Impact of Computer Technology Essay

Man is no longer living in the Age of the Machine, but in the Technological Revolution. He is no longer replaced by machines, but by micro chips built together to form what we call a computer. As a creation of man, it was made to add convenience to his life. However, in the current situation of rising people and industries, a computer became more than a gadget, it also became a necessity to his life and future. The name computer is actually given to a person. According to the website Computer Science Lab, these people are those who do nothing except do calculations for tables, charts and planetary grids. These group of people, predominantly a set of women, were then replaced by an electronic contraption. They complained that to compute on a daily basis was completely boring, and the found the need to completely change that. So inventors took around a century to create something that will take over their task. Since then, it has evolved to a portable gadget for a person’s utmost convenience. Computers today continue to update itself. Softwares and hardwares were made to accomplish simple computations to running complex businesses. In this day and age, computers and internet access can already be considered as part of man’s basic needs. Part of his survival is to remain in the competition, and the possibilities are high for his miserable failure if he doesn’t fight with a computer at hand. Since the recent rise of this Technological Era, changes have become evident. With this, the ethical, social and economic impact of computers are to be highlighted in this essay. These are the aspects of daily living man should never fail to consider. Because change is the only thing constant, there is a need to remind man of these changes, in case he missed it when it passed by. Ethical Impact With the rise of computers, along with it are ethical issues. To define, the website History of Computing noted that Computer Ethics is actually a branch of philosophy aimed to study the overall impact of computers in man’s life. It involves social rights, professional issues and legal issues, as it affects both an individual and an entire business. The primary issue this aspect of computer technology questions is how it shall be used. The outbreak of computers allowed individuals and businesses to do more actions than necessary. As mentioned by a website Research Center on Computing and Society, there was a void in the policies regarding computer technology. Moreover, these policies were merely to fill that void. Its importance lie on how man’s actions are guided by these policies. These failed to completely absolve the many ethical dilemmas related to it. For one thing, computers have become more than a tool. It has become a complete access pass to a person’s private life. With a click, a person’s life can be relayed in a screen like an ebook. It has become an avenue to hack another account, and in turn, another person’s life. Computers allowed a person’s privacy an issue of a public. Hacking, as mentioned by Ecommerce, also involves online theft in company websites and credit cards. These, so far, are the only evident cases of misusing computer technology. A silent agreement on what computer behavior should be like exists, but the concern is until when it is able to hinder seemingly criminal activities. It is further important to consider the ethical impacts of computer technology. Today, almost every individual across the globe is connected by a unit each. This expanse allows even a wider opportunity for hackers to simply connect to another unit and browse without its owner even knowing of the incident. More recently, connections are even at a greater speed. It is no longer questioning possibility. Ecommerce mentioned that the pace of which these computers are updated are too fast for ethical norms to catch up. Social Impact In the recent past, people who lived in little village migrated to the city to find jobs, According to Passion Computing, they left their lands to find better opportunities for them. It can be said that a population transferred to the city to grasp those opportunities. This brought about the break of family units and dependency on the trade industry. However, as earlier mentioned, with just a computer, they are connected to an even wider array of opportunities for them to experience. Also, computers have become the cause of today’s fast paced time line. Every thing had to be done immediately. Time became more precious in the production and progress of individuals and companies. Millersville University characterized this feature as temporality. The same article also mentioned that because of the existence of this technology, two people are able to work efficiently even if they work at different times from different places. Digital connections made working easier, but it can also withdraw people from reality. The changes are actually quite clear. Many can work from their homes and earn even more than those who traveled to test their fates. However, there is also the downfall effect on individuals and businesses. One of these was expressed in the aforementioned website. The article noted that computers gave rise to the alienation of certain individuals. Since connecting to other people, and other business transactions, can be made online, people tend to spend a better portion of their day in front of a computer. Moreover, there are a lot of jobs online that does not require one to have a specialization to earn as much as they can. This hinders a person from growing further with the knowledge he could have gained in school. In a way, computers limit a person from becoming the best he could be. Furthermore, computers are a means of access to a wide array of information. The article from Passion Computing wrote that family ties became vulnerable to divorce, and teenagers to suicide. The more information people are getting, the more likely are they to consider these as possibilities on how they should live their lives. Suggestive information can be more than tempting. Economic Impact According to Creative Computing, it is without that a doubt that computers will have a permanent mark on the changes the people will experience through time. All classes, genders and colors are affected by its advancement. Much like how older generations have been drastically changed by the Industrial Revolution, the generations of today are those who are most influenced by the Technological Revolution. However, the same article highlighted that the latter revolution have a greater effect on the poor. Although it was established that people received quite a number of benefits from this age of computers, one cannot neglect the fact that to have these benefits, they should be able to purchase one first. In the US is an ongoing campaign about promoting computer literacy to each individual. Unfortunately, one unit alone can be very costly. One must not fail to consider that the basic necessities of a person are given top priority. But, as earlier mentioned, in this era, to have a computer is practically a necessity as well. According to the website National Center for Policy Analysis, Economists are still uncertain about the relation of technological updates and the growth of the national economy. Robert Solow, an economist, mentioned in the article that computers are everywhere except in the statistics. Furthermore, in the year 1994, it was found through a study that computers have a very small overall impact. In more recent studies, on the other hand, it was found that computers had a strikingly greater contribution since that study. In comparison to other studies, a steady rise in economy can be observed along with the ascent of the computer age. Conclusion In conclusion, man is currently in the Technological Revolution, wherein his life is most likely driven by the advancements of computers. As such, man’s life has changed and his views about living were altered. There were ethical, social and economic changes since the birth of the computer age. Its impact on the life and survival of man is undeniably clear. However, since this is also the age when everything seemed to be at a faster pace, it would not have been unusual for one to have missed it. The lifestyle of a person changed drastically if compared to a counterpart in the industrial revolution. One of the sources mentioned above emphasized that the age of computers will have a lasting effect on the people who use it. Perhaps, the reason behind this claim is that the Technological Revolution is at a fairly young age, and that it might mark the beginning of a greater revolution one can only imagine. The possibilities must not be closed, as the changes will never stop from occurring. However, with these constant changes, policies and norms should be able to follow its flow. Otherwise, there would be a far greater dilemma to deliberate.