Leuca Despina Florina

Computer Social Impact

Martin Luther King: Our technology is outstripping our spirituality

Abstract This paper reveals the significant social impact of computer on society. Also, in this paper is presented several characteristics of computer technology that may be at the center of the effects. It is intended that this list become a focal point around which the design of new technology can revolve, in order to anticipate the social consequences of a new product and mitigate any potential negative effects it may have on society.

Intro uction !"eryone #no$s that this is the age o% computer an "ast ma&ority o% people are using computer' De"elopment o% science an technology has irect e%%ect on our aily li%e as $ell as in our social li%e' Computer technology has ma e communication possible %rom one part o% the $orl to the other in secon s' (hey can see the transactions in one part o% the $orl $hile staying in the other part' Computer e"elopment is one o% the greatest scienti%ic achie"ements o% the )* th century' Computers are use in "arious %iel s as $ell as in teaching an learning' Some o% the ma&or computer application %iel s are liste belo$' +'An ai to management: (he computer can also be use as a management tool to assist in sol"ing business problems'

)',an#ing: ,ranches are e-uippe eposits. o"er ra%ts an interest charges'

$ith terminals gi"ing them an online

accounting %acility an enabling them to in%ormation as such things as current balances. /'In ustrial Application: In in ustry. pro uction may be planne . coor inate an controlle $ith the ai o% a computer' 0'!ngineering Design: Computer help in calculating that all the parts o% a propose esign are satis%actory an also assist in the esigning' 1'Meteorology: Data is recor e at i%%erent le"els o% atmosphere at i%%erent places. using remote sensors carrie on a satellite' 2'Air (ra"el: Small computers are installe as a part o% the plane3s e-uipment' 4'5oa (ra%%ic Control: Computers assist $ith the control o% tra%%ic lights' 6'(elephones: Computeri7e "olume o% calls "ery e%%iciently' 9'Me icine: Computers are $i ely use in hospitals %or such tas# as maintaining rugs. surgical e-uipments an linen. %or payroll an also %or chec#up an treatment o% iseases' Computer social impact Computers ha"e a great social impact' (he %ollo$ing -uestions $ill get an ans$er in this paper' : ;hy computers ha"e the impact they o on society' : ;hat are the characteristics that are the root o% this impact< : Are there %un amental i%%erences bet$een this technology an others that ha"e trans%orme our $orl in the past< (he intent o% e"eloping a list o% these characteristics is that it coul lea to a better un erstan ing o% the nature o% the social impact o% computers' In this $ay. it might be possible to e8amine a ne$ computer pro&ect at the time o% its esign =not. as is the usual case. a long time a%ter the pro&ect has been implemente an etermine its potential impacts as a social change agent' (he characteristics gi"en belo$ are not necessarily uni-ue to computer technology' ?o$e"er. in many instances computers ha"e create situations that $ere isseminate > to telephone e8changes han le an e"er increasing

pre"iously impossible to accomplish =such as space %light>. $ere essentially inconcei"able until the technology $as applie . or at least $ere "ery i%%icult to achie"e $ithout the ai o% computer technology' Furthermore. e"en though other technologies may ha"e ha impacts similar to computers in many $ays. computer technology has greatly ampli%ie +' @bi-uity It is perhaps stating the ob"ious that computers appear to be e"ery$here to ay' !"en $hen $e on3t encounter them irectly in their "arious %orms o% mo ern con"enience e"ices. such as igital $atches. micro$a"e o"ens. an the li#e. $e generate transactions that are processe "ia computers $ithout acti"ely oing anything: the utility companies are recor ing our usage. the phone company recor s incoming calls. our ans$ering machine might be recor ing a message $hile $e are oing something else. someone is per%orming a cre it chec# on us' )'Magni%ication Computers ten to$ar magni%ication in se"eral i%%erent $ays' First. the e8plosion o% the a"ailability o% in%ormation is ue in large part to the computer3s ability to generate. collect. an store an e"er increasing amount o% ra$ ata' Since the ability to create an collect ata is gro$ing e8ponentially. so too is the generation o% in%ormation that can be synthesi7e %rom this ata' Secon . the types o% negati"e impacts a single error can ha"e has gro$n enormously $ith computer technology' Finally. the number o% people irectly a%%ecte by a system error has also gro$n enormously. to $here a single so%t$are system literally can a%%ect millions irectly' /'Accessibility Access to in%ormation continues to increase at har to belie"e spee s' (o begin $ith. the "ast -uantities o% in%ormation a"ailable onAline =through. %or instance. the Internet> appears to be gro$ing e8ponentially' In a ition. $e no$ ha"e unprece ente accessibility to in%ormation an communications %rom nearly any$here $e happen to be' Be8t. in%ormation is a"ailable to an unprecen ente number o% people' Finally. the promises o% the Cin%ormation superhigh$ayC to open up ne$ lanes o% access. inclu ing their e%%ects to the point o% entirely o"ersha o$ing any pre"ious technology3s impact'

te8t. "oice. graphics. an "i eo increases the types o% in%ormation to $hich $e ha"e access to inclu e all me ia' 0' 5epro ucibility an Distributability (he ma&or concern o% the recor ing in ustry regar ing the intro uction o% igital au io tape =DA(> systems $as the ability to ma#e e8act technology $oul cause unprece ente uplicates o% igital material. in istinguishable %rom the original' (he concern. o% course. has been that DA( bootlegging o% recor ings. to the ob"ious etriment o% the recor ing in ustry. composers. an per%ormers' Clearly. any igital %ile can &ust as easily be uplicate ' Many in%ormation resources are a"ailable only in igital %orm. "ia. %or instance. the Internet' As more in%ormation is con"erte to igital %orm =e'g' "oice an "i eo>. the ability to uplicate an istribute such in%ormation increases enormously' In ee . there are some %orms o% publishing that can e8ist only $ithin the conte8t o% a computer system' (he concept o% hyperte8t an hyperme ia =inclu ing au io an "i eo>. the ability to create nonAlinear accessibility to in%ormation. $as concei"e out o% the ability to ran omly access in%ormation "ia computers' Its increasing success easily sho$s ho$ important in%ormation in a igital %orm has become alrea y' =O7. +990>' 1' Lac# o% Accountability It has become a popular complaint that it is getting more an more i%%icult to locate a human being $ho is $illing to accept responsibility %or an error ma e by a computeri7e system' ;hile it is tempting to blame such problems on incompetent employees. in truth the problem may be a poor user inter%ace. lac# o% training. or an error in the so%t$are. none o% $hich can be sol"e by those pro"i ing the %rontAline ser"ice' Another i%%iculty is %in ing someone $ho $ill. in ee . %i8 an error in an account' It is o%ten the case that ser"ice representati"es are reluctant to accept the responsibility %or ma#ing a necessary change' In a ition. it can o%ten be i%%icult to e"en %in a human being to eal $ith a problem' Detting lost in a "oiceAmail system has become a mo ern urban legen ' =Bissenbaum. +990>' 2'(emporality Computers ha"e se"eral e%%ects on time an the timeliness o% in%ormation' It seems that computer technology is to blame in large part %or the Cspee upC o% mo ern society A e"erything has to get one %aster. be there sooner. be a"ailable imme iately'

Another %orm o% temporality in computer systems is that in%ormation can be retaine o"er long perio s o% time. e"en $hen they appear to ha"e been estroye '(here is little reason that in%ormation shoul be entirely lost any more. e"en ue to acci ent' An it is reasonable to suspect that e"ery scrap o% in%ormation generate to ay $ill be a"ailable "irtually %ore"er' Another temporal shi%t %or $hich computers ha"e been responsible is that people $ho $or# together o not necessarily ha"e to o so at the same time' Finally. ser"ices an in%ormation are more %re-uently a"ailable on a )0Ahour basis' (his allo$s people to re-uest a ser"ice or see# in%ormation $hen it %its their sche ule. rather than $hen it %its the ser"ice pro"i er3s sche ule' 4'Spatiality Computers ha"e one more to shorten istances than any pre"ious technology. e"en the supersonic &et' It is possible to sen large amounts o% ata. messages. "i eo. etc' "irtually any$here in the $orl "ia net$or#s such as Internet' Long istance learning. using in%ormation atabases or "i eo %ee s o% courses "ia satellite. is a reality %or a gro$ing portion o% our mo ern society' ;e can no$ e"en be on the mo"e $hen $e tal# $ith someone on the phone. or recei"e a %a8' 6'Shi%ting o% 5elationshipsEChanges in Intercommunication Frotocols A One o% the more i%%icult characteristics to trac# is ho$ computer technology has change communication bet$een people an groups o% people' In particular. the use o% email has been sho$n to eliminate a lot o% the usual "isual an "erbal cues $e o%ten use in communicating $ith one another =$hich can be "ie$e as both an a "antage an as a isa "antage>' In a ition to remo"ing such cues. computerAme iate communications mas# attributes such as race. gen er. age. or physical isability. in a ition. perhaps. to the person3s social or management status $ithin an organi7ation' =Dru in. +990G Ferrole. +964>' 9'Illusion o% Frecision It is not i%%icult to ma#e many =perhaps e"en most> people $ho are not in the computer %iel belie"e that any numeric result generate by a computer is correct' (hose not $ell "erse in the har $are o% computers ha"e little un erstan ing o% the %act that numbers must be con"erte bac# an %orth bet$een ecimal an binary %orms. or that there is a limitation on the accuracy o% numbers ue to memory constraints' As a result.

they $illingly accept "alues generate by a computer as in%initely accurate' =Li%%ic#. +961>' Conclusion (he characteristics escribe abo"e are %actors in the social impact o% computer technology' For most there is at least anec otal e"i ence o% their e8istence =$ith seemingly countless e8amples>' For some. there is also e8perimental e"i ence' It has %inally become $i ely accepte that technology is not "alue neutral. as originally thought' ,y e8amining this list an using it as a set o% lan mar#s %or e"aluating ne$ systems. it may be possible to better anticipate the social impact o% ne$ systems. prior to their issemination' Ferhaps this $ill help achie"e the e"elopment o% $hat some ha"e calle a Social Impact Statement. $hich is inten e to be analagous to the !n"ironmental Impact Statements =Scheni erman. +99*G ?u%% an Computers absolutely completely change Finholt. +990> re-uire an by the !n"ironmental Frotection Agency prior to most buil ing pro&ects' the $orl it #eeps changing' !"eryone $as an is impacte by this remar#able e"ice'

5e%erences +' Dru in. H' =+990>' Droup$are an Social Dynamics: !ither Challenges %or De"elopers' Communications o% the ACM' /4=+>:9)A+*1' )' ?u%%. C' I (' Finholt =+990>' Social Issues in Computing' Be$ Jor#: McDra$A ?ill' /' Li%%ic#. ,' =+961>' So%t$are De"eloper3s Sourceboo#' 5ea ing. MA: A ;esley' 0' Bissenbaum. H' =+990>' Computing an Accountability' Communications o% the ACM' /4=+>:4)A6*' 1' O7. !' =+990>' !thics %or the Computer Age' Be$ Jor#: ;m' C' ,ro$n Communications' 2' Ferrole. H' =+964>' Computer an Social Change' ,elmont. CA: ;a s$orth Fublishing' isonA

4' Schnei erman. ,' =+99*>' ?uman Kalues an the Future o% (echnology: A Declaration o% !mpo$erment' Computers an Society. )*=/>. +A2' 6' 5osenberg. 5ichar ' CChapter +*: !mployment an @nemployment. (he Social Impact o% Computing' Aca emic Fress. ,oston. MA. +99)' 9' Ayo. C. K' =+990>' Computer literacy: Operations an appreciation' !gbe: Alanu#itan Fress +*' ;alton. D' =+960>' ,lob =Computer Frogram>: Applie system #no$le ge =ASK>' Lon on: @n$in Lt ++' http:EEcs'millers"ille'e uE +)' http:EEtech'aa#arpost'comE +/' http:EEcomputerimpact'tripo 'comE