The Impact of Technology on Society

Running head : Technology Impact

Impact of Technology on Society

November 8 , 2007 Introduction

Every new technology has had its impact on society . The wheel gave mobility , facilitated trade and commerce and increased the area of activity of human beings leading to cultural interactions and assimilation , sharing of knowledge and ultimately to the gradual evolution of society . The steam engine , patented by James Watt in 1769 had a profound impact on society . It resulted in an unprecedented growth of the British economy . In many ways , steam is considered to have driven

br the British Empire to the zenith of its power and the world towards the Industrial Revolution which transformed society from its medieval to its modern structure . Technological advances are directly proportional to economic prosperity and increase in the comfort level of the way of life of people . Improvement in medical technologies results in the increase in the average life spans of people and reduction in infant and child mortality rates . Every technological innovation does not only bring economic prosperity and convenience in the life of people , but also ushers in huge changes in the operation of society itself

In recent times Information and Communication Technology (ICT ) has transformed society as never before . ICT is an all-pervasive scientific field that has revolutionized the way people live , the way they work and even the way they relax , play and have fun . ICT has pervaded all walks of life and work . ICT has , in fact , become an integral and indispensable part of life . The computer and communication technology , the coming of the digital age , has put life on the fast track , cutting down on process time , bringing in greater efficiency and assuring higher reliability ICT has cut across social and economic barriers to reach its benefits to the poorest of the poor and the most backward and underdeveloped . In less than a quarter of a century , ICT has changed the world for the better . There can be no doubt that ICT is the single most important technology field in the world today

This seeks to examine the impact of technology on society taking Information and Communication Technology (ICT ) as a relevant and prime example of a society-transforming technology in the modern world

ICT is derived from the original term Information Technology (IT ) which is defined by the Information Technology Association of America as

The study , design , development , implementation , support or management of computer-based information systems , particularly software applications and computer hardware . In short , IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert , store , protect process , transmit and retrieve information , securely (Wikipedia

Information Technology was therefore computer and communication technologies put together . The term `Communication Technology ' here refers to communication achieved through computers either in the form of Local Area Networks (LAN , Wide Area Networks (WAN ) or through computer-based satellite-communication networks

As IT found wider applicability and scope , and as more and more analogue signals began to be converted to digital , a whole new range of common gadgets of...