Impact of Computer in Society 1

Impact of Computer in Society

Saurav Lamichhane

Nepal College of Information Technology

Impact of Computer in Society 2

Everyone knows that this is the age of technology and vast majority of people are
using computer. Computer development is one of the greatest scientific achievements of
the 20th century. Personal computer, laptop and palmtop are becoming an important
part of our daily lives. We are all so dependent on these devices that sometimes we
treat them as if it is part of our family. Nowadays, there is hardly any activity which
does not make use of computers at some stage or the other. Technology has become a
priority for many people, and it is likely that people will choose computer over
many other things. Although computer has made life easier for us and more
convenient, there are several ways in which it has damaged the quality of our life. In
the twentieth century computer is definitely something that the world can’t live
without. We can never put an end to the development of computer but people should
consider the massive amount of damage this wonderful creation is putting upon us.

One of the ways that computers have made an impact on society is in how people
have organized themselves in workplace groups in relationship to computers. The earliest
computers were developed to perform specific tasks in science, engineering, or warfare
that had previously been done by hand. Soon general-purpose computers could automate
almost any information processing task required to manage an organization, such as
payroll processing and record management. However, since early generation computers
were relatively expensive, all of an organization's information processing tasks were
typically centralized around the one large computer it could afford. Departments and
people in such organizations would likewise be organized in a centralized fashion to
facilitate their access to the computer. Companies with centralized information
processing, for example, usually had most of their administrative offices in the same
geographic location as their computer resources. Subsequent developments in computing
technology changed the way companies organized people who perform similar tasks. The
advent of computer networking and lower cost minicomputers enabled entire
organizations that were once centralized around a single computer to rearrange
themselves into geographically dispersed divisions. The integration of
telecommunications with computing allowed people in remote places such as branch
offices to use computers located in distant parts of their organization. This
decentralization continued with the advent of the personal computer. PCs provided a low-
Impact of Computer in Society 3

cost way for large organizations to transform themselves further by redistributing

information processing responsibilities to small departments and individuals in many
locations.

Not only have computers changed the way in which workplaces structure their
tasks and workers, they have also dramatically changed the work itself. Computer-aided
manufacturing (CAM) was first introduced in the 1950s with numerically controlled
machines. These and other forms of computer-based automation have been associated
with the loss of jobs and certain skills, and the need to master new skills. Since the
middle of the twentieth century, computer-controlled devices have gradually eliminated
certain types of jobs and the need for people to perform particular skills. As a
consequence, workers have had to learn new skills in order to continue working in
environments that increasingly depend on computers.

One major result has been the shift of some economies, such as that of the United
States, from manufacturing to service jobs. Entirely new categories of jobs have been
created to support and implement computer technology. In addition, the ease of
networking computers has led businesses to relocate jobs to remote locations. For
example, a number of companies now hire computer programmers who are located in
other countries, such as India, in order to save on labor costs. Within the United States,
increasing numbers of companies allow employees to work from their homes or work
centers away from the corporate headquarters. These so-called telecommuters are able to
communicate with their employers and deliver their work using the Internet.

The advent of e-mail, the World Wide Web, and other Internet technologies has
perhaps made the most significant impact on the social fabric of American society.
People can now communicate with others in remote places, easily, affordably, and often
anonymously. They can search for, share, and transfer more information, and more
quickly, than ever before. People distributed across remote locations can organize
themselves into "virtual communities" based on shared interests, regardless of their
geographic locations. The Internet has also changed the way both education and
entertainment can be delivered into private homes and public spaces.
Impact of Computer in Society 4

Computers are being used in almost every area of the medical fields such as
laboratories, pharmacy, scanning, monitoring, researchers, telemedicine, etc. In the
hospital, computers are used in the different medical units such as ICU (Intensive Care
Unit), EGG (Electrocardiograph), Operation Theater, Recovery Room, Medical Ward,
etc. Most of the medical equipment are used to monitor the patient continuously are
computerized. This equipment monitors the changes of heart rate, pulse rate, blood
pressure, breathing and brain activity of the patient. Computerized alarming devices
activates in case of any emergency. Another use of the computer in the medical field is
telemedicine. In telemedicine, the services of medical care centers can be accessed by
using computer video conferencing. Also during the training doctor’s uses computer
aided surgery, to learn surgical techniques. Doctors are using computers to diagnose
disease and for many other purposes.

Computer also plays a vital role in the field of traveling. It helps people to find
and reach the destination easily. Modern cars are equipped with a special piece of
technology called onboard navigation system (ONS) that can track the movement of the
vehicle in case it is stolen. Cars that have ONS and GPS can report the location of the
cars to the owner. While traveling by plane, an airline provides users with internet
services to connect to laptops or a Smartphone. Computers are also used in air traffic
control to control traffic.

Another area computers impacted on is the entertainment area. Most of the people
out there like science fiction or action movies, especially the ones with the neat looking
effects. Well, those graphics were mostly made by computers. Most of the movies today
use computer graphics to make things more realistic but not real. Computer graphics are
mostly used on spaceships, aliens, monsters, and special effects. Movies like Jurassic
Park, Wing Commander, Starship Troopers, used computers to make them look more
interesting and realistic. There are even movies completely made by computers like Toy
Story and A Bugs‟ Life. Not only movies used computer animations and graphics.
Games on the latest game consoles like Play station used the computers to make the
coolest games ever. Games now and days use computer graphics and animations to make
the coolest games. Computer games also have their share. New 3D games were made by
Impact of Computer in Society 5

really cool computer graphics. It would be really boring without all this wouldn’t you
think? That’s how computers impacted today are entertainment.

Despite the positive, computer also has negative effect in society. Different
research shows that with people who spend more time on computers are likely to have
some side effects on health. It’s less likely to participate in physical activities when
someone spends a lot of time on a computer. This can cause different health issues like
eye problems, back strains weight gain etc. Beyond these issues, it is also reported that
computers can give mental stress to the users while trying to fix different issues and
anxiety when unable to complete work on time due to slow computers, virus infections
etc. Some of the common health issues caused by overuse of computers are Visual
fatigue, blurred vision, eyes burning, headaches and change in eyeglass prescription.

The Internet is full of both good and evils. Children and teenagers are vulnerable
to finding adult materials on the Internet. They can be easily exposed to Pornography
which can affect their view towards sex. Children that have access to the internet can
involve in different types of drugs.

Since computers are used in almost every field, people usually don’t have a
second thought about providing their information on the internet. This might increase the
chances of different internet frauds and cyber crimes like phishing , hacking, identity
theft etc. Piracy is another major issues created by computer technology and Internet.
Software piracy, movie piracy, and plagiarism have increased a lot.

Psychologists have long been interested in observing and analyzing the way
humans interact with computers. Research in human-computer interaction has studied
how people read and process information presented to them on computer screens, the
types of input errors people are most likely to make when using different computer
systems, and the effectiveness of various kinds of input devices such as keyboards, mice,
and light pens. Psychological issues have also been identified in how people behave
toward other people when they use computing technologies such as e-mail and how they
behave toward computers. Studies have shown, for example, that people use the
anonymity that e-mail and other Internet technologies afford to construct alternate
Impact of Computer in Society 6

identities for themselves. Other studies indicate that people often apply the same rules of
social behavior, such as politeness, toward computers as they would to other people.

The impact of computers on lifestyles has largely paralleled the impact of

computing on social organization, work, and personal communication. The effect has
become more pronounced as personal computing devices become increasingly more
commonplace in American society. In particular, computers coupled with
telecommunications technologies enable many people to live and work more
independently and remotely than ever before. Individuals using personal computers can
publish books, make airline reservations, and hold meetings to share information with
any number of people across the globe. Some observers view these developments
positively, while others are concerned that the widespread use of computers has led to
lifestyles that contain increasing amounts of work.

Computers helped us take a large step into the future. Businesses and
entertainment world uses them to make profits, Education sector uses them to help
educate students better, and the Medical field uses computers in different ways. Even you
are playing computer games, when you are watching the latest movies, or you are
researching on a topic for your essay on computer, you are affected by the computer.
With rapid advance growth and development in technology since the very first
computer, we have seen a quantum leap in changes made that has affected us both in our
present lives and future. Computers absolutely completely changed the world and it
keeps changing both positively and negatively. However, one thing is certain: without
computers, we would never be anywhere close to where we are today.
Impact of Computer in Society 7

References:-

1) Shrestha, S.(Feb. 11,2017). Impact of Computer Technology on Society.

Computer Science Mentor. Retrieved: http://computersciencementor.com/impact-
of-computer-technology-on-society/

2) Greenbaum, J.(June 2004). Windows on the Workplace: Computers, Jobs and the
Organization of Office Work in the Late Twentieth Century. New York:
Cornerstone Books/Monthly Review Press, 1995.

3) Landauer, Thomas K.(June 6,1996).The Trouble with Computers: Usefulness,

Usability, and Productivity. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1995.

4) Kling, R(2000). Learning about Information Technologies and Social Change:

The Contribution of Social Informatics. The Information Society 16, no. 3 (2000):
217–232.

5) Reeves, B., Clifford N.(Jan 1996). The Media Equation: How People Treat
Computers, Television, and New Media Like Real People and Places.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

6) Stern, N. & Stern, R., Computers in Society. NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1983.

7) Turkle, S.(September 4,1997). Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the
Internet. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.