Why is Information Technology Important - Essay Example

Information Technology Introduction Information Technology can be defined as the set of the tools, processes and also methodologies (like coding or programming, communication of data, conversion of data, storage and retrieval, analysis of the systems and design, control system)and equipment that are associated with information collection, processing and its presentation. Information Technology includes the office automation, telecommunications and multimedia. Information technology can also be defined as the study, design, development, support of the implementation and computer based information systems management. Information Technology also relates to computer hardware and software applications. Information Technology deal with the use of computers software and electronics to convert and store the information as well as protect, process and transmit the same information with security. Information Technology is also the term to refers to all forms of technology that is used to create, store and even exchange as well as utilizing information in its various forms including the business data, still images, conversations, multimedia and motion presentations (Ezine articles, 2008). Information Technology is a technology that is of general purpose. It is a main resource of the organizations human and capital resources. Labor was the most important resource in the agricultural age, this changed in the industrial age to capital being the vital resource. It is believed that in the post industrial age, information will be most significant resource. There are several forces that are making it responsible for the role of information to change in various organizations. These include intense competition from other organizations forcing organizations to be more effective and efficient. Globalization of the Business operations is also another factor that is making the role of the information and technology to change, this is mainly due to change of procurement, manufacturing and also marketing operations that require the use of the information and technology to reduce the space and time barriers. The organizational changes and also technology revolution are other forces that influence the role of information technology. Effects of Information and Technology Information Technology has really changed the way we think drastically, the way we live and also the environment in which we live in. It has changed the whole range of the political, economic, social and also cultural phenomena’s. The information and technology is the key aspect for globalization and also dynamic change of human existence as being the key by product of present globalization of the information technology globalization. The information and technology has to some extent changed the way the groups are developing and even the way they are being formed. This is mainly because of the extended utilization of the technology. People are now moving towards forming the groups on the internet and forgetting the groups that they meet in places, they are rather forming groups that are connected globally through the internets. The way people used to meet and know each other face to face forming groups has now changed very much and they now meet and chat in the internets forming various groups of friends without necessarily meeting each other face to face (Buzzle.com, 2009). The use of the information and technology has made many people to diversify the means of knowing other people. It is not necessarily for people to meet at a point so as to know each other. It is only a matter of communicating with another person who is not even of the family or same region and even who is not well known to him. The growth and also development of websites like face book, twitter and others have made a tendency of people forming groups of friends who they communicate with through the internet. The young generations are being affected a lot by these websites and in general the growth, development and change of the information and technology have led this to be diversified to even old generations. The way young people used to meet as age groups and discus various issue while interacting has changed a lot. Young people no longer met in the places to discuss the issues that affect them. The young people do not met in the social places as they were doing in the earlier period or time. Nowadays young people meet, talk and share the information on the internet; they no longer meet face to face. This rapid growth and development of the information and technology has made young people to meet and even from the groups through the internet with people from very far countries who they do not even end up meeting (Jagdish, 1994). This can be compared to the past where the young people mainly used to know the friends and form groups from only those who are around the areas where they live. They are various problems that are associated with these ways of interacting and forming these internet groups. These groups only involves interacting with other people you do not meet face to face or physically, this means that you cannot share some information or even problems as to that extent when one is talking face to face with another person. There is a lot of things that have changed from the growth and the development of the information technology that affect the group formation among the young people. The young generations have stopped relying on those who are their immediate neighbors for friendship and other help. They now mainly focus on those friends who are in the internets and also trying to get all the information and solutions from the internets with out even trying to consult other people who are around them. This aspect of group formation and interaction has totally been changed by the growth and the development of the information and technology. This may not change very soon but in fact this may become even more complex to the coming generations. The growth and the development of the information technology have made a very wide gap of the culture difference between the older generation and young generation. Most of the society cultures have been forgotten and are even being done away with as the technology continues to change. Most young people have declined to rely on their old people for some information and even guidance but they merely depend on the internet. The internet or rather the information and technology has been made to be a source for everything by the young generation (Mario, 2002). All that information they need is looked in the internet. They don’t mind whether their parents or those who are supposed to guide or give them information are around or not. This has mainly been caused by the rapid growth and development of the information technology. Most of the young people have forgotten their culture and they do not even mind when they do against it as they believe and rely on the internet for the information and other sources of the modern information (Jorge & Terry, 1995). The moral aspect of the society has also changed significantly because of they technology. The young people have been exposed very much to the immoral information due to the significant change of the information and technology. Most young generation has become very much immoral mainly due to lack of enough guidance from their parents or other people responsible in the society. This has become impossible due to lack of time by them as they spend most of their time in the computers and the internet. This has mainly contributed a lot to their exposure in the things that are against their culture. The issue of pornographic has been on the lime light due to increased exposure to the young generation when they become more and more exposed to the internet or to the upcoming information and technology. Many young people whose their religion culture and believes are very strict have gone to a way of trying to evade them by actually visiting those internet sites while they are hiding or when nobody is actually noting them. This is very much unlike or it differs from the ancient times beliefs and to an extent contradicting their cultural beliefs. This rapid growth and development of the information and technology has made a lot of young generation to change their way of culture and the beliefs. This is due to high belief of the information and technology hence forgetting their culture. This has change of the information and technology has overpowered the cultural beliefs of many people in the society. The culture among many people who are being influenced by the change of the information and the technology have forgotten their main culture and beliefs and rather they have formed a similar culture which is almost similar to the one of their friends. A habit is rising or coming out where people are being joined together by the technology and they end up having a similar culture group or even behaviors or even activities. This makes the ancestral or original culture to be forgotten all the same and people end up forming their own cultural groups based on the modern technology. This growth and development of the information and technology is actually making the traditional culture to become obsolete and it is very likely that with time it will be forgotten. Everything that one needs is provided for by the information and technology hence the people have turned their way and means of getting the information towards the technology and not from the experts or the consultancies. The information is usually gotten from the internets which have gone very far in providing the information that is needed (Marios, 2009). The various cultural ways that was usually used for recreation and interaction by many societies are no more being used. The development of information and technology has made those various ways that were used as ways of interacting to be forgotten or be done away with and inactive ways to be adopted by the upcoming generations. The various activities like dancing; playing games and even giving of the guidance that were used as ways of socializing in the past are no longer being used and have all been replaced by the internet or computers. All these have been replaced by computer games and music hence most of the children are who stay at homes with their computers and they do not go out to interact with the other children. These are some of the diverse changes that have been brought about by the rapid growth and development of the information and technology. The cultural difference that used to exist between the tribes is vanishing day by day. This is being replaced by a common modern culture mainly by those people who have become exposed to the upcoming technologies. The modern common culture has been created where people are interacting through the internet. The people are forming the groups which they interacting through rather than then clans which initially used to join people together (Martin, 1996). The traditional clans are day by day being eliminated by the modern groups of friends who are mainly getting to know each other through the internet. Sense of place is one of the characteristics that are displayed by the people who are congruent with the local identity. The sense of the place is a sense of beauty and also the phenomena wealth that comprise a particular place. The sense of the place makes the environment psychologically comfortable. There are several variables of a sense of the place; they include the legibility, the setting compatibility with the human purposes and the perception of as well as the preference for the visual environment. The growth and the development of the information and technology have to a great extent influenced the sense of place. Many people have been made their sense of place to be associated with the rise of the information and technology. Many people nowadays want to be associated with a particular type of information and technology which is modern. This may include the computers or even other upcoming technologies. The previous sense of being associated with a certain environment like the land or even the ones relatives has changed to the sense of the technologies. People are nowadays being associating themselves with technologies like the computers, phones and others like blue tooth iPods. All those have occupied people’s minds and they do not longer bother to know what other factors that surround them (Ogunsola, 2005). People do not longer associate themselves with the surrounding things but they have become absolutely been possessed by the upcoming new technologies. This has totally changed people’s minds of possession and their sense of being associated with the immediate environment. People have become so obsessed by the technologies that they do not even think of improving their surrounding environment. The rise of the information technology is being used nowadays by many people to reducer the poverty as well as enhancing the living standards of the community. This has made many people forget the other surrounding factors which are of the age. These do not help in solving some of the current problems hence the use of the information and technology being used by many. For example the use of the phone to communicate has been used by many people. The usage of the internet to obtain solutions has also been the preference of most people. The sense of being associated with the electronic equipment has been used by many people as their immediate surrounding environment (States plan, 2007). This has totally changed the person’s sense of place or even of identity due to the growth and development of the information and technology. Conclusion The development and growth of the information and technology has changed various aspects of the people and the society as a whole. It has brought about various changes to the peoples life’s as well as their ways of living. The people’s beliefs and the culture have changed very much due to the growing information and technology. Children have changed their ways of interacting and also the ways of their moral behaviors due to the exposure to the upcoming technology. The traditional ways of teaching, communication and even interaction as well as other aspects have totally taken a different view due to this abruptly growing technology. Human beings sense of place, cultural differences and groups formation are even about to change even more as the technology takes a new aspect. The old beliefs and cultures may be forgotten after sometimes due to the overwhelming culture. References Buzzle.com. (2009, July). Why is Information Technology important? Retrieved Jan 19, 2010, from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/why-is-information-technology-important.html Ezine articles. (2008). definition of information and technology. Journal of globalization and technology, 25(5), 85-94. Jagdish N. (1994, Feb). Strategic importance of information Technology. Retrived Jan 19, 2010, from http://www.jagsheth.net/docs/Strategic%20Importance%20of%20Information%20Techn ology.pdf Jorge, R., & Terry, C. (1995). Tendencies and tensions of the information age: the production and distribution of information in the United States. Washington: Transaction Publishers. Mario, S. (2002). Latin American perspectives on globalization: ethics, politics, and alternatives visions. London: Rowan & Littlefield. Marios, A. W. (2009). Definition of information technology. Entrepreneur, information Technology, 265(2), 54-59. Martin, W. (1996). From care to action: making a sustainable world. New York: Taylro & Francis. Ogunsola, L. A. (2005). Information and communication Technologies and the effects of Globalization. Journal of information Technology, 256(4), 1-2. States plan. (2007, June). Information Technology: Growth and development strategy. Retrieved Jan 19, 2010, from http://planningcommission.gov.in/plans/stateplan/sdr_punjab/sdrpun_ch13.pdf Read More