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Does IT Improve Human Existence?

Does IT Improve Human Existence?. Michael Simonetti Oliver Yu Jason Miller. Dandan Ren Stephen Nedl. Does IT improve human existence?. Humans, as a whole, do not benefit The entire world is not included Main beneficiaries are: North America Western Europe Japan

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Does IT Improve Human Existence?

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  1. Does IT Improve Human Existence? Michael Simonetti Oliver Yu Jason Miller Dandan Ren Stephen Nedl

  2. Does IT improve human existence? • Humans, as a whole, do not benefit • The entire world is not included • Main beneficiaries are: • North America • Western Europe • Japan • The rest of the world falls further behind

  3. Underdeveloped Countries • Underdeveloped countries are countries not equipped with the latest technologies • Most of Asia • Most of Africa • Latin America • Eastern Europe

  4. Does IT improve human existence? • Majority of world’s population does not benefit • 70% have never used a PC • 10% have Internet access • “There are more hosts in New York than in all of Africa.” Kofi Annan

  5. Negative Impacts • As developed countries get wealthier because of IT, underdeveloped countries become more impoverished • Lack of economic wealth increases likelihood of: • Unstable government • Civil War • Widespread hunger and disease • In modern times, underdeveloped countries are havens for terrorists, drug smugglers, and warlords

  6. Socio-economic Issues • Both global and domestic • Global Consumer Advisory Board finds the following problems: • Cost for individuals and small businesses • Cost of peripheral devices, software, services, and accessories • Digital Divide effects consumers more each day

  7. Globalization As A Threat Large businesses are bringing in IT workers from India and China who work for a fraction of the cost. In the United States - small businesses fail and jobs are lost because they can’t compete. Extremely labor intensive work must be done just to compete against outsourcing.

  8. Globalization As A Threat • Discourages some people from pursuing degrees in the IT fields. • Discourages some people from starting their own businesses. • Larger firms control the suppliers who make it within information technology.

  9. Advance in Information technology leads to jobs being cut.

  10. Lost Manufacturing jobs • More than 43,000,000 jobs disappeared between 1979 and 1994. • Percentage of workers in manufacturing dropped from 35% in 1947 to 12% in 2002.

  11. Lost White-Collar jobs • Secretarial and clerical positions eliminated • Spreadsheets and software packages reduce the need for accountants and bookkeepers.

  12. For example: The economic recovery of 1991-1996 • Large number of white-collar, middle management jobs were eliminated, even as the economy grew • most of them had at least college education • most of them were making more than $50,000 • Only 35% were able to find jobs that paid as well • Median household income dropped 3% between 1979 and 1994.

  13. More recent example In early 2000 “Dot-Com Bust”: • 862 high-tech start-ups going out of business between 2000 and 2002 • High technology industry shed half a million jobs • Unemployment rate among American computer science professionals raised to 5.1 percent.

  14. Working harder, Making less • Between 1970 and 1990, the number of hours spend at work increase by 163. • Caused by corporate downsizing, which is facilitated by information technology • Makes it easier for people to bring work home to continue working

  15. De-evolution of social skills • Instant messaging • Email – Office and personal • Online Dating • Overall Social interaction

  16. Instant Messaging • 180 m users in 2004 • This site also predicts that 60 percent of all real-time online communication will be driven through instant messaging technology • Kids have abandoned general phone and personal interaction to favor instant messaging and email • These services lack voice patterns and emotional overtones • http://www.clickz.com/stats/sectors/software/article.php/756111

  17. Email – Office and Personal • 90% of AOL’s subscribers use email • Email also lacks emotion and voice patterns • People favor email however it prevents them from interacting in person with their boss at work sometimes for weeks at a time

  18. Online Dating • Are you kidding? • Best example of de-evolution of S.S. • 7 million registered • 48% of men, 53% of women have used this • What happened to old fashioned pick up lines at bars?

  19. Social Skills De-evolution • Online dating, instant messaging, and email have come on to the scene and promoted the loss of social skills in people who would have otherwise talked to these various people via telephone or in person. • Future generation run the risk of having poor social skills in the work place and in the dating scene, possibly giving rise to a generation of intorverts.

  20. Advancements in Crime • Cyber Crime • Identity Theft • Fastest growing crime in America • 1 in 20 adults affected • Cyber Terrorism • Advancements in technology have paved way • Compromising national security • Other forms of cyber crime

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