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Impacts of Information and Communication
Technology in our Everyday Life
Habtamu Baynekaw
[email protected]
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Introduction
ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology. ICT provides access to information
through telecommunications. ICT includes any communication device such as, radio, television, cell
phones, computer, laptops, tablets, and network hardware and software, so on.
Now days, many ICT gadgets are used in our life and they facilitate with mobility thus used anywhere
and anytime. These gadgets operate for Information, Speed, and Communication and reduce the
physical and mental human work load.
Revolution in ICT
From The early computers to latest cell phones there was huge revolution as per different computer
generations.
Figure : Revolution in ICT
Early digital signal are generated by one room machine which now
comes in our hand . Communication medium has also a vast change
that will affect the ICT because these devices are needed to use the
ICT technology.
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Figure : Revolution of computers and telephones as ICT
Effects of ICT
ICT has affected lives by improving timely distribution of information through the media. ICT has
extremely enhanced the quality of human life.
For examples, writing a letter could take few days to arrive to the receiver but by the writing an e-
mail reaches in just a second. ICT affects various fields of daily life some of them are discussed
below:
Figure : Effects of ICT
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❖ Social Networking: There are many social medias available like FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM,
TWITTER, and LINKEDIN which allows users to communicate and stay connected with each other
across the globe regularly. All these sites have helped to narrow the physical distances between people.
Social Networking provides facilities such as faster communication speed, effective sharing of
information, paperless environment, etc.
❖ Education/E-Learning: E-Learning is an electronic learning, in which the learner uses a computer to
learn a task, skill, or process at that time teacher teaches through the computer online. Students can
learn by watching videos, e-books, discussion groups.
❖ Health: When we get sick, we don't like to go outside even to visit the doctors. Today, we had a
solution use ICT gadgets to contact with our doctor and describe our problems. Doctors can operate
critical patient in guidance of many specialist surgeons through video-conferencing.
❖ Shopping/Commerce: Online shopping involves E-commerce. It draws on such technologies as
electronic funds transfer, online transaction processing, Inventory management system and automated
data collection systems. It makes buying and selling activities easier, more efficient and faster by using
computers, internet and shared software.
❖ Employment/Jobs: ICT increases the number of employments in our society. People can work as Web
developer, IT network administrator, etc who have skills in ICT. It gives new job opportunities for
many people to become successful self-employer to work from their home.
Negative impacts of ICT
Although ICT provides the above multiple assets ,we are facing problems due to ICT.
❖ Reduced face-to-face interaction: Now days, people mostly likes online communication rather than
real conversations so people tend to become more individualistic and introvert.
❖ Reduced physical activity/Health Problems: Users may accept a more sitting lifestyle by the use of
ICT gadgets. This can lead to health problems such as headache, fatness, heart disease, diabetes,
repetitive strain injury or eyestrain, wrong posture/position, neck pain, physical and mental stress, etc
because of continuous use
❖ Cost: Many ICT gadgets are expensive. So they are cost effective to purchase and to maintain. Poor
students cannot get the benefits of e-learning due to the educational establishments.
❖ Job loss: Job losses may occur because of manual operations being replaced by automation.
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Conclusion
ICT have an impact on almost everybody that has access to them and that the internet has changed society
and how we live. ICT brings people from different parts of the world together to communicate with each
other across the world. It gives an opportunity to improving communication, to meet new people online and
establish a friendship, to share the personal information online, increasing opportunities for education. We
have to be wise in using the ICT gadgets. Thus, ICT is the new technologies of the digital age have been
accessible in our everyday life with a confusing blend of guaranteed benefits with some problems.
References
[1] Adebiyi Adewunmi A. (2012-06-27). “The Positive and Negative Impacts of ICT”. University Of
Lagos. Retrieved from http://ajahana.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/the-positive-and-negative-
impacts-of-ict-5/
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