Session 5

This week’s lesson was on Information and communications technology (ICT). Being connected to the Internet we are able to access information from a wide source and are no longer limited to the area we live in. A globalised community is also formed due to ICT as each one of us has the ability to use this knowledge to innovate and bring impact to the world.

In the past, news/information is usually disseminated through the word of mouth. This resulted in a one way of communication (usually from the government to the public). With the rise in ICT, people are becoming more informed and aware of issues. Hence, they give feedback by providing their perspective of the issue through the various platforms namely, blogs, online forums and social media. Companies captialise on ICT to and advertise to raise awareness of their brand. It has been found that consumers rather trust online reviews of previous customers rather than the company’s website. Hence, the consumers are now getting more weight and are able to influence companies to create better products by giving feedback on existing products.

The ICT also led to a situation where people are bombarded by wide range information.  Thus, we have to discerning and critical of the information we read. Since literally anyone who has access to the Internet can post their views, we should read the information and judge for ourselves whether the information is true.

I still remember when I was in primary school; my family was still using dial-up connection. In those days, the internet was not really advanced hence, the websites only disseminates information but there was no outlet for a feedback. Then things started to change when the websites became more interactive.

Prof introduced us the new future of Internet which is called Web 3.0. It’s being dubbed as the internet of things and services. Web 3.0 can help to customise your personal needs. For example, before travelling, Web 3.0 would help plan and suggest an itinerary.

However, being able to obtain information so easily, this would have an impact on our privacy. Hackers are able to get important information about you through your computer or hand phones.  No doubt that there are many benefits that ICT has brought but the advancement of technology like the GPS system allows people to track your location hence invading your privacy.

Social networking is the main reason there is a growing number of people using the internet. Sites like facebook, twitter and instagram allows users to share what’s happening in their life and there also can be immediate response to these posts. It helps one to keep in touch with their friends and there will not be a drift in friendship. Moreover, from the video Prof showed us, these sites helps one to connect to a network of people that was initially “invisible” to them.

Crowd sourcing is where companies do not patent/copyright their ideas and instead allow members of the public (the whole world) to comment and help solve problems associated with the idea. This way, the final product would be good as people from different parts of the world are able to share their ideas and give different perspectives to the idea.

Gaming is also another part of ICT that has grown tremendously. Gaming has totally changed the ball game. It is used in areas for education, helping soldiers to deal with post-traumatic stress and also in the healthcare industry. Children have been proven to learn better when a game is played and they retain more information too. Story telling has also changed. With ICT, storytelling can be done in 3D on computers. Gaming is also to help soldiers with psychological stress sustained during wars.

One aspect of ICT I like was the creation of cloud computing. Instead of storing data into hard drives of computers, we store data into a cloud system. This allows one to be able to access this information whenever we go as long as there is an internet connection.

 However, the ICT has not been used fully to help alleviate poverty. There is still a wide digital divide. ICT could be a medium where education can be brought to people living in the third world countries. By developing literacy programmes, people in less developed countries can also receive quality education.

In the past, people are valued by what they do with their hands (craftsmanship) however, in today’s society people are valued when they use their brains to come up with innovative ideas.

The rise in ICT has resulted in automation of systems and there may be problems arising because of this. The problem of unemployment would occur for people who do not have the skills and knowledge as their jobs are increasingly being taken over by technology.

There are also potential risks that ICT brings. There may be espionage if companies/countries use captured data to gain strategic benefits for themselves. 

Key takeaways:

1.   ICT can help bring education to the less developed countries and more should be done to facilitate this process.

2.Each individual should be discerning about the information they come across the Internet.

Personal Rating: 9/10