The importance of communication measured by ICT in today's society is enormous, as it affects sectors such as education or relationships.
The Information and communication technologies (ICT) are those tools needed to process information, in particular the use of computers, communication devices and software applications to convert, store, protect, process, transmit and retrieve information from anywhere and at any time.
The importance of ICT can not be limited due to the dynamic nature of the concepts, methods and applications it covers, which remain constantly evolving. ICTs interfere with almost every facet of daily life and have become one of the most important priorities in formal and informal education.
Its scope is not limited to Educational field , As ICTs have become key factors in culture, economics and politics with profound effects on the world's population even in remote and poorly developed areas that do not directly use technology.
The main objective of ICT is the empowerment and independence of individuals to improve society. The technological revolution has profoundly changed many aspects of everyday life, facilitating communication, socialization and the development of relationships at distances.
However, it is necessary to reflect on how the behavior, values and competencies of individuals, organizations and societies can be influenced, manipulated and guided by these technologies.
What is the importance of communication measured by ICT in today's society?
New forms of socialization
In examining the new generations and ICTs, it is impossible to overlook the fact that today's young people simultaneously inhabit multiple worlds. Many young people develop their identities in their dormitories, chatting on their personal computers.
Young people today face a global media culture that represents a unifying force, a type of cultural pedagogy that teaches them to consume and act"what to think, to feel, to believe, to fear and to desire"(Kellner, 1995).
ICT-influenced culture creates an environment in which traditional modes of socialization are altered and, at least in one measure, replaced by new ones. In today's world ICT is a potentially more powerful force of socialization than home or school.
As Jennifer Light points out," Technology is not a neutral tool with universal effects, but rather a medium with consequences that are significantly shaped by the historical, social and cultural context of its use " .
Health care
For the healthcare industry, electronic data storage and rapid access to information represent significant improvements in diagnostic times and avoid unnecessary testing.
With the help of ICT, health systems seek to advance in preventive medicine and patient education, providing considerable economic savings and health benefits.
ICT and intelligent living environments can also play an increasingly important role in caring for the elderly in the home, helping older people cope with daily activities, increasing their independence.
When the elderly can survive in the home more independently, they remain more active. This Weakening of memory . Thus, in the long run, the need for expensive institutional care may be reduced and the quality of life improved.
Education and learning
ICT for education refers to the development of information and communication technology specifically for teaching / learning purposes.
The adoption and use of ICTs in education have a positive impact on teaching, learning and research. ICT can affect education and allow greater access to it, because:
- They increase the flexibility so that students can access education regardless of time and geographical barriers.
- It influences how students are taught and how they learn.
- They provide the environment and the appropriate motivation for the learning process, offering new possibilities for students and teachers.
These possibilities can have an impact on student achievement and achievement. Likewise, greater availability of best practices and the best teaching material in education, which can be shared through ICT, fostering better teaching and improving the academic performance of students.
Work environments
ICTs allow for collaborative work involving the links of companies and their environments that rarely meet physically.
These technologies use global and always-on communication infrastructures which allows for immediate interactions between individuals, groups and organizations, improving information exchange and coordination of activities.
Some of the additional benefits of ICT within organizations are listed below:
- At the managerial level, it is possible to supervise the tasks performed by the work team when using monitoring systems.
- Greater flexibility for some workers to be able to carry out most of their activities from the comfort of their home and with more flexible schedules.
- It increases the reach in the market beyond the traditional borders, through electronic commerce.
ICTs are complementary to other factors of production, particularly knowledge, innovation and skills of workers. The technology can be used more effectively by skilled workers than by unskilled workers. In addition, skilled workers become more effective with better technology.
Society and Private Life
Multiple questions also surround freedom of expression and regulation of content through ICT.
To devise mechanisms to control content opens the debate to find a reasonable solution, because the same technology that seeks filtering materials because they are considered inappropriate can be used to filter truthful and interesting content. In that sense, censorship does not seem to be an option.
ICTs also raise a series of questions about the protection of intellectual property and the creation of new tools and regulations to solve this problem.
The remarkable power of ICTs has generated considerable concern for privacy, both in the public and private sectors. Reductions in the cost of data storage and information processing make it likely that computer enthusiasts can collect detailed data on all citizens.
No one currently knows who collects data about individuals, how these data are used and shared or how they can be misused. These concerns diminish consumer confidence in ICT.
ICTs have numerous economic, political and social impacts on modern life and require serious social science research to manage their risks and dangers.
The accessibility of Information and Communication Technologies
As information and communication technology has become more sophisticated, it has also become more affordable and accessible. Complex computer skills are no longer required.
Available products offer non-experts the opportunity to take advantage of ICT to create new knowledge and information networks. The way of communicating and seeking knowledge has been transformed.
People are instantly accessible through common ways of communicating with electronic devices, as the Internet allows access to large amounts of information and knowledge transfer with unprecedented speed.
Dissemination of information through ezine allows people to communicate instantly with other people around the world from their home or office. Wireless connections in cafes and other places have also increased communication opportunities through mobile devices.
References
- Stillman, L. et al. (2001). Knowledge Management: Disorienting Reorientations for Third Sector Organizations . Paper presented at the Global Networking Conference 2001. Retrieved from: webstylus.net.
- Kellner, D. (1995). Media Culture: Cultural Studies, Identity and Politics between the Modern and the Postmodern. New York and London, Routledge.
- Light. (2001). Harvard Education Publishing Group: Rethinking the digital divide. Retrieved from: hepgjournals.org.
- Anderson, N. (2009). Equity and Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Education . Peter Lang Publishing, Inc, New York.
- Haftor, D. and Mirijam A. (2011). Communication Technologies, Society and Human Beings: Theory and Framework . Sweden, Linnaeus University.
- Berleur, J. et al. (2008). Social Informatics: An Information Society for All? In Remembrance of Rob Kling. New York, Springer-Verlag.
- Kapla et al. (2016). Intergenerational Pathways to a Sustainable Society . New York, Springer-Verlag.
- Noor-Ul-Amin, S. (2013). An Effective use of ICT for Education and Learning by Drawing on Worldwide Knowledge, Research, and Experience: ICT as a Change Agent for Education. Srinagar, University of Kashmir.
- Ranta, P. (2010). Information and Communications Technology in Health Care (Master's Thesis) . Helsinki, Aalto University.
- World Youth Report, Chapter 12: Youth and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Retrieved from: un.org.
- Impacts of Information Technology on Society in the New Century, by Kornsbruck, R. Retrieved from: zurich.ibm.com.