation in societies globally
  • Facilitating 'impossible' experiments
  • Access to teaching materials globally
  • Creation of new and engaging jobs

• Negative Impacts:

  • Job losses due to automation
  • Reduced face-to-face interactions
  • Reduced physical activity
  • Costs associated with technology adoption and maintenance
  • Significant competition in the marketplace

Applications of ICT

• Business: Storing, managing accounts, personnel records, projects, inventory, creating presentations, reports, enabling communication internally and externally using various technologies like email.
• Education: Providing interactive exercises, remote learning, accessing educational information from e-books, monitoring student performance
• Healthcare: Controlling lab equipment, heart rate monitors, and blood pressure monitors, providing doctors access to information on drugs and disease information sharing with specialists.
• Retail and Trade: Enabling buying/selling products online, direct trading, advertising, local listings on social media.
• Government: Improving efficiency of services, storing information, promoting services, communicating internally and externally for administrative purposes
• Marketing: Precision marketing campaigns, website and promotional material creation, generating social media campaigns, direct communication with customers via email and online chat.
• Science: Research, information sharing among specialists (locally and internationally), launching, controlling, maintaining spacecraft and advanced technology.
• Publishing: Designing publications (hard copy and e-books), marketing, and tracking sales.
• Arts and Entertainment: Using ICT for drawings, graphic design, paintings, editing, copying, sending and printing photographs, and for creating and editing by writers, making, recording, editing and listening to music, capturing, editing, and watching videos, and playing games.
• Communication: Facilitating real-time communication, holding meetings with remote participants, interviewing without a film crew
• Banking and Finance: Checking account balances, transferring money, paying credit cards, accessing stock market information, trading stocks, and managing investments.
• Transportation: Increasingly automated systems with computers used for safety and navigation systems, highligting problems needing attention.
• Navigation: Computerized navigation, especially since computer technology has combined with GPS technology, easy pinpoint location.
• Working from Home: Working remotely, accessing data, communicating, sharing information without commuting to an office.
• Military: Training purposes, analyzing intelligence data, controlling smart technology (guided missiles, drones), tracking and destroying incoming missiles. Working with satellites for geospatial information analysis, targeting enemy forces
• Social and Romance: Many ways opened for socializing (e.g. chat in text or audio, social media, etc), connecting with others who have similar interests (online groups), blogging. Dating sites/apps for finding romance.
• Booking Vacations: Studying timetables, examining route options, and buying plane, train, or bus tickets. Exploring and booking accommodation through traditional hotels or new services like Airbnb.
• Security and Surveillance: Monitoring people and goods, making it harder for fraudulent entry to countries and gaining access to passenger airplanes.
• Weather Forecasting: Processing large amounts of meteorological information given the complexities and changing factors.
• Robotics: Expanding area of combining computers with science and engineering, producing machines to replace/assist humans in specific job tasks. (e.g., manufacturing cars).