An Outline OF the Disadvantages and Advantages of Using Communications and Information Technology “ICT has become an integral and accepted part of everyday life for many people. ICT is increasing in importance in people’s lives and it is expected that this trend will continue, to the extent that ICT literacy will become a functional requirement for people’s work, social, and personal lives”(NCCA,2008) Communication technology has made communication a lot more efficient in today’s society. A range of technologies is used for gathering, storing, retrieving, processing, analysing, and transmitting information. This includes computers, mobile phones, the internet etc. Applegate(2013) states that “The true cost of technology to communicate when you compare it with much slower means of communication such as mail delivery is relatively low.” It pays to communicate with technology rather than depending on slower means such as mail delivery. Even though it isn’t very expensive to post a letter, the actual cost in perhaps misplaced letters, loss of time etc., is worth considering in the long run. However, there is a huge lack of interpersonal skills and face to face communication.
When you text or email, there is no vocal tone and you can’t see facial expressions. As such, it is very easy to misread a message that might be intended to be sarcastic or maybe not understand the importance of it. This can lead to major misunderstandings. It can also lead to laziness, for example, instead of walking over to someone in the same room as you to strike up a conversation you would send an instant message via Facebook or text. According to Bergsma(1999-2013), “Technology has advanced to the point that a computer can do some jobs faster and more accurately than we can”. Technology is now the forefront of the modern world creating new jobs, innovations and networking sites to allow individuals to connect globally. “While information technology created jobs, it has also caused lack of job security in creating”.
Bergsma(1999-2013). Because we use technology a lot in the workplace and it’s constantly changing and updating, some people may struggle to use it and therefore not avail of jobs. In relation to jobs some social media sites may have put some jobs in jeopardy from being on exposed on social media sites like Facebook or twitter due to privacy settings. Some people should be worried about their privacy through communication technology because of hacking or phone signal interception, etc. “Information and Communications Technology has become an integral and accepted part of everyday life for many people.” Duhaney(2001). Technology is increasing in importance in people’s lives and it is expected that this trend will continue, to the extent that it will become a functional requirement for people’s work, social, and personal lives. However it has its negative affects also which contribute to a decreasing in social relations, unemployment, laziness and privacy.
