The Impact of Information Technology on the Society - Research Paper Example

The Impact of Information Technology on the Society Technology, like always, has been playing an important role in modern society too. Information technology relates to computer hardware and software usage for management and organization of data. Traditionally, information technology has been persistent for a very long time as people have always find different ways of communication. But, the technologies which were used for the purpose of communication have gone through various alterations and have become efficient, effective, and faster. It is mostly known as MIS (Management Information Services). Technology comprises of processes and devices which are used in protection, storage, transmission, retrieval, and processing of information (Tansey, 2003).  In the beginning, information technology was not as advanced as it is today and communication was also expensive and efficient. Even though, few decades ago a huge revolution in communication and computing occurred which were the markers of information technology advancement. In the last few decades, swift progress in the field of technology mostly in huge internet spread made technology even more intensive among people. These developments have changed the way many businesses operate such as education, medicine, and commerce. When the human race began to communicate with others, they were proficient in using language and also other important and simpler techniques as in drawings (Tansey, 2003).  The era of this sort of technique was known as pre-mechanical and no intricate communication devices were in use. As the time passed, human beings indulged in using papers, and alphabets which improves the communication devices. With the passage of time, this technique changed to overall development of libraries and books for storing information. In the later years, many number systems came into being by making communication easier. The mechanization of technologies of communication made use of analogue computers development as in Blaise Pascal, which Pascaline invented. In the electromechanical period, telecommunication was developed. This period was not without its innovation of telephone, radio, and telegraph. The period was taken over by huge production of personal computers that could easily be used at offices and at homes. Contemporary world followed this period which was mainly dominated by digitized computers. The modern developments involve central processing invention units with memory and logic. The personal computers came as benevolence to people (Library and Information Technology Association, 1982).  Literature review In 2012, Nasir, Sultan, and Khattak also argued that these developments in the field of information technology have paved the way for human communication expansion. This has transformed the cultures and traditions of various groups of society. Furthermore, human beings have been united by this information technology and world is now a global village. The evolution of these technologies and also rapid development of higher developed ones have been made possible. Media industry has also seen a drastic development due to this information technology. In 2012, Heinz and Hirschheim said that many fields of sciences are now enhanced due to information technology. These developments enriched the many experiences of human nature such as human interactions and business. In 2004, Onwuegbuzie and Qun said that information technology has revolutionized the system of education. These technologies were applied in many areas of education such as libraries and have made the procedures of education much easier. Furthermore, the instructors can give instruction in many areas without having to fear meeting students. Additionally, the internet and devices availability as in personal computers are a blessing for virtual students; in fact they give birth to virtual studies. Another field where information technology has its affects is the area of management sciences. The organizational management involves huge amounts of data management. Computers have enriched many areas of management sciences. This area involves enhanced communication between the employees of the organization and the management team. The developments in the field of information technology have revolutionized the operations of an organization within manager and employees and also assisted in making organization a better place (Erik, Dianna, & Eugene, 1999). Computers also have revolutionized the way we work. For instance, in the past, it was all paper and pencil but today it is keypad and touch screens to describe it better. Furthermore, it had made decision making easier in many firms as people living in different countries can also exchange information. This is a benefit to international multinationals operating in different nations (Dang, 2005). The advancements in the arena of information technology have pessimistic affects on society as well. In 2009, Huang argued that these enhancements might be an employment threat as well. In Huang’s opinion, this information has paved the way to negative impacts rather than positive on the employees. The reason for this being machines such as computers which take over the human resource. But Huang do advocate the idea of social blessings of the information technology. Information technology has transformed the way people used to interact with each other. Devices as in mobile phone, computers, and smart phones have used the creativity to connect via the internet (Huang, 2009). That is why; these innovations have made enriched information sharing as a form of improved relations among people. Furthermore, information sharing has also improved the operations within health sciences by enhancing the health services department (Masys, 2002). Another direction where the information technology has devastated the society is that it has lessened face-to-face communication to an extent that people don’t even like solitude now. Many people prefer applying the communication policies as in mobile phones and social networks to interact with family and friends. Furthermore, some firms use the video conferences for interaction between employees and management. This has paved the way to mitigate binds among people as described by Terrance & Khallaf in 2007. In addition to that, using media as such for procedures of interviews have led to recruiting such employees who are incapable of effective communication skills. The modernism of information technology has led to enhance interactions and performance. Furthermore, the innovations have made it easy for people to manage the activities easily as they can communicate efficiently in good time and place (Laudon, 1994). Proposal Technology plays a vital role in our life. Varying innovations and aspects concerning information technology have been studied in detail over the last few decades. There has been extensive research on different innovations about information technology. Nevertheless, the area of information technology is very huge. Consequently, there are different fields where research is still needed. Additionally, there have been propensities of researchers to emphasize on various fields of information technology while other areas are unaffected. Early studies emphasized on varying communication modes and their affects on society. Recent studies have emphasized on electronic technologies. Most studies are computer related information technologies. Information society is a term which is basically used relative to the revolution of computer and the post-industrial era. However, the recent studies have proclaimed highly on communication media use for the purposes of social interaction. Largely, the social networking issue is hugely studied. Relative to the area of social networking, many studies have emphasized on the social contact of widespread usage of social media. Furthermore, social networks’ impact on youth especially the students has also been studied by various researchers. Furthermore, the recent studies have been linked to adaption of computers and their jobs in enriching the developments of information technology. Another vast area that is largely studied is improving communications within the organizations (Library and Information Technology Association, 1982).  The varying information systems found in organizations have been studied with the area of information processing. Several systems include human resource dealing. Furthermore, there are various studies on different arenas of information technology such as media, computing, and also telecommunications (Erik, Dianna, & Eugene, 1999). There has been little or no research on how the improvement in information technology has positively affected society in an economic way. Even though, information technology is chiefly related to the interactions between people, it plays a key role in figuring out organizational success. Furthermore, developmental level in information technology decided on how healthy country will perform. For instance, a country with intricate information technology is more likely to make economy flourishing since the multinational organizations can easily manage the companies across the world. Thus, there is a need for research on benefits as well as drawbacks of information technology to economy. This is the reason the economy of a nation is most probably to affect economy. The study should emphasize on information technological growth in the area of information technology. Even though, most studies propose that information technology influences the employee performance in firms. There is a tiny study concerning the genuine effects. In addition, the studies have focused on information technology department. In addition, the study should also pertain how developments have led to deterioration or enhancement of living standards of the society (Behaviour & information technology, 1982). Theoretical Framework How technology has been affecting our daily lives is the question that arises in our minds. When we come to think of it, we notice that no matter what era this human species lives in, the technology of that era somehow has been able to influence its life a lot. Starting from the crude tools of the Stone Age to the highly advanced technological instruments of today, technology has proven to have vast impact on our lives. Technology has made this huge world a global village. With making this world a global village, technology has also induced many social changes in our world such as bringing people closer by making it easier for them contact each other in matter of seconds. Thus we can say that it is the technology which has been affecting our lives so much and inducing many changes in our everyday matters as well as our social lives. Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods The fundamental aim for carrying out the case study research is to produce a better thoughtful idea of the intricate phenomena such as change procedures. But, case studies might be used for several other reasons for making a theory, for producing any description and for testing the made theories, or also just to follow up the surveys to give a detailed insight into phenomena. The strategy of case strategy is mainly appropriate when the questions such as why and how are asked about modern events over which interviewer has no or little control. Furthermore, an ordinary application for these case studies is to first make a theory using this data from case study and after that test it by using more case studies, any survey data or an acceptable technique (Punch, 1998).  Qualitative research is used in our research of information technology which utilizes qualitative data where the explanatory data is used. One of the differences between qualitative and quantitative data is knowledge that one looks for; as information technology requires both types of research. But mostly it’s not the nature that is different; it is the happenings or cause and effect relationships that are important. Qualitative data can be used in finding out the impact of information technology on the society easily. With the help of qualitative data studies the researchers can easily link the data to the hypothesis of the research. The two best qualitative studies to find out the impact can be ethnography and case studies. Ethnographic study can help the individuals to assert the impact of information technology and culture whereas case studies can provide a general view of the individuals who are associated with information technology (Creswell, 2008).  The quantitative studies can also be done along with the qualitative studies to assert or deny the hypothesis as per the criterion. A descriptive type of quantitative study can be used to find out as to if information technology has really affected the society as a whole or not. The different categories affected by information technology can be assessed and described by the use of a descriptive study. Similarly a co-relational study can also be conducted to find out the relation between the advent of information technology and the society rules. The things which have been affected by information technology can be kept as variable and assessed through a co-relational study (Creswell, 2003).  Type of methodology chosen includes a justification of methods and techniques. We conducted surveys of interviews both containing qualitative and quantitative data. Through the qualitative method of research the socially constructed nature of reality is looked into, as well as the association of the researcher and the data under consideration. Qualitative research means that the findings of the research are not just limited to the official quantitative investigation and cannot be scrutinized through mathematical methods. It is more of a scientific method of research where questions are answered through an investigation using already defined Research Methodology. During case studies, interviews play a vital part as source of evidence because case studies basically focus on human interaction and affairs (Bamberger, 1999).  Discussion The findings must be reported. In reporting the findings, the aim is to enrich the capability of reader to increase the experimental comprehension of case and in general, the research procedure. The better trustworthiness for the research is made by making this procedure transparent. This gives readers the chance to figure out the soundness and suitability of this methodology used. Furthermore, the aim of rich quotations and descriptions is to give readers a chance to come up with their own conclusions on material used (Creswell, 2008).  All the data which is chronologically or thematically used instead of simply arranging it according to sources of data collection is utilized. This is for instance the phase of testing where data is discussed and reported by certain themes which revolve around the problem of research joining information from varying sources of data collection methods and sources of the evidence. All the quotations which are used directly are marked by a certain code which comprises of 3 various elements which are version, user, and method. It is obvious in most cases that which version of this structure must the quotation relates to, and the number of version might be taken away from code. The criterion for selecting the direct quotations include quotation with added value by being educational and also symbolize unique views of interviewees. For instance B2/03/I meant that B2 informant who represents firm said this version is constructed according to make version 03 for the interview (Creswell, 2008).  Conclusion The department of Information Technology will be progressing concerned with the management and data storage, and will figure out information security will persist to be on top of the priority list. Cloud computing remains an increasing area to discover. The work viewpoint for those within the arena of Information Technology is robust, with server gurus and data security amongst highest paid techies (Schwalbe, 2000).  Annotated Bibliography Erik, R. E., Dianna, L. S., & Eugene, F. S. (1999). The effects of information management policies on reactions to human resource information systems: An integration of privacy and procedural justice perspectives. Personnel Psychology, 52(2), 335-358. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220149162?accountid=45049 The article focuses on how innovations in information technology have affected human resource management in organizations. The authors argue that the innovations have reduced invasion of employees’ privacy and enhanced fairness in processes such as hiring. Moreover, information technologies are crucial to data management in an organization. Dang, H. D. (2005). The impact of information technology on middle managers within business organizations. Touro University International). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 123-123 p. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/305343136?accountid=45049. (305343136). Khattak, A., Nasir, M., & Sultan, K. (2012).The Role of Information Technology in Media Industry. International Journal of Business & Social Science, 3(6), 258-267. The article focuses on how advancement in information technology has affected the media industry. The developments have enhanced transmission of information through different media. However, the authors argue that explosion of the internet have led to anxiety as different media struggle to remain effective. Qun, G. J., & Onwuegbuzie, A. (2004). The impact of information technology on library anxiety: The role of computer attitudes. Information Technology and Libraries, 23(4), 138-144. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215829065?accountid=45049 Tansey, S. D. (2003). Business, information technology and society. London: Routledge. Khallaf, A., & Terrance, R. S. (2007).The effects of information technology expertise on the market value of a firm. Journal of Information Systems, 21(1), 83-105. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/235923877?accountid=45049 The study focused on how the value of information technologies is expected to shift the market value of a firm. The researchers found out that firms are required to hire CIOs and CEOs who have expertise in information technologies to enable them run the firm effectively. This is because CIOs and CEOs have an important role in determining the success of a firm. Moreover, the study showed that information technologies are important in enhancing establishment and management of CIO positions. Masys, D. R. (2002).Effects of current and future information technologies on the health care workforce. Health Affairs, 21(5), 33-41. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/204640408?accountid=45049 The article focuses on how information technologies have affected the health systems. Masys argues that information technologies have affected decision making in the health sector by enhancing sharing of information between different departments. Moreover, the innovations have enhanced growth of knowledge in the health sector. Another effect of information technology has been on how jobs are distributed in the health sector. Qun, G. J., &Onwuegbuzie, A. (2004). The impact of information technology on library anxiety: The role of computer attitudes. Information Technology and Libraries, 23(4), 138-144. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215829065?accountid=45049 Their study focused on the effects of information technology on especially the computer based technologies on the student’s attitude towards libraries. The studies showed that most students have negative attitude towards computers, which contributes to library anxiety. The study suggests that there is need for students to familiarize themselves with basic computer skills to enable them use libraries. Moreover, the study point out at the ways in which information technology has revolutionized learning institutions and the academic society. Bibliography Behaviour & information technology. (1982). London: Taylor & Francis. Bamberger, M. (1999). Integrating quantitative and qualitative research: Lessons from the field. Washington, D.C: World Bank. Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications. Creswell, J. W. (2008). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall. Dang, H. D. (2005). The impact of information technology on middle managers within business organizations. Touro University International). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 123-123 p. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/305343136?accountid=45049. (305343136). Erik, R. E., Dianna, L. S., & Eugene, F. S. (1999). The effects of information management policies on reactions to human resource information systems: An integration of privacy and procedural justice perspectives. Personnel Psychology, 52(2), 335-358. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220149162?accountid=45049 Huang, X. (2009). The risk of information technology on employment. Asian Culture and History, 1(2), 108-112. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/839754093?accountid=45049 Hirschheim, R., & Heinz, K. K. (2012). A glorious and not-so-short history of the information systems field. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 13(4), 188-235. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1017887500?accountid=45049 Khattak, A., Nasir, M., & Sultan, K. (2012). The Role of Information Technology in Media Industry. International Journal of Business & Social Science, 3(6), 258-267. Laudon, K. C., Traver, C. G., & Laudon, J. P. (1994). Information technology and society. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth Pub. Co. Library and Information Technology Association (U.S.). (1982). Information technology and libraries. Chicago, IL: Library and Information Technology Association. Masys, D. R. (2002). Effects of current and future information technologies on the health care workforce. Health Affairs, 21(5), 33-41. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/204640408?accountid=45049 Punch, K. (1998). Introduction to social research: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. London: SAGE Publications. Schwalbe, K. (2000). Information technology project management. Cambridge, Ma: Course Technology. Read More