Ethics and Computing: Living Responsibly in a Computerized World - Essay Example

Student Name: Instructor’s Name: Title: Reflective Essay: I T Ethics Course: Institution: Reflective Essay I T Ethics IT ethics has changed my perspective and perception on social networking and its impact to the current world. The social impact of information technology has been enormous. Different stakeholders have a role to play in maintaining ethical standards in the Information Technology field. I had already read about cyber crimes and how hackers used their IT knowledge to frustrate other users. I knew that the goal of the government in reducing cyber crimes and role of censorship to avoid exposure of underage users to adult materials like pornography. My comprehension could not go beyond the superficial meaning of ethical behavior in the IT realm. I was naïve in many aspects as far as safety is concerned. I was in anticipation mood as I registered to pursue this course and my desire has been adequately addressed. I understood that IT professional had a role to play in establishment of ethical standards, but I could not exactly place how they got involved in the whole affair. This course made me realize how IT experts played a role in the implementation of codes of ethics that are currently used in the field. I previously assumed that it was the role of the government to ensure that its people were safe and not exposed to any IT unethical actions. I realized that it was very difficult for the government to police everyone due to the anonymity that accompanies social networking (Bynum & Rogerson, 2004). It is the responsibility of the social networking users to contribute to their own safety by the help of the IT professional and the government. A colossal amount of information is being exchanged on social media everyday and thus making it had for many people to understand how they should behave. The previously set ethical standards cannot keep pace with the developments that are happening in the IT world. Information technology has seen tremendous development over the past few years. This trend requires that all users should be quick to be informed of any IT developments. The internet has transformed communication. I learnt many things in a variety of ways. The class assignments that were gave me an opportunity to read widely on the topic and understand how different stakeholders have a role to play in ensuring their own safety when using IT services. The class discussions were interesting, and I came learn a lot about the perspective of my fellow students on the subject of ethics in IT. The course instructor was very engaging and persuasive throughout the lectures. I found myself hanging on every word that he said as I nodded my head in agreement. I did not hesitate to ask a question whenever I felt I was discontented. Further readings gave me a wider perspective on ethics in the IT realm. My colleague played a big role in ensuring that I understood the discussions in class. I developed my interpersonal skills further and made many new friends through interacting in class and outside class. It dawned on me that as simple as it sounds, IT ethics is a subject that has a lot of significance to any nation that wants to attain a knowledge-based economy through an informed society. IT experts have to place control measures that will ensure safety to all the users of IT services in this era where IT plays an important role in almost every ones life. It is important that users have to be sensitized on the best use of IT services without compromising their privacy and safety. IT experts have to take a leading role in enhancing safe use of IT services. It was fascinating to learn the details of what IT ethics entails and what it means for every stakeholder in the IT realm. The previous set ethical standards have been found to be waning in meaning and application as IT use moves to another sophisticated level. I expected to learn about ethical use of IT and how it applies to various fields in the world. I also looked forward to getting to know how unethical characters can be stopped and available channels for legal redress in case of social networking harassment like bullying. I learnt more than I expected and by the end of the course, I had a better perception of IT ethics than before. The impact that social networking has had on the set ethical standard has been retrogressive. The advanced use in the internet has changed the manner in which communication is done and has rendered the old standard inadequate thus exposing users to new levels of risk. Increase in the use of social media networking has equally doubled the presence of malicious users found on these sites. The anonymity that is provided on the social media gives a chance for people with ill motives to take advantage of other innocent users. The goal of ethical standards establishment is to ensure sustainability in the IT sector and safety of the users. The course gave me an opportunity to learn about what green information systems entails and its role in the society today. IT professionals have a role to play in enhancing the safety of users. They are in a position of detecting cyber crimes and potential target users of social networking. IT professionals have to give advice that is sufficient on the use of social media. Green IT is largely concerned on equipment utilization and energy efficiency. The challenges that IT poses to the environment cannot be overlooked. IT has a contribution to the global warming effect through IT related overhead, toxic waste, and greenhouse gas emission from energy consumption. I was interested in understanding ways that are used to mitigate the challenges to environmental sustainability in IT. I learnt that using energy efficient disk and chips drive is one way of dealing with the effects of global warming through reduction of energy waste. The personal computers have to be replaced by thin clients which are energy efficient. It was also noted that virtualization software can be used to run multiple operating system. Energy resources that are renewable have to be encouraged while at the same time data center energy consumption has to be reduced (Bowyer, 2000). The goal of green IT is to ensure that there is sustainability through good use of the available energy resources. The use of real illustration of Green IT gave me a clear picture of what the subject real means and what can be done to improve the prevailing circumstances. The role of organization in reducing operational emissions and other waste product was pointed out as one of the ways sustainability can be achieved. The challenges that IT poses to the environment makes it imperative for IT professional to encourage and engage in activities that will lead to realization of sustainability. Sustainability is also part of ethical behavior that users of IT have to pay attention to. The reality of eminence of depletion of available resources is a good reason that should make everybody be concerned about the future generation and what can be done to avoid wastage. Whatever I have learnt in this course has transformed my perception on the whole issue of IT ethics. I have come to realize that personal effort is highly required in ensuring the safety of users of IT services. The advice given by IT professionals has to be taken seriously if anyone cares about his safety and privacy when using social media networking sites. Although twitter and Facebook have transformed connectivity through social networking, they have also exposed users to a high degree of abuse by other malicious users. As people appreciate the role that social media has done in improving life especial in advertising and event organization, they should not ignore the challenges that are accompanied by these developments. I have also realized I have to be extra careful with anyone I relate with on the social media. Personal actions expose someone to abuse by bullies on social media like Facebook. In future IT ethics will require setting of stringent rules and use of harsh penalties in an effort to curb the abuse of IT services. IT service users will have to be educated on the importance of personal safety and what risks ones exposes himself to due to careless behavior. Governments will have to intervene and set out rules that will govern social media networking in order to avoid exploitation of innocent users by fraudsters. School syllabuses will have to include IT ethics as one of the important taught subject to sensitize the people at an early age on the importance of safety and privacy in IT. The malicious users of IT services are also expected to change their tactics and adopt more sophisticated means of taking advantage of informed and genuine users. This course was an eye-opener in my life and it will remain imprinted in my mind for my own good. Bibliography Bowyer, K W., 2000, (ed) Ethics and computing: living responsibly in a computerized world/edited by Kevin W. Bowyer IEEE Press, New York. Bynum, T W. & Rogerson, S., 2004, (eds) Computer ethics and professional responsibility, Blackwell, Malden MA. Read More