Information and Communication Technologies Role - Term Paper Example

Information and Communication Technologies Introduction Recent advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have brought about changes in terms of how people communicate, collaborate and do work. As such, scholars from a variety of disciplines ranging inform sociology, political science, information science, engineering, communication and economics have engaged in studies that investigate the economic and cultural significance of the new sources of information that have come as a consequence of engagement with interactive technologies (Dhameja & Medury, n.d). This paper will discuss two contemporary ICTs (cell phones and worldwide web) and identify the types of information generated through their use. The papers will also discuss the forms of surveillance facilitated by these interactive media and issues of control over personal information and privacy in these contexts. Body Information and Communication Technologies Scholars, journalists, writers, analysts and the public have generally labeled the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty first century as the information age (Kramer, Jenkins & Katz, 2007). This labeling is because of the emerging information and communication technologies that the capabilities that have come about because of the ICTs (del Rio-Cidoncha, Martinez-Palacios & Martinez-Lomas, 2008). Advocates of the information age have maintained that the current world and the future characterize a time when information and communications will define and shape human interactions, activities, actions and institutions. However, despite the advantages that the ICTs have brought and will bring, they have certain disadvantages as well as dangers that they pose to humanity (Horrigan, 2007). Cell phones Cell phones, as a type of the contemporary ICTs, have significantly changed the way information is transferred and the communication mechanisms at play in the world today. Cell phones have significantly changed the lives of people including the economic and cultural aspects. It was widely known that phones only send and received phone calls or created and received messages that were mostly written messages. However, modern cell phones are developed using advanced forms of technology (Aoki & Downes, 2003). Mobile or cell phones are used in sending, receiving messages, emails, photos, videos, also making, and receiving calls. Cell phones are also used to access the world wide web, listen to music, play games, receive news from different radio networks and also use global positioning systems (GPS) among other many functions (Castells, 2004). Cell phones have become important as tools that are used by people in different parts of the world to keep in contact and to conduct audio or video conferencing in real time. The designs of cell phones have been improving constantly and at a fast pace meaning that, they incorporate the new needs and desires of users. For example, phones today support social media application such as facebook and whatsapp applications that provide a platform for sharing different kinds of information, both social, political, technological economic and cultural. The cell phones also support memory cards, cameras and usb ports among other utilities that are important for accessing, storing and transferring information from one user to another user or from one device to another device. Today, cell phones support many types of information because of its wireless capability, its portability and the support for different kinds of applications (Van Biljon & Kotzé, 2007). The Worldwide Web The worldwide web has also become an important type of ICT in the contemporary world because almost everything involves the use of the worldwide wed in different ways. the world wide web also known as the internet enables other forms of ICTs such as computers and cell phones to be used online for accessing, utilizing, storing, retrieving and sending of information from a user to another and from one location to the same or different location throughout the world. Because of the worldwide web, the world today is referred to as a global village because of the advantage of connectivity (Coffman & Odlyzko, 2002). The worldwide web has quickly become a viable ICT used by more than 130 million people around the world to access various communication and information sharing activities. The information provided in the worldwide web is abundant, comprehensive because of a variety of sources and easily available because it is accessible via different devices such as cell phones and the worldwide web (Dutton & Shepherd, 2003). As such, the use of the worldwide web helps to generate different types of information for instance, educational, social, economic, technological, political, religious and ethnic information among others. Different institutions, for instance religious institutions, business institutions, educational institutions and cultural institutions have pages that are supported by the worldwide web or use the worldwide web to communicate to their followers, supporters, potential supporters, opponents and users who are neutral to the information being communicated. Facilitated Forms of Surveillance The use of cell/ mobile phones has facilitated different forms of surveillance. First, cell phones have facilitated government surveillance on issues of opposition activists and journalists. The mobile phones help countries monitor perceived political opponents both inside and outside the country, for instance the telecom surveillance implemented by the Ethiopian government (Human Rights Watch, 2014). However, people have complained about this surveillance indicating that it violates freedoms of expression, access to information and association. Cell phones have also facilitated the surveillance of communicable diseases in areas such as Haiti. For example, a system called SEAMUS that utilizes text messages to enable the surveillance of cholera and its control both in Haiti and in other countries in the Americas. Cell phones have also facilitated surveillance by governments to tap into people’s conversations, read their text messages, track people’s movements using GPS and use voice recognition to scan mobile networks (The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), 2013). The worldwide web has also facilitated different forms of surveillance. Because of security concerns, governments monitor their citizens and foreigners for criminal activities or plans by reading their mails, tracking their movements using GPS and change the contents of mail while en route to its recipient. It has also been used to monitor health disease activity, such as the spread of influenza (Polgreen, et.al, 2008: Ohno-Machado, 2013). Security cameras can also be viewed through the internet through remote surveillance DVRs that are located in CCTV camera pros (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2014). Control over Personal Information and Privacy The two ICTS have brought about concern concerning control over personal information and privacy in the contexts of their application. The control over gathering and dissemination of personal information in the use of electronic mail and cell phones has become difficult. Most people use phones and the internet without properly securing their private information. Governments monitor their citizens’ communication both on phone and on the internet. Some organizations also monitor their employees via the internet and phone when they are at the workplace. In a survey conducted in America, 91 percent of adults strongly agreed that as consumers, they did not have control over the manner in which their personal information is collected and used by companies through the phone and the internet. This shows that the control over personal information and privacy is not adequately addressed because there exists certain loopholes in these interactive media (Madden, 2014). Conclusion Recent advancements in ICT have significantly affected people in their personal lives and professional lives. Scholars from a variety of disciplines ranging inform sociology, political science, information science, engineering, communication and economics have engaged in studies that investigate the economic and cultural significance of the new sources of information. The new ICTs, for instance cell phones and the worldwide web generate new forms of information that affect people in different way as discussed above. However, issues of the control of personal information and privacy have not been adequately addressed in the use of the ICTs. References Aoki, K., & Downes, E. J. (2003). An analysis of young people’s use of and attitudes toward cell phones. Telematics and Informatics, 20(4), 349-364. 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A typology of information and communication technology users. Human Rights Watch. (2014). Ethiopia: Telecom Surveillance Chills Rights | Human Rights Watch. Retrieved from http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/03/25/ethiopia-telecom-surveillance-chills-rights Kramer, W. J., Jenkins, B., & Katz, R. S. (2007). The role of the information and communications technology sector in expanding economic opportunity. Cambridge, MA: Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Madden, M. (2014). Public Perceptions of Privacy and Security in the Post-Snowden Era | Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/11/12/public-privacy-perceptions/ Ohno-Machado, L. (2013). Health surveillance using the internet and other sources of information. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 20(3), 403-403. Polgreen, P. M., Chen, Y., Pennock, D. M., Nelson, F. D., & Weinstein, R. A. (2008). Using internet searches for influenza surveillance. 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