Communication Technology Essay

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ESSAY

Áine O’Neill

22.08.16

Pre-University Science,

Communications,

Marcus Howard.

An awareness of current and relevant issues:

Discuss of CT to include rationale for choice of technology used in different situations.

●        The advantages / disadvantages of CT.

●        The impact of CT on private and public life.

●        Current developments in CT.

●        Relevant legislation including Health, Safety & Welfare Act and Communications related legislation

●        Essay must be minimum 800 words and word processed.

Assessment Criteria:

●        Summary of aspects of communications technology, with clear understanding of impact on both private and public life (4)

●        Knowledge of current issues and developments in Communications and Information Technology (4)

●        Understanding of relevant Health & Safety & Communications legislation (2)

 

INTRODUCTION

Communication technology becomes more developed in this world every single day. Technology has increased the number of ways we communicate and increased the pace at which we live our lives. Without technology the current world would not be the same. Our overwhelming dependence on technology is one of the largest changes seen in modern society. Communication Technology (CT)  is the activity of designing, constructing and maintaining communication systems. In this essay I am going to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of CT, the impact of CT on public and private life, current developments in CT and the relevant legislation to include Health, Safety & Welfare Act and Communications related legislation.

ADVANTAGES OF COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

1.      Communication.

2.       Globalisation.

3.       Cost effectiveness.

CT has brought us many advantages, it lets people around the world communicate freely with each other. CT has advanced dramatically over the years and we can now not only communicate to other people but we can share videos or photographs and information to one another.

●        Communication

Communication has become quicker and more efficient to contact both either a business contact or a family member. We can now get in contact with anyone around the world by sms which stands for short messaging service which is a text messaging component on a mobile phone or sending them an e-mail for nearly an instant response. With the development of the internet it has also opened up face to face communication from almost anywhere in the world. This is with the help of video chatting which is supplied by different applications such as snapchat, facebook and skype. Skype was first of video-chatting/ calling networking site to be founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennstrom from Switzerland and Janus Friis from Denmark. To this day there is now “74,000,000 users” (Statistic Brain) just on skype alone. All of the applications listed can be used on most devices such as laptops, ipads and even smartphones. This has made it a lot cheaper for people to stay in contact compare to the past. This online communication can help bring families and friends closer together across long distance.

●        Globalization

CT has not only brought countries and people closer together but it has brought the world’s economy together to form a single interdependent system. We can now share not only information quickly but we can now bring down barriers of different languages and global distances. The world has developed itself into a global village because of the development of information and communication technology. This has allowed countries like Ireland and China to link up together and allow Chinese companies to set up in Ireland. Although there is no language barrier between America and Ireland there is between China and Ireland but because of translation apps and web services who can translate other languages into their own language this gives business opportunities globally as a result of CT.

●        Cost Effectiveness

For companies who have expanded  globally in the last few years it is now more cost efficient for their CT systems. People can now simply send an email to each other if they require information or a document to be transferred over from one side of the world to the other. The reason for this being so cost efficient is standard postal charges are can be significant if there are large heavy documents involved as the postal charge will be calculated based on the weight of the package.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISADVANTAGES OF COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

1.      Privacy.

2.       Unemployment.

3.       Lack of job security.

●        Privacy

Although CT has made communication simpler, faster and more user-friendly , it has also brought with it privacy issues. A major factor that has affected the privacy of people while using CT is email hacking, people now have to worry about there personal details being leaked by hackers. A prime example of this is yahoo which has recently been hacked “ Yahoo exec estimated the number of accounts that could have potentially been stolen could be anywhere between 1 billion and 3 billion.” (Business Insider UK)

●        Unemployment

As technology is growing at a rapid pace everyday it is putting a major pressure on jobs in certain industries such as the motor industry. While CT has had a very positive influence on business process it has also created job redundancies as companies are forced to cut down on their workforce as they need less people to complete certain jobs as robots can now replace them. The robot will work faster, longer and will not miss any days and will have less human error. There is no longer a car manufacturing plant in Ireland following the closure of the Ford company in 1984.  “The announcement of the closure of the Ford factory in Cork in January 1984 with the loss of 800 jobs took taoiseach Garret FitzGerald by surprise, according to documents released by the Department of the Taoiseach.”(The Irish Times)

●        Lack of job security

As technology keeps on changing nearly every day, this has made job security a big issue. This means that people within the workforce of technology need to be constantly studying and keeping up to date with the changes within their job role. “The first driverless taxi began work on Thursday in a limited public trial on the streets of Singapore. Developer nuTonomy invited a select group of people to download their app and ride for free in its "robo-taxi" in a western Singapore hi-tech business district, hoping to get feedback ahead of a planned full launch of the service in 2018.” ( Reuters)

 

 

IMPACT OF COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY ON PRIVATE AND PUBLIC LIFE

In case you want to know how technology has affected our society then you just need to think about the olden days when we had no modern means of food appliances, no computer, or transport. A person had to spend a lot of time on traveling. Women would cook bread and mill flour by hand. There was more physical activity required in old days. Our routine life has dramatically changed with the arrival of high tech machines, different modern modes of communication and transport. Life has become easier and more comfortable than before. It seems that world is at our fingertips.

I think the Internet has had a huge impact on private and public life of people. Through social networking sites family and friends can keep in touch for almost no cost. Instead of paying lots of money on phone calls while travelling abroad you can now Skype your loved ones for free. By using the search engine ‘Google’ or ‘Siri’ you will find an answer for any question. You can save digital photos to your phone and send them to family or friends using multiple sharing applications such as ‘Facebook’.

The arrival of broadband has meant people can now shop for groceries, fashion or homeware without leaving their homes. Many people now are able to work from home instead of commuting to the office. In my opinion communications technology has had a major impact on people’s everyday lives.

Private:

●        Education- Online courses.

Online learning has to be the greatest revolution in modern education and opened great opportunities for everyone who wants to learn. With elearning you can take any course available in traditional four-year universities. The great variety of online courses is a huge advantage of this type of learning. No matter where you live or what you want to study you can always find a suitable programme that you can follow from home. All lectures and required materials are provided via online resources.

Online learning allows users to use ‘self-paced learning’. Self paced learning allows students to complete modules based on their own personal targets and available time. This type of learning prevents students having to incur the additional cost of attending colleges in person, therefore providing a cheaper education option.

“Coursera has more than 22 million registered learners worldwide who can access over 1,500 courses and specializations in dozens of topics including business, technology, social sciences, health, and art.” (Business Wire)

●        Tracking your location through social media networking sites and apps.

Social media networks such as Google, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook also bring us some disadvantages of the CT era. One aspect each of these social networking sites have in common is location tracking of every single piece of information exchanged between users. Websites such as Google then use this information to send targeted location advertisements to the users. This is a high invasion on your privacy of your public life style. “Google's location history, or timeline page, serves up a Google Map and allows you to select specific dates and times and see where you were.”(Wired)

Public:

●        Business opening up their market to a wider range of customers.

Most retail business now have online shopping facilities available for consumers. This gives all internet users the opportunity to browse, choose and purchase a wide variety of products, stretching from everyday groceries to luxury once off items.  Online shopping now allow users to access these store twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year. Most of these companies now provide home delivery right to your door step.  “The survey said Ireland has three million users and 1.9 million of those use the internet to shop.” (The Irish Independent)

●        Information is not safe.

Since most information is been stored under one database, it can be exposed to people within an organization with bad intentions of leaking or selling information to the media. This information can also be easily hacked or have a virus or worm injected into the information system. If this occurs information can be lost within minutes. So companies and governments need to backup databases and information systems regularly to remote locations.

 

CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN CT

1.      5G

2.      Project Loon

3.       E-textiles  

5G

5G is the name being given to the next generation of wireless networks (this is the fifth generation, hence 5G), but beyond that, it’s hard to define. During a keynote address at MWC, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler compared 5G to a Picasso painting. “I see something different than you see,” he said. “I think that’s where 5G is right now. It’s all in the eye of the beholder.”(Recode.net) There is currently not an official definition for 5G yet although it is widely believed it will be trying to provide:

●        Significantly faster data speeds - 4G networks are capable of achieving peak download speeds of one gigabit per second. Mobile companies are hoping with  5G, this would increase to 10Gbps.

●        Ultra-low latency: “Latency” is the lag between selecting an internet link and the page being displayed. Currently with 4G, the latency rate is around 50 milliseconds, but 5G this will be reduced down to about one millisecond.

●        A more “joined world”: The “Internet of Things” will mean everyday objects will be connected to the internet such as smart fridges ordering from supermarkets. This will require a network which is capable of having billions of connected devices. Part of the goal behind 5G is to enable the progression to the internet of things.

Project Loon

Project Loon is a Google vision to provide internet access to billions of people who live in rural areas where telecommunications companies haven’t found it worthwhile to build cell towers or other network frameworks.

Google plan to place helium balloons at an altitude of around 20 kilometers above remote areas where internet access in not available. Each balloon will be filled with solar powered electronics which will then make a radio link to the telecom network on the surface below. The idea is to beam down high-speed internet connections to smartphones and other network devices.

(MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW)

E-textiles

E-textiles are also known as smart clothing, electronic or smart textiles are fabrics which allow digital components and electronics to be embedded in them. Smart fabrics have developed with new technologies that help users get information from the clothes they are wearing.

Companies like Globe in the US are using smart fabrics to measure the extreme stresses for specific job roles such as firefighters or soldiers. “Using smart fabrics technology, the company has developed a Wearable Advanced Sensor Platform (WASP) that is being deployed to track a firefighter’s heart rate, core body temperature, respiration rate, activity levels, posture and other factors, as well as provide tracking and improve overall situational awareness” (newelectronics)

 

 LEGALISATION

Legislation is the act of making laws by governments. Governments may laws to protect people with regard to health, safety and communications for their specific countries.

The Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003 was created to protect individuals who give their personal details to organisations or individuals, so that the receiver of the information has a duty to keep these details private and safe. The intent of data protection acts is make sure that the information stored about you is accurate and only  available to those who should have the correct access to it, and used for the specific detailed purposes. The Acts enforce the data controllers not to use or reveal your information in any way which is not relevant to the reason why the data was collected in the first place.

Besides that, the safety health & welfare at work act 2005 replaced the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989 which was brought in to make further enforce safety, health and welfare of persons at work. This act lays out the responsibilities of employers, the self-employed, employees and other bodies in relation to safety and health at work. The Health and Safety Authority was set up to review health and safety measures in the workplace. The Health and Safety Authority has the power to apply penalties for breach of occupational safety and health act.

CONCLUSION

I have come to a decision that communication technology has helped to improve people’s lives in many ways with both advantages and disadvantages. Without any doubt CT plays a huge part on modern day media and on our future lives. CT has helped families across the world to easily communicate with one another and has also made staying connected more convenient. Although communication brings a lot of positive qualities, it has also had a negative impact too, such as data hacking. Therefore, people must be responsible while using social applications . In addition, the CT has had a major impact on the modern day employment as it rapidly replaces manual labour with new technologies. I believe that CT will continue to grow quickly and alter how we use technological advances in the future.

 

 

REFERENCES

(Statistic Brain) - Skype Statistics. - http://www.statisticbrain.com/skype-statistics/

(Business Insider UK) - A Yahoo insider believes the hackers could really have stolen over 1 billion accounts. - http://uk.businessinsider.com/yahoo-insider-hacking-2016-9?r=US&IR=T

(The Irish Times) - Closure of Cork Ford factory took FitzGerald by surprise. - http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/closure-of-cork-ford-factory-took-fitzgerald-by-surprise-1.2041535

(Reuters) - First driverless taxi hits the streets of Singapore. - http://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-selfdriving-singapore-idUSKCN1100ZG

(Wired) - Google tracks everything you do: here's how to delete it. - http://www.wired.co.uk/article/google-history-search-tracking-data-how-to-delete

(Business Wire) - 60+ New Online Courses for Job Skills on Coursera. - http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161004006427/en/60-Online-Courses-Job-Skills-Coursera

(The Irish Independent -Business Personal Finance) - Irish online spending on groceries rises by a quarter to €140m. - http://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/irish-online-spending-on-groceries-rises-by-a-quarter-to-140m-35095278.html

(Recode.net) - What Is 5G, and What Does It Mean for Consumers? - http://www.recode.net/2015/3/13/11560156/what-is-5g-and-what-does-it-mean-for-consumers

(MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW) - Billions of people could get online for the first time thanks to helium balloons that Google will soon send over many places cell towers don’t reach. - https://www.technologyreview.com/s/534986/project-loon/

(newelectronics) - While smart textiles for wearables remains in its infancy, its potential is huge - http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/electronics-technology/while-smart-textiles-for-wearables-remains-in-its-infancy-its-potential-is-huge/119045/