The Positive Impacts Of Information And Technology In Society

IT and SOCIETY

To understand the role of information and technology in society we must first define the term IT. Information and technology (IT) is technology used to store, manipulate, distribute or create information. In terms of society, most people would agree society is defined by location, culture, language or political system.

Looking back over the last fifty years’ information and technology has changed drastically and is now a prominent figure in our day to day life. The ease in which we can now communicate and accomplish tasks has increased our dependency on technology drastically. Fifty years ago, before the creation of the internet we had what we call Arpanet (advanced research projects agency) which was a wide area network that

2014) “Looking back for a moment, what is the web we celebrate this year? It is not the wires connecting our computers, tablets and televisions. Rather, it is the largest repository for information and knowledge the world has yet seen, and our most powerful communications tool”

Positive impact of technology

The major effects of IT on individuals is the access to information and services that has accompanied the growth of the internet. The internet has changed the way we now communicate on a global scale, it has reached an extent where only a few people cannot be reached.

(Schmidt, Eric. 2013) “We’re going, in a single lifetime, from a small elite having access to information to essentially everyone in the world having access to all of the world’s information. That has huge implications for privacy, communications, security, the way people behave, the way information is spread, censorship, how governments behave, and so forth.”

The creation of programs has taken away human errors that could occur if things were done manually. As a society, IT has had a major impact on a governments intelligence agencies, it has enabled them to obtain added security and access to sensitive material. Politically they are now able to communicate with officials all over the

2017) “By using technology ranging from modified joypads to eye-control, we're finding a way for people to play to the very best of their abilities. But we're not just doing it for fun. By levelling the playing field, we're bringing families and friends together and having a profoundly positive impact on therapy, confidence and rehabilitation”

Healthcare facilities are now using social media to establish contact with patients, answer health questions, raise public awareness and reach a wider population. Nurses and doctors can now use computers to record a patient’s medical history and check that they are providing the correct treatment. Patients have easier access to their own information so they too can understand what treatment is being provided. More people are using the internet to research their medical symptoms and explore treatment options which empowers a patient to make decisions.

(Accenture.com. 2015) “The healthcare IT leaders of today are doing more than just talking a good digital game. They are fundamentally changing the way technology is used for care delivery. Healthcare consumers, providers and payers are embracing the transformational power of technology, and it’s paying off in unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness across the care