Tutorial One: Information Technology and Ethical Issues

This first blog is about what information technology is and ethical issues that go with publishing information online, for example privacy issues that go with the social network of Facebook. Information Technology as defined by dictionary.com;

Noun; the development, implementation, and maintenance of computer hardware and software systems to organize and communicate information electronically. Abbreviation: IT

I think this basically explains the communicating and sharing of information over the internet whether it is wiki sites where people share facts that anyone can access or social networking sites where you can communicate with friends and family all over the world. This definition covers software systems most businesses rely on to function and most people in general as the technology world is ever growing.

The internet now is almost impossible to avoid. This type of technology is prevalent in workplaces, for some people it is not about enjoying the newest technology; they do not have a choice except to use it.

I am comfortable using IT because it has been part of life since I was around eight years old. I would not call myself a “computer whiz” but I know enough computer skills to navigate myself around the internet and various software that are a necessity in my tertiary education. On a day-to-day basis I will use sites such as moodle for my studies and various Microsoft office products to write assignments etc. I will use an internet banking site to manage my funds, Facebook to communicate with my friends and family around the world, and my two email accounts- one for my personal use and one for my tertiary studies. I feel like I know enough about how to use each of these sites and software I have mentioned but probably only enough to use them for specific needs. If I had studied an IT class when I was in high school I would have a wider knowledge of using each of these tools and then would perhaps class myself as a “computer whiz”. A purposeful occupation I think would be using my bank’s website to manage my account. This saves me going into the bank or calling them on a phone. Using websites that shops have created can save time shopping researching certain items to buy, even supermarkets are online now.

Privacy is a large ethical implication that arises from social networking sites such as Facebook as anything you share such as pictures or information about yourself, can be seen by people that you may not know. This can be done if your privacy settings are not set as ‘friends only’, however, even if your privacy settings are set as ‘friends only’, friends of friends can sometimes have access to viewing your information. The concept of not owning your own photos that you post on Facebook or other social networks is chilling but casually not thought into because of the website being so large it feels safe. 

References:

Dictionary.com Unabridged

Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.