ICT in Society: Applications, Ethics, Health and Safety, Emerging Technologies
ICT in society examines the effects of computers beyond the machine: applications in business, education, health and government, the ethical and legal questions they raise, health and safety at the workstation, and emerging technologies. Answers earn marks for balance - a benefit, a matching drawback and a safeguard - rather than lists.
Applications
E-commerce with online catalogues, payment and delivery; e-government services such as online tax filing and licence applications; telemedicine for remote consultation and image transfer; banking through ATMs, mobile money and clearing systems; education through virtual learning and computer-based testing; manufacturing with CAD for design and CAM and robotics for production; expert systems that apply rules to diagnose faults or advise on loans; and management information systems that summarise transaction data for decisions.
Ethics and law
Copyright protects software and media, so installing one licence on several machines or copying for a friend is piracy. Plagiarism presents others' work as your own. Data protection principles require personal data to be collected lawfully for a stated purpose, kept accurate and secure, and not shared without consent. Other issues: unauthorised access, workplace monitoring, the digital divide between connected and unconnected communities, and the environmental cost of e-waste.
Health and safety
Physical risks include repetitive strain injury from typing, back and neck pain from poor posture, eyestrain from long screen use, and electrical hazards from trailing cables or spilt liquids. Ergonomics answers these: adjustable chairs, screen at eye level, wrist rests, regular breaks, adequate lighting. Precautions also include surge protectors, no food or drink near equipment, and safe disposal of toner cartridges and old hardware.
Emerging technologies
Artificial intelligence and machine learning, the Internet of Things with embedded sensors, cloud computing delivering storage and services over the internet, blockchain as a distributed ledger, 5G mobile broadband, biometric authentication, virtual and augmented reality, and 3D printing.
Worked example
Evaluate telemedicine for a rural clinic. Benefit: patients avoid long journeys, so specialists can be consulted quickly and follow-up costs fall. Drawback: diagnosis depends on image quality and connection reliability, and confidential records travel over the network. Safeguard: encrypt transmissions, authenticate users, and keep a local doctor accountable for the final decision. That structure - benefit, limitation, safeguard - is what examiners reward.
Traps
Listing only advantages or only disadvantages when asked to discuss. Confusing unethical with illegal. Saying "it is faster" without stating what becomes faster. Recommending cloud computing without mentioning dependence on internet access and data security.