Unit 3

Chapter 7 Impact of the Internet

1. The Internet
2. Impacts of the Internet on Individuals
3. Online working from Home
4. Impact of the Internet on Organisa?ons
5. Impact of the Internet on Society

1. Impact of the Internet

§ The Internet is one of the most important technological developments in human history.
§ It has posi?ve and nega?ve effects on individuals, organisa?ons and society as a whole.

The Internet
§ The internet is the interconnected network of computers that provides many online services to
users
Benefits of using the Internet
§ To communicate by sharing text, images, video, music and soGware
§ To travel all over the world
§ To distribute and consume goods and services from many different countries

The World wide web

§ The World Wide Web is just one use of the internet.

Protocols
§ Protocols are used by applica?ons to transfer data across the internet

These protocols include:

1. IMAP (internet message access protocol) for email
2. FTP (file transfer protocol) for sending files
3. SSH (secure shell) for secure remote logins
4. VoIP (voice over internet protocol), used for voice cell services like skype
5. XMPP (extensible messaging presence protocol), used for messaging services like WhatsApp
6. HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol), used for the World Wide Web

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2. Impact of the Internet on Individuals
§ The internet has changed how people live and work
§ The internet giving them greater access to
1. Informa?on and services
2. Employment
3. Working Prac?ce
4. Social impact
5. Staying safe online

InformaBon and Services

InformaBon
§ The internet improves users with access to informa?on from news, sport and weather services
§ Informa?on can spread on the internet within seconds, so users have access to the latest news,
sport and weather. This ensures that individuals can be up-to-date at all ?mes.

Before the internet, people could access these services were television or radio.
These channels have some disadvantages and advantages over the internet.

Services
Users can also use the internet to online services such as
§ Access booking systems for travel, leisure and entertainment
§ Do their shopping and banking
§ Study using virtual learning environments (VLEs), with online support from teachers and other
students
Entertainment
§ The internet has also provided a wider range of entertainment,
§ More entertainment providers giving access to on-demand services, movie and music streaming,
downloads and gaming services.

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Employment
The internet has had an impact on individuals’ employment, oGen requiring people to learn new skills
so they can change the way they work.
§ Skill requirements
§ New job opportuni?es as the nature of jobs changes
§ Job losses
Skill requirements
§ Now require employees to use the internet of work, so employees need to learn new skills
For example (Journalist)
§ Journalists used to write ar?cles using a word processor and submit them to their editor for
publica?on.
§ Now the journalists are oGen also required to post and update their stores on social media,
write blogs, send broadcasts from their smartphones and interact with their audience.
For example (Teacher)
§ Similarly, modern teachers must be familiar with the informa?on and services available on the
internet. They can teach their student about them
§ They must also be able to help their students manage the risks that they face in the online world
New jobs OpportuniBes as the Nature of Jobs Changes
§ As the internet changes the work that people do, this provides new job opportuni?es
For example (Plumber)
§ Plumbers have opportuni?es to extend their skills to include these new technologies in their
work
§ As the nature of jobs changes and the use of the internet at work grows, skilled workers are
needed to support this development
Job Losses
§ If employees do not keep upda?ng their skills in the use of the internet, they may not have the
skills required to carry out new work.
§ If they are not willing or able to retain, they could lose their jobs.

Working PracBces
Working prac?ces are the ways in which people carry out the tasks that are part of their jobs.
§ Collabora?ve working
§ Flexible working
CollaboraBve working (Individual person)
§ Collabora?ve working allows work to be done more quickly or done 24 hours a day.
§ Collabora?ve working allows work to be split into a number of individual tasks, each of
which can be done by a different employee.
Benefits
§ Each employee can focus on one task

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 § Employees become experts in their area through experience or training.
Drawbacks
§ Employees do not share their skills and exper?se.
§ Employees have reduced understanding of the whole projects.
CollaboraBve working (more than one person)
§ Collabora?ve working also allows more than one person to work on a task at the same
?me.
Benefits
§ Exper?se is shared
§ Employee can check each other’s work.
Drawbacks
§ It can be difficult for lots of people to agree.
§ It can be difficult to co-ordinate the work of many employees.
Flexible working
§ Flexible working is a way of working that suits an employee’s needs.
§ Such as Work from home and work anywhere
Benefits
§ Employees can work at a ?me of day that is right for them
§ Employees can take breaks whenever they need to
§ Employees can fit their work around their family life
Drawbacks
§ Employees could become exhausted if they work longer hours than expected when
travelling.
§ They may not have access to the same facili?es or resources as employees who only
work in one place.
Social Impact
§ The internet has a huge impact on people socialize, the rise of social media sites such as Facebook
and Twiaer.
Social interacBon
§ The internet allows humans to communicate with any other connected person on the planet,
through online gaming, video, instant messaging, social networking and online spaces for working
and learning.
Drawbacks
§ This is damaging people’s ability to talk to each other and understand each other’s emo?ons.
§ This can affect on young children failing to interact with others face-to-face during the period
in which they develop their ability to understand emo?ons.
Benefits
§ The internet gives users access to a wider community, which can make people more aware of
other cultures and socie?es and can broaden their view of the world.

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 § The internet connects people who think like us or, worse, with people suggested to us by
social network applica?ons.
Cyberbullying
§ Cyberbullying is the term used to describe the use of the internet to send text, images and
mul?media in order to upset or embarrass someone.
§ Bullying exists offline, but online bullying can be equally upsecng or even more distressing than
offline bullying.
§ Online bullies may use hurdul messages or distribute upsecng images of their vic?ms that the
bully may even have edited.
§ Bullies can also isolate their vic?ms by preven?ng them from par?cipa?ng in online events or
discussions, which makes them feel upset and lonely.
§ Bullies who use the internet oGen hide their iden?ty, making the experience even worse for their
vic?m.
§ However, most online communica?on is easily monitored and it is oGen possible to find the bullies
by iden?fying the device which they used.
Physical AcBvity
§ Access to online goods and services means that people do not have to leave the comfort of their
homes to shop, go to the bank or even go to school.
§ It has reduced the need to travel, and this reduced need for physical ac?vity as part of daily life
could have nega?ve effects on people’s health and wellbeing.
§ However, some people would argue that access to some loca?on-based games, such as Pokemon
Go, promotes physical ac?vity.
§ They also argue that the ability to join online communi?es aimed at fitness mo?vates people to
exercise, as users enjoy the encouragement that they can get from other members of the
community.

Staying Safe Online

To stay safe when using the internet, users should follow three main rules:
§ Zip it
§ Block it
§ Flag it
Zip it
§ Keep your personal informa?on private and do not share it with strangers.
§ use privacy secngs on social networks to stop strangers from viewing your profile.
§ use a strong password that you change regularly and never give it to anyone, even your friends.
Block it
§ Always block offensive messages or friend requests from stranger on social networking sites.
§ Do not open suspicious aaachments or links, and you can use safe search filters to reduce the
chance of seeing age-inappropriate content.

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 Flag it
§ You should always tell an adult if something online upsets you or if someone you don’t know
requests to meet you.
§ Users can also report grooming behaviour to na?onal crime agencies.
§ The Virtual Global Taskforce is an interna?onal organiza?on that tries to protect young people
online.
§ Its Report Abuse buaon can be found on many social media sites.
Digital Footprint
§ Your digital footprint is the impression that you leave online.
§ Much of what you share online can be recorded forever, either on archive sites or as backups.
§ Content can be easily viewed by people whom you did not expect to see it.
§ It can also be copied and shared easily, which means that it could become available to more
people than you expect.

Ask yourself the following ques?ons before sharing content online.

§ Would I show this to my parents or grandparents?
§ When I am looking for a job in the future, what will employers think if they see this?
§ Could people misinterpret this, either now or in the future?
§ Am I happy for this to be shared by people that I don’t know?

You can minimize your digital footprint by:

§ Closing your old social media accounts and reques?ng that all archive data is deleted
§ Searching for your own name online and see what informa?on about you is publicly available
§ Asking website owners to remove old content that is out of date, irrelevant or false
§ Reading the terms and condi?ons when you create online accounts, because some services s?ll
have rights over your data even aGer you close your account

3. Online Working from Home

§ Unlike the tradi?onal central office, the internet is decentralized, so it is not controlled by any one
individual or organiza?on.
Benefits of Working from Home
Benefits of individual
§ No need to travel to work so reduces stress caused by public transport delays and saves money
§ Can spend more ?me working or res?ng because they spend less ?me travelling to work.
§ No need to wear uniform or business clothes, which reduces cost.
Drawbacks to individuals
§ May be distrac?ons at home, such as family and leisure ac?vi?es.
§ Suffer from a lack of social interac?on with colleagues.
§ Feel disconnected from the company.

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 Benefits to organizaBons
§ Can aaract a talented, mo?vated workforce.
§ Can employ people who are located anywhere because they do not need to travel.
§ Do not need to buy or rent office space or furniture for employees.
§ Workers may work more effec?vely at home.
Drawbacks to organizaBons
§ May be concerns about data security.
§ May be more difficult to manage and support employees who are not in the
§ Employees working at home might not work as hard.
§ Can be complicated to organise payments and permissions for workers in different countries.

4. Impact of the Internet on Organisa>ons

The internet has had a significant impact on organisa?ons as well as on individuals.
Many of its effects on organisa?ons have been

PosiBve Impacts
Improved communicaBon
§ Organisa?ons can communicate and interact with their customers and employees more easily and
in real-?me using email, instant messaging and social media.

Access to Global Markets

§ The internet has made it easier for organisa?ons to adver?se and sell to customers in countries
around the world.

Access to Global Workforce

§ organisa?ons can employ people in other countries
§ organisa?ons can be more selec?ve when hiring employees
§ organisa?on can make use of different skills and ?me zones
§ For example, three teams in three different ?me zones can cover all 24 hours in one day by working
three shiGs of eight hours (3 × 8 = 24).

How InformaBon is Managed and Used

§ Organisa?ons can make use of big data to understand the behaviour of their customers, improve
the customer experience and make their processes more efficient.
For example, (The use of social media posts)
§ A computer game retailer gathers large amount of data from analysing social media posts,
web browsing paaerns.
Another example (The use of weather data)

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 § Processing weather data allows organisa?ons to understand how different types of weather
can affect their services.
§ Supermarkets can use the data to change the number of products or staff they will need.
§ Energy suppliers can use it to calculate how many people will need hea?ng.
§ Governments can use it to predict and warn people of extreme weather events, which could
protect property and save lives.

NegaBve Impacts
Security Issues
§ The data stored by organisa?ons is oGen private and valuable.
§ If data is stored in a central loca?on, it can be physically secured by walls, locks, alarms and security
guards
However, employees oGen work from home. They do so use three methods:
§ transferring a copy of the organisa?on's data to home via email
§ providing remote access to the data by using a VPN
§ storing data on another company's servers and providing access to that data.
Each of these methods means that the data is being accessed by an unauthorised user than it
remained in a central loca?on.

There are three main ways in which unauthorised users can gain access to systems.
1. Authorised users reveal their login details, such as
§ by losing paper copies of their login details,
§ by saving their login details to a computer that they lose,
§ being pressured into telling someone their details or having passwords which are easy to
guess.
§ Organisa?ons have policies that help employees to understand and manage these risks.

2. Unauthorised users intercept the data, either

§ as it is transferred over the internet from the organisa?on to the employee's computer
§ as it is transferred within the employee's LAN aGer it has been transferred via the internet
(WAN).
§ Organisa?ons oGen use encrypBon to secure data when it is transferred using the internet,
which protects data even if it is intercepted for more informa?on about encryp?on.

3. Unauthorised users hack into the organisa?on's systems.

3. To prevent access to their systems from the internet, organisa?ons use authenBcaBon,
firewalls and intrusion detecBon systems (anB-malware).

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 Greater CompeBBon
In the past, organiza?on usually competed with other organiza?ons their local area or their own
country.
However, the use of the internet means that organisa?ons must now compete in a global marketplace.
Large organisa?ons can also become less aarac?ve to customers because they may be less flexible
than small online businesses.
Some types of organizaBons have been put at risks due to the internet for the trade and distribu?on
of goods and services.
§ Music and film retailers have been threatened by the increased use of online downloads and
streaming.
§ DVD rental companies have more people now watch films online.
§ Newspaper publishers and television broadcasters have had to adapt because individuals have a
greater choice and more convenient access to news and informa?on services online.
§ Postal services have been nega?vely affected by people's ability to send messages and digital
media instantly.

5. Impact of the Internet on Society

The Causes of Unequal Access to ICT
§ Access to informa?on and communica?on technology (ICT) is not equal.
§ The difference between those with technology and those without is oGen referred to as the digital
divide.
§ People's access to ICT can be affected by a number of factors.
§ Economy and infrastructure
§ Loca?on
§ Poli?cs
§ Religion
§ Disability
§ Social factors
Economy and infrastructure:
§ Countries with advanced economies can afford to invest in the infrastructure required to
provide access to networks and the internet.
§ In countries with emerging and developing economies, governments may priori?se other
needs, such as food and healthcare, rather than access to digital technologies
LocaBon:
§ People may not be able to access online systems in remote loca?ons.
§ For example, in rural areas or loca?ons where wireless signals or cabling cannot reach, such
as heavily forested and mountainous areas.

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 PoliBcs:
§ Governments that want to control access to informa?on can either prevent or reduce access
to the internet for their ci?zens.
§ Some governments do not allow people to visit certain websites or content from other
countries.
§ Other governments have banned people from using satellite receivers so that they cannot
access television or radio broadcasts from countries with cultural influences they disagree
with.
Religion:
§ Some religions ban access to certain technologies.
§ For example, Old Order Amish communi?es in the United States of America do not use radio,
television or the internet.
Disability:
§ If digital devices are not designed to be inclusive, people with disabili?es can find accessing
technology more difficult and may have to rely on adapta?ons to be able to use ICT.
Social factors:
§ In every region of the world, social factors such as age, gender, educa?on and income affect
people's ability to access ICT.

The Impact of Limited or No Access to Digital Technologies

§ If an individual or community has limited or no access to digital technologies, they have less access
to communica?on with other people.
Drawbacks
§ This makes them more isolated and can reduce their understanding of different cultures.
§ It also
§ reduces the availability of goods and services,
§ affec?ng people's ability to find good deals entertainment,
§ reducing people's access to popular culture educa?on,
§ reducing people's employment opportuni?es.
Benefits
§ However, some people argue that limited or no access to digital technologies builds stronger
communi?es, because it increases the amount of ?me that people within the community
spend with each other in person.

The Impact of Less Restricted Access to Networks

§ Less restricted access to networks has had an impact on a number of elements of society.
§ Because social media and video streaming services like YouTube® have enabled people to
broadcast their own messages and interact with global audiences.

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The Gap between InformaBon Rich and InformaBon Poor
§ People who are informa?on rich have good access to informa?on, improves their level of
educa?on and enhances their ability to make decisions.
§ People who are informa?on poor have reduced access to informa?on, decreases their educa?on
and reduces their ability to make decisions.
§ The informa?on gap existed before the internet, because some people had more access than
others to informa?on from television, newspapers and books.

The Impact on the Internet on Changes in Ways of Socializing

§ As people increase their use of the internet,
§ they spend more ?me in the virtual world than the real world
§ affected the way that people think and their ability to form rela?onships with others
§ can connect with people around the world whom they have never met

§ However, it can also cause people to become isolated from their own families and local
communi?es because they spend most of their ?me looking at the screens of their digital devices.
§ For example, having friends' and family's status updates sent directly to you means that you no
longer have to ask them what they are doing.
§ Some people have argued that social media makes friendship meaningless, because on social
media even complete strangers can be labelled 'friends'.

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 Summary
1. The Internet
2. Impacts of the Internet on Individuals
3. Online working from Home
4. Impact of the Internet on Organisa?ons
5. Impact of the Internet on Society

1. Impact of the Internet

§ The Internet
§ Benefits of using the Internet
§ The World wide web
§ Protocols

2. Impact of the Internet on Individuals

§ Informa?on and services
§ Employment
§ Working Prac?ce
§ Social impact
§ Staying safe online
Informa>on and Services
§ Informa?on
§ Services
§ Entertainment
Employment
§ Skill requirements
§ New job opportuni?es as the nature of jobs changes
§ Job losses
Working Prac>ces
§ Collabora?ve working (Individual person)
§ Benefits
§ Drawbacks
§ Collabora?ve working (more than one person)
§ Benefits
§ Drawbacks
§ Flexible working
§ Benefits
§ Drawbacks

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 Social Impact
§ Social interac?on
§ Drawbacks
§ Benefits
§ Cyberbullying
§ Physical Ac?vity

Staying Safe Online

To stay safe when using the internet, users should follow three main rules:
§ Zip it
§ Block it
§ Flag it
§ Digital Footprint

3. Online Working from Home

§ Benefits of Working from Home
§ Benefits of individual
§ Drawbacks to individuals
§ Benefits to organiza?ons
§ Drawbacks to organiza?ons

4. Impact of the Internet on Organisa>ons

§ Improved communica?on
§ Posi?ve Impacts
§ Access to Global Markets
§ Access to Global Workforce
§ How Informa?on is Managed and Used
§ Nega?ve Impacts of the Internet on Individual
§ Security Issues
§ Greater Compe??on
§ Risks due to the internet for the trade and distribu?on of goods and services
§ Nega?ve Impacts of the Internet on Organisa?ons
§ Security Issues
§ Greater Compe??on

5. Impact of the Internet on Society

The Causes of Unequal Access to ICT
§ People's access to ICT can be affected by a number of factors.
§ Economy and infrastructure
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 § Loca?on
§ Poli?cs
§ Religion
§ Disability
§ Social factors
§ The Impact of Limited or No Access to Digital Technologies
§ Drawbacks
§ Benefits
§ The Impact of Less Restricted Access to Networks
§ The Gap between Informa?on Rich and Informa?on Poor
§ The Impact on the Internet on Changes in Ways of Socializing

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