The Effects of the IT Revolution on Society
Page of Contents
Contents……………………………………………..2
Introduction………………………………………..3
Politics…………………………………………………3
Business………………………………………………4
Healthcare…………………………………………..5
Sharing & Privacy…………………………………6
Conclusion…………………………………………..7
References…………………………………………..8
The Effects of the IT Revolution on Society
Introduction
There are mixed feelings from most people about the ever-creeping influence of technology in our lives. In this document I will try to portray these, often contrasting, points of view. From the infectiously impressing, to the more dark and Luddite points of view. If anything can be said about this Revolution, it is certainly not going to be trivial or boring.
Politics
"What has Trump tweeted today?" https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/trump-twitter-live-updates-tweets-latest-us-president-meaning-explained-a8310501.html
Below the political divides and debates, there is an even more important change, at a deeper level. No longer can people simply be made to feel okay again, no longer can a political position be owned by any individual without it being subjected to the harshest and swiftest kind of cutting criticism. We can tell the world what we think, but at the risk of what would be easily viewed as some form of a digital execution.
Political secrets appear to be a thing of the past. On the one hand, this seems to be a good thing. But with each political secret uncovered, it seems to be followed by an increase in political, social, and interpersonal chaos.
It could be said, however, that the increase in openness in politics, and the definite concern by politicians that they may be exposed, is like a breath of fresh country air after a long day in the city; the electorate should surely know the character their representatives as best as possible.
Businesses
“Some experiments have even found that basic income increases entrepreneurship, which would ultimately lead to more employment down the road“
It is hard to say whether the current chaos in the world of smaller, and high-street businesses, is due to a sort of “growing pains” that will eventually dissipate, or if this will go on forever; as a sort of new-normal.
With big businesses able to easily afford to keep up with technological advancements, and small businesses struggling to keep up, it is hard to feel anything but worry about this change.
Things would never have been as competitive if the IT Revolution never came to pass. It would make sense for people to think thoughts such as, ”surely the lower prices caused by this can’t be anything but good for any individual”. The lower prices really are, very noticeably, lower. This is great for buyers, especially the poor. However, opposing point to this, that there will be many workers who lose their jobs to this change, seems to be bleak and true. As the tempo of this world-changing Revolution appears to exponentially growing, fewer and fewer people seem to be able to keep up with the changes in the workplace, and may be unable to gather the new skills required to make them a profitable worker for a business or company. These workers will surely struggle to maintain their employed status, all whilst the amount of wealth which can be created from the use of these workers for the businesses, is no longer competitive. There are talks of a world where people receive a minimum amount given to them via the governments of the world. This is known as “universal basic income”. But we can only hope that this extremely new situation plays out well over time.
Healthcare
"Just as high speed broadband and smart phones have empowered consumers in retailing and banking there is talk of the same happening for patients in medicine."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30997413
The advancements of technology seem to be nothing but good for healthcare. Problems within the healthcare world, which once seemed impossible to solve, could very well be within our grasp due to this IT Revolution. There are interesting problems, however, raised by the outcome of people standing where they would once have fallen. There are interesting questions that can be raised about this, and there will inevitably be interesting solutions; hopefully we do not lose sight of what the maintenance of life is roughly all about.
Should everyone live, and nobody succumb to the end of things, what would be the implications in respect to the quality and beauty of the world? Would a – seemingly – infinite amount of people, ruin the environment of the world at a rate that seems to parallel the number of them? Would the people of this inherited world, ever be able to understand the beauty of a quiet moment? Those moments when a person merely observes the world without action, and realises the sublime nature of its mere existence.
Sharing & Privacy
"People now use social technology to help shape the world's events and culture."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18013662
The internet appears to have tendencies towards openness, sharing, and chaos. Much to the amusement of its users, it never ceases to provide. If a person wants to watch a film, they can. If a person wants to hear music, they can. If a person wants to learn how to do something, they can. If a person wants to become popular with millions of people, they very well could.
The value of privacy, is a value unknown until it is absolutely lost. There seems to be a constant underlying concern, that the value of privacy is being run through and irreparably torn, via the battering ram that is social media. It is great that people can share, and keep in touch with long lost friends, business associates, work associates, and family. It often seems, however, that a person’s privacy is dead by the time they reach, what appears to be, an ever-shrinking age.
The internet never forgets. The magnitude of this, is a concept which people truly seem to struggle to understand; that there is no “undo” button once something is copied or shared by a person. Once it is out there, it is out there for as long as there are devices and people to read a copy of it. The implications of this for – what could have been – future politicians, are damning. The scandals of a person’s bygone teenage years of angst and mischief, are now permanent fixtures of one’s life; no longer are they fleeting and forgotten youthful-mishaps.
Conclusion
The world will never be the same again. On the one hand, there is a lot of possibility for good, beauty and awe. On the other hand, with such a magnitude of possibility and power, it seems all too easy that we could very well use it all to destroy things, from the economic, to the family, and everything between; either intentionally, or unintentionally. It seems that nothing will escape the influence of this IT Revolution.
It is discomfortingly unpredictable, whether or not we will manage to muddle through such a rapid and drastic IT Revolution without losing control of it all. It seems that we have reached a level of technology where we can comfortably say that, we do with ease, as our whims please.
We can only hope that this technology is left in good, capable, and responsible hands.
References
Business Image: https://images.pexels.com/photos/373912/pexels-photo-373912.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=2&h=750&w=1260
Healthcare Image: https://images.pexels.com/photos/139398/thermometer-headache-pain-pills-139398.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=750&w=1260
Parliament Image: https://images.pexels.com/photos/258117/pexels-photo-258117.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=2&h=750&w=1260
Phone Apps Image: https://images.pexels.com/photos/147413/twitter-facebook-together-exchange-of-information-147413.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=750&w=1260