Civil Liberties

Civil Liberties

Civil Liberties are the basic rights of the human race; it includes the freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freed from arbitrary arrest and so on. With the increasing domination of the internet, acts have had to be enforced to protect the rights that we are entitled to. With the internet becoming a bigger part of businesses etc it is essential that acts are put in place to protect and monitor data they withhold.

Data

Data is stored online in every company about every customer and everyone who works for them. This information should be kept private and people should have confidence in who has their data. Data subjects have rights, they have the right to refuse any data on them being stored in a corporation or firm if it will cause them damage or distress. Data subjects also have the right to refuse to allow processing for direct marketing i.e. junk mail. Data subjects also have the right see what data is being held about them if they ask the data user, and can also change the data if they know it is wrong. If the data held about them is wrong they can also to the data commission if they think the rules have been broken. If they have proven that the data on them is wrong they can claim compensation that has been caused by the data controller.

Data Protection Act

Data Protection Act has was put in place in 1998; it sets out to protect the privacy of personal information. However the act only covers personal information about living individuals, not the information of businesses. The act covers data stored on computers or in a paper-based filing system. It allows you to see what data is being held by you, the act is run by the Information Commissioner’s office.

Any organisation holding data has to have a data controller, they make sure that the act is enforced. The data controller has to notify the Information Commissioner on several things: What data they want to store, what they want to us the data for, how long they will keep the data and finally who they might pass it on to. These are points that are often the starting points of an offense. An organisation holding data also has to agree to follow the eight Data Protection principles (http://dataprotectionact.org/1.html).

However there are exemptions to the act. When the national security is at stake you cannot demand to see your data and if you are under police investigation you are not allowed to see the data being used as evidence etc. Another example is examination results which are not allowed to be seen by anyone before the publication of the exam board.

Surveillance Society

We are living in what many people call the surveillance society; many people think that there is too much CCTV. The UK has the most amount of CCTV in the world, to put this into perspective there are 8 cities in the UK that have more CCTV cameras than Paris. There is a lot of debate as to whether having a lot of CCTV cameras is a good thing. Many people like CCTV’s because of the security that they give us as many people have them on their houses etc. CCTV cameras are nearly everywhere now, they are in schools, at work and even in toilets. CCTV allows us to monitor and keep confidence and security in business and schools. However there is a cause for concern, CCTV does not come under the data protection act so a person can put a camera wherever they like, which can mean the power and security can be abused and used for the wrong reasons.

Other Aspects

Innocent people’s civil liberties can be damaged, to catch criminals we have to make data accessible; however this means that the innocent’s data is also accessible. Some of our data is also in the public domain this is why we get things like junk mail, companies will buy peoples addresses and this makes our data even more accessible and public. There are many things that people should keep to themselves and never give out over the internet for example your date of birth, card details etc. Many people have had found false data about them on the internet, this has become a great problem but can be prevented. People need to be more aware of the rights that they actually have on the online world. Our civil liberties are going to be more and more under threat as we are all data and they older we get the more data we have on us.

My opinion on Civil Liberties

Personally I think that it is important to make sure that any data anyone has about you is kept in confidence. I think that it’s also important that people who their rights and enforce them wherever they may need to do so, whilst also limiting the amount of data that they proved to others. I also think that having lots of CCTV cameras is important,  it’s an easy way to provide hard evidence and makes me feel a lot safer when I see a camera because I feel in a way that I am not alone and that I am being protected in a sense by just being video recorded. 

Crime and Crime Prevention

Crime and Crime Prevention

IT has had a great impact on the Crime and Crime Prevention around the world. The use of IT to prevent crime has made many urban areas safer and has made crime easier to target for the police force. However it has presented many problems, as IT has giving us the ability to assist in solving crime but has also fuelled the ability to commit crimes.

 

Crime Prevention

With the aid of IT many crimes have been quickly solved. It has given us the ability to assist in solving crimes, technology has advanced so much that we are able to track down criminals quickly and provide hard evidence with the help of IT. A few examples of how IT has assisted crime prevention below.

Forensics

The first example is finger print scanning which has meant that there has been a great leap in identifying criminals and preventing them from travelling abroad etc. Although finger print identification has been around for a long time it has not provided as much information as it does now. After the persons finger print has been

scanned all of their data now appears, any previous criminal records or even where they have been in the world is now available due to the advances in finger print technology.

Another advance in IT that has changed crime prevention is face recognition and E-fit, this type of IT has helped to track down criminals with the recognition of their faces globally. Police around the world have been able to quickly find and identify criminals wherever they may be. E-fit has meant that after a person has been missing for a long time they are able to make a representation of what they predict the person may look like after so many years. This has helped find people as the images have been presented to the public globally and the E-fit images have been a true representation of what the missing person looks like. This has helped the police track down and pick out exactly where the missing person may be, or even to keep people aware of the people around them and be able to identify the missing person.

 

Crime Prevention on the road

IT has helped keep a limit on the crimes committed on the road, firstly we now have cameras on motorways and in urban areas; some even have cameras in their own cars. The cameras have allowed police to quickly identify those committing a criminal offense on the road, they are able to quickly identify the number plate and track down any records that there may be on the car or car owner. Where there are a lot of car accidents cameras are put in place to identify who are the innocent and have made court cases provide harder evidence to help the innocent and prosecute the guilty. In urban areas as well it has prevented a lot of people being able to get away with car accidents as they are identified on the cameras and can be found easily.

Cameras have also become popular to be put in a person’s own car, as video footage provides hard evidence when an accident may occur and stops people trying to falsely accuse a driver of causing an accident.

 

Police also now carry breathalysers on them to prevent drunk drivers from being able to stay on the road and it has also prevented a lot of accidents that may have been caused by a drunk driver. The police officers can easily tell the driver to take a 60 second test and are quickly able to detect drunk drivers. Police officers can also quickly identify drivers which are speeding by having radar guns which can measure how fast a driver is going and they are able to quickly identify and catch the drivers. Another advance that has helped with stopping drivers speeding is speed cameras which have made an increasing presence over the UK in the past few years, they measure the speed of every driver that goes past and if the driver is exceeding the limits they take a picture of the offender number plate and send them a fine.

 

Prevention of Theft

IT has also helped prevent theft in shops. Most retail shops now have security tags on their items which can only be de tagged with the aid of a really strong magnet. If a person tries to leave the shop with the security tag still on alarms will go off and the security of the precinct will be alerted of an alleged robbery. To also assist in finding who the person was, most shops also have security cameras at the tills, at the entry and exit also in the changing rooms which is where most robberies take place.

 

Other Aspects of IT and Crime Prevention

 

IT has also assisted in preventing crime with things such as databases which hold information on every criminal in the UK and worldwide, they are able to instantly find out any information other need on a person’s previous records if any.  Police are now also able to track calls that are being made, this has helped in prevent drug trafficking and tracking the calls of people who may be planning terrorist attacks. They are easily able to find the persons location and track their every move through their mobile phones.

 

Police are now able to keep criminals under their surveillance without them being in the prison itself. They have created a tagging system; this allows the police to track the criminal without actually being with them or being able to see them. They can make sure that the criminal is behaving and that they are where they should be at certain times.

 

The prevention of hacking and pretence has been a more recent advance. Software has been put in place to prevent and stop people form be able to hack into secret informational and form bugging an important system. Pretence has also been restricted as on many websites now to order something you have to prove ht you are human.

 

Crime instigated by IT

Although many crimes are now prevented with the aid of IT, many crimes have been instigated by IT. IT has caused great problems and has been the start of new, clever and more developed types of crimes which are becoming progressively bigger and harder to prevent.  IT has created more opportunity for crime to be committed.

 

Firstly hacking has become a huge problem, as it is done over the internet it is hard for the police to track down and find the culprit. Hacking can be done instantly and have a huge impact, they can often not be prevented of even reversed. An example of this is when Playstation was hacked. A hacker was able to obtain the personal information of all the users on the Playstation network. This hack was not able to be reversed and many had to make new accounts, Sony also had to invest in more hacking prevention software and employ technicians.

 

Another crime instigated by IT is Cyber bullying, with people being able to hide behind their online identities many have been victims of mental and verbal abuse over the internet. Social media has become a fuel to bullying and hate towards others. Young people have even taken their own lives due to the constant abuse they receive over the internet.

 

IT has also allowed many to steal data that is not theirs. They are able to get onto systems that they do not own and take information that is not rightly theirs. This has allowed many to be a victims of fraud and many have lost a lot of money or information that should be kept secret or out of the public eye.

 

IT has also lead to a lot of piracy; people are able to copy downloadable music or films going and sell them on to other people illegally. Many forget that when they buy music or a film it is not theirs to sell on, if they do so they are committing a crime. However it is very hard to prevent this as it is easily done and cannot be easily tracked. This also leads me onto my next point which is illegal downloads, it I very easy for a person to now go onto the internet and download an MP3 file or even a film without anyone knowing. Websites have been made for the purpose of allowing people to illegally download things without paying any money.

 

A more common crime is phishing; many people are scammed as they believe that the email that has been sent to them is a true message from a company that they have a connection with i.e. the bank, insurance etc. The Emails are cleverly designed and look exactly like who the person perceives them to be, many people will give away personal and private information over an email which can be use d to get into their bank accounts.

 

My own experience

 

My family has experienced several problems instigated by IT. Firstly my parents were victims of phishing when they received an email form a company claiming to be their insurance company, they were requesting money and other things. My parents were a little suspicious but the link to the website and the layout of the Email was a replica of that of the real one. However to be sure they rang their insurance company and they said that they and never sent out an E-mail requesting money, they also mentioned that many other people had experienced the same thing and that they were trying to find out who the culprit was. Another example is when a member of my family had ordered tickets for a concert off of a website, when the tickets arrived they looked exactly how they should have, however when they arrived at the venue the organisers told them that the tickets were not valid and they were sent home.

In my household we do have a few ways of preventing crime by using IT., for example all of our laptops and computers have virus protection on them i.e. Norton. We also have cameras in certain places around the house, when we go on holiday my parents like to know that everything was safe when we were away.  

Entertainment in the Information Age

Technology has changed the way the Entertainment industry is run and used, entertainment in the Information Age is revolved around the great changes in technology.  How we spend our free time is dictated by the entertainment industry, technology is nearly always included in what we do when we want to relax or even be active. A few examples of these are when going for a run people now use data trackers instead of just enjoying the breathe of fresh air or how many of the films we now watch

 are dominated by CGI.

 Music in the Information Age 

One of the biggest ways that entertainment has changed is the change of technology in the music industry; music is one of the biggest forms of entertainment and is used by many nearly every day. Firstly th

e way we listen to music has changed, first came vinyl’s which took up lots of room and were easily scratched and not compact enough to walk around with. Then came the cassette which was portable and meant you could walk around and listen to music privately, however the amount of music you could listen to was limited. Thus came the revolution of the CD, which again changed the music entertainment as people were
able to listen to the CD portably and would be able to have a whole album on one disc, this proved a lot more popular than a vinyl or cassette which is proven by the stat that in 2000 92.3% of music was listened to on a CD and a mere 0.2% was listened to on vinyl. After the CD came the downloadable versions of music which again made music even more portable and meant that people could store a lot more music in one place and listen to them wherever they liked.

Secondly the way that music has been produced has changed, most songs and albums are recorded in the producing studios which change the whole way that music is heard. The music is now generally auto tuned by computers and can make a person who sings terribly sound like a star. The music is not as raw and the general beats and backing tracks are computer produced with artificial sounds and affects. Commonly the ones who use a huge amount of auto tune do appallingly when doing live shows so their careers are short lived, unless they lip sing every show they do. There are very few raw bands or artists, but when people find them they esteem and praise them for their raw honesty and are looked upon as sort of gods in the music industry. Such artists are the likes of Ed Sheeran, who use a simple guitar and voice to engage the audience.

Film in the Information Age 

Another type of entertainment that has changed is film, films used to be made with hundreds of cast members and very limited CGI was used however now films seem to be dominated by CGI and when a film has been produced without even a little bit of CGI it comes to a surprise to those in the information age. An example of this is Christopher Nolan’s film Interstellar which was a great surprise to everyone as he used no CGI throughout the film and graced in the art of sets and extras. The film industry has quickly incorporated a lot of technology and is increasingly using more.

TV in the Information Age 

The screens of which we watch much of our entertainment on have also changed. The introduction of the flat screen was the first big step in the advances of the TV; it meant that we were able to watch the TV on a larger screen that didn’t even take up nearly as much room as the old box like versions. It also meant wherever you were in the room you would have perfect view of the TV without even a glare. Next came HD TV, this gave the TV 1080p instead of 480p and allowed viewers to watch TV perfectly crisply. And finally we have the 3d TV’s which have not progressed as rapidly as the flat screen of the HD. However it has changed the way that we can view our films and programmes, we are now able to have a cinema of our own in our front room. The advances of how we watch entertainment is just going to get bigger and better.

Games in the Information Age 

Playing games as a way of entertainment is now a lot different in the Information Age. Games used to be generally with a board game or some sort of toy that wasn't electronic and required you to use your own imagination. However the revolution of the most used type of entertainment he games console is what dominates the Information Age. Gaming consoles seem to be reaching nearly every generation; there are a countless number of people which use consoles as a source of entertainment. New games are coming out nearly all the time and people can’t seem to get enough of the super imposed games!

Scopes of Entertainment in the Information Age:

• ·        The amount of Entertainment has become so broad that there is so much to choose from
• ·        Increase employability
• ·        Some things are educational
• ·        Game consoles had said to of improved concentration and attention spans of those who have ADHD

Limitations of Entertainment in the Information Age:

• ·        Most of the entertainment aspects have made our generation “couch potato’s”
• ·        Entertainment has also reduced the productivity of people
• ·        They can be extremely addictive
• ·        Entertainment can also be a great distraction.

My own experience with Entertainment in the Information Age

I use a lot of entertainment to fill up the free time that I have, I have a TV and Xbox in my room and use them on a regular basis. I also listen to music pretty much every day and it will sometimes be the last thing I do before I go to bed is to listen to my favourite pieces. However I am often distracted by entertainment and even when I don’t have free time I’ll make time to watch my favourite TV shows or listen to a bit of music.

Education in the Information Age

Education in the information age

Education before the Information Age

 

Before the information age education was a much simpler thing, classrooms consisted of textbooks and whiteboards. Students would only have textbooks, note paper and pens within their bags and lessons would be run by the teacher regurgitating the textbook on the whiteboard. Things weren’t as interactive as they are now; school life consisted of a lot of paper and a lot of writing.

 

Changes to education in the Information Age 

The first change to the classroom came when the calculator was invented; it was the first computerised way of doing sums. This changed the classroom criteria completely; math lessons would now entail a calculator based lesson where students would learn how to use the calculator efficiently and effectively to work out sums. Then came the calculator exams, which tested students on their hard maths with the aid of a calculator. But to do well in the exams you had to be able to use the calculator well.

The Photocopier which was invented in 1959, allowed teachers to be able to photocopy interactive sheets or work that the class required, this meant more paper but less time organising. Things were made a lot easier for teachers as they could print multiple sheets of the same thing.

Then came the change in the way the exams were marked, instead of each paper being marked by hand in 1972 came the invention of the scantrons which were able to automatically grade multiple choice tests.

Then In the 1980’s came the movement of computers in school, this changed nearly everything. ICT became a part of the school curriculum and everyone was expected to know how to the use the basic software and to have some sort of keyboard knowledge. Simple documents could be written up on a computer and printed out instead of having to write things out.

One of the greatest changes in education came in 1999. The chalk boards and whiteboards were to be taken over by the SMART board. They were able to use a more interactive type of whiteboard in the classroom, with the touch sensitive white screen and projected computer screen.

Thus came the advances in the type of technology sued I the lessons, teachers would form then on teach their lessons through a PowerPoint which allowed teachers to present different slides and would be able to interact with the class without just using the textbooks, also be able to watch videos and play class games using the SMART board. It also made the teachers life a lot easier as they were able to type up work once and never have to type it again.

 

Education Now

Due to all the quick changes in the information age education for me is a lot different. As I entered primary school registers were still recorded on paper and stayed like that for the 7 years that I was there. However things did change in the classroom, for example every so often we would go to the small computer room that we had and would spend an hour doing a typing lesson or spend an hour using paint to create art of some sort.

Then things changed completely when I went to secondary school.  I had timetabled lessons of ICT from year 7; they were often and would teach us how to use the basic software on the computer. We were also given an email address and login, which allowed us to interact with our peers and our teachers. Teachers could send us work and we would reply via email.

In every classroom there was a SMART board, in every lesson they were generally used. Teachers would display a PowerPoint of which we would take down notes, we stilled had textbooks and still used them regularly for revision etc. Registration was also done electronically and all the records that the school has of me are stored electronically.

When I started all the documents in the school were just saved on a drive, which was then known as the W drive. However things changed and we now have what we know as FROG. This is a VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) which allows us to access learning resources through the school. You need a log in to get into the VLE and can access all of the work you have saved onto your drive and any resources you need for your subject; you are also able to view your timetable. I often have to submit work on FROG as well, as teachers set classes work via FROG.

For revision most of my work was typed up instead of hand written, I also used and  still use a memory stick to make sure that all my work was safe and that I did not lose any of it on the school system. Instead I am able to take my work home and use my stick anywhere.

Registration in school is also done electronically, the school uses SIMS which is an electronic way of keeping records on which students are present and why students may be off. It is a much easier way for the school to track the student’s whereabouts and our parents are now able to access the registration data to see if we have signed in and are at school.

 

Scopes of Education in the Information Age

 

·         Students have access to their online work wherever they are, limiting excuses on

          not being able to find work.

·         Teachers are able to set work electronically and can track who has handed it in on time.

·         Teachers and students can also contact each other via email. A form of communication which             can be used out of school hours.

·         The school can save a lot of room and time by keeping all the students information stored on    computers. They are able to easily access any information they need.

·         Students are able to access learning resources over the VLE’s to help with their subjects.

·         Increases possibility of employability

·         Saves time for teachers and students

·         Can make the classroom more interactive and interesting for students to attend.

 

Limitations of Education in the Information age

 

·         When sitting exams they require you to do a lot of writing instead of typing, we are having an increasing lack of practice. We have good keyboard skills but our handwriting is suffering.

·         Cost is expensive in school; unless the computers are updated regularly they will become slow and will not be able to be used.

·         Security is also a concern, as student can access each other’s data.

·         Students can lose data as they are not 100% reliable.  

·         Can be a great distraction in education

·         Plagiarism is easier to do now.

Employment in the Information Age

Employment in the information age

IT has influenced nearly every aspect of everyone’s lives, it has recently been stated that technology threatens a third of UK jobs. Jobs such as library assistants and clerks have already decreased by more than 40% across the UK since 2001. There are very few jobs that do not require some sort of computer skill. There are the obvious ones such as office working and newly advanced jobs like a postman who now requires carrying an electronic pad and record things electronically rather than with a paper and pen. Computers are found in all sorts of jobs were they wouldn’t have been before; things have changed and have done so rapidly. However there are still many places in the world that do not use computers instead of human power, the state of their economy depicts this.

 

Negative Impacts of IT on Employment

 

IT in business has the biggest impact in making things faster, more efficient and means that companies do not have to pay as many and as much wages. All these factors are good for the businesses performance but have a negative effect on the employment of people.

 

People have been put out of work because of the increase in IT in business. The industry’s that have been affected the greatest are things like the car industry, many mechanics and craftsmen have been made redundant due to the development in robotics which are now making cars quicker and more precisely than any manpower ever could. This also highlights how factory workers have been reduced in numbers as many things are now ran by computers themselves and their only needs to be someone there to overlook the machinery there is generally hardly any physical work now done inside a factory.

 

Another place that IT has replaced man power in is with skilled work such as sewing, many things are now mass produced so those people who are seamstresses are now out of jobs due to the advances in machinery being able to make the clothing faster and even at a better standard than someone who had stitches. Another skilled work that has suffered is the crafting industries such as wood and metal work; many things are now mass produced with the aid of machinery, there is no physical handling and crafting but rather the machineries finishing touch. This has meant those that have crafted for years are being replaced by the newest technology, business are no longer requiring crafts men/women.

 

Designer’s jobs have also been affected; people who are not particularly good at drawing can be trained to do computer design. These design are then aided by a computer who does it all itself, so there is no real need for someone who can draw perspectives or detailed work as it is much easier for a company to buy a computer that will do all the work for them.

 

 

 

Positive Impacts of IT on Employment

 Although computers and computer aided machinery may be taking over there are still many people that value hand crafted products and many would rather a hand crafted item than one made by a machine because they know that someone has put time and effort into making the item rather than it being mass produced, there is something authentic about it. So many crafts men are still required for peoples own satisfaction.

 

IT has meant that new jobs have been created we now need computer programmers and there is a lot of money in the industry. This means hat there are more job opportunities and as the industry expands it only means that there are going to be more jobs available.

 

We also require people who can maintain the equipment; we need computer technicians to fix the computers and to maintain a smooth system. This produces a new range of jobs, as we now need engineers in computing and require higher trained people to look after the computer aided machinery. This all results In the employees getting a higher wage as the computer industry is worth billions and the more you are involved the more knowledge you obtain so the more you are worth to them.

 

There are many online websites that have opened up a lot of job opportunities a great example of this is Amazon who have created thousands of jobs for people to work in their warehouses; as long as the website is in business their jobs are pretty much guaranteed. There are also companies such as Microsoft who specialise In online software’s who have opened up many jobs for apprentices and permanent positions.

 

 

Other Aspects

 

IT has made everyone’s job a little easier; computers have taken away a lot of chores. They have allowed us to do jobs that may have put us in dangerous situations such as going up to space, we now have machinery that can go there and film it all for us as we may not be able to cope in the conditions as well as a computer aided machine can.

 IT has also made many people’s jobs easier with things like the advances in SAT NAV’s which now allow delivery to be more efficient and easier for them to do. They are able to deliver things to locations that they may have never heard of before with the aid of their SAT NAV.

 We can now also work in great distances; we are able to transfer information across the world with ease. This has made many peoples jobs easier and more accessible worldwide.

 Office life has changed incredibly and most things in the office are now run by IT, there has also been a great expand in call centres and communication for businesses and between businesses over the internet.

All these factors have affected the amount of employment available, with many things being taken over by machinery meaning many lose out however it has also benefited others. Businesses are producing more and at a more effective rate, they are able to improve their efficiency and make jobs with higher wage potential open and available for people to take.

My own experience of employment in the information age

 

With my own Saturday job I use a computer ran till, I don’t have to enter any numbers I just scan the barcode of the item and the computer does the rest. The only thing I really have to think about is the amount of change I give back to the customer, but I am given a number and have to give the right coins or notes. So my employment has already been affected by IT, most things are ran by the computer in the store. I rarely have to write something, the most common thing I will write is my signature and possibly the date but even any communication with customers outside of the shop is done via a phone call or text. 

The Information Age

We are currently living in the information, where communication has been wilted down to an instant text or phone call and no longer requires us to meet physically. All of the greatest advances in the 20^th and 21^st century have been communication where it is extremely accessible and easy to get information from one place to another within seconds.

Communication has helped to spread things, to make it easily accessible to talk to those over the seas and to keep close contact with those we never see or physically meet. Newspapers where the start of a surge of information that was able to meet many people in one country and multiple countries at a mass rate, you didn't need to be at the crime scene to know the crime or be in parliament to know what the government were doing.

The next step in the information age was direct communication, it started with the use of a telegraph, radio and household phones which is when the information age really took over as you were able to instantly make a call and connect with someone who could have been 100’s of miles away.

However the biggest step in the information age was the discovery of the computer, the first type of computer was an electronic calculator which was an amazing discovery and in 1969 they were able to mass produce them in pocket size, but the newest discovery did come at a high cost of nearly £1000. But computers would generally take up rooms and would be used for design and storing data, however this all changed when the first PC (Personal Computer) came out in 1986 it had 256 bytes of memory and was situated on a circuit board. From then on the computer industry expanded drastically and began being sold in mass quantities with many different functions and abilities to them.

Another big step in the advances in the information age is the internet which expanded the limits of communication and this has only happening the last 10 years, we are now able to communicate and use the internet as a source of information 24/7.  The first company to be able to affectively use the internet on a device as small as a phone was Apple who created the iPhone which allowed you to use the internet on a little device you could take anywhere with you and ever since smart phones have been competing to be the fastest have the most efficient and easy access to the internet wireless.

 

When everything became more accessible and we were able to get information instantaneously is what makes us the information age, information is now able to be stored on tiny little chips which can store millions even billions of bits of information. From the PC came the laptop which was an easily movable computer to now a tablet which is compact and small enough for anyone to take nearly anywhere. TV’s are now also computers we can download things onto them and use them as ways of storing information and using thins like social media through the TV. It was once said that “There is no reason why anyone would want a computer in their home” and this have been disproved since the day it was said in 1977 as it would be a rare find if you found a house without a computer in it.

The capacity for the internet and micro chips to store information and to make our lives easier is expanding everyday, Bill gates himself said that “640K is enough for anybody” and he couldn't have been more wrong. In fact the average phone holds about 8GB of information and that is only one piece of information technology let alone the laptops, TV's and various devices they may have at home.

All these factors show just how rapidly we have entered the information age and just how much it is progressing, very few will grow up without a keyboard or a TV or even a mobile phone. This only highlights how knowledge is power and the more we progress in information technology the more it takes over and begins to run everyone’s lives being a great part of our everyday activities and it is only going to get bigger and even better. 

Online Entertainment

Online entertainment is an online service that has taken over many of our lives. We can spend hours a day on entertainment online, the online world has taken off from entertainment. Everything we see, read and watch online influences the way we live our daily lives, we now prefer to stay at home and watch a movie than go to the cinema or talk to our friends over the internet than to actually meet them. Entertainment has changed as it is now accessible without having to leave your comfortable couch, you can now watch a concert and be at the cinema in the comfort of your home. 

Social Media

Social media has increasingly become a type of entertainment for many. We can spend endless hours going through our newsfeeds on Facebook or following our favourite celebrities every move on Twitter. The fact that we spend so much time on the social media sites makes it a type of entertainment for the younger generations as instead of going out and doing things they would rather spend time on things like Tumblr to post endless pictures and watch the latest trending vines.

YouTube

YouTube has escalated in popularity in the past few years, people are new able to live comfortably and travel the world by uploading videos of themselves. YouTube is used for many people’s entertainment, there are videos for the best makeup looks to the wackiest animals and t

hese videos can easily take up a person’s day as one video leads to another. YouTube has been used make entertainment a free and accessible thing to be watch or listen to. Many music artists have account on YouTube where they post their music videos and people can freely watch the videos without having to pay for the music. Anybody can upload videos to YouTube, many become famous from it and the videos on YouTube appeal to such a wide range of people that there’s everything for everyone. YouTube is one of the biggest entertainment sites with new videos being uploaded every second, there is such a range that you can’t really ever get bored on YouTube and that’s what makes it so successfully entertaining.

Games online

Games online have also become greatly popular especially among teenagers. The games are usually easily downloadable onto your phone, PC and console they can be played wherever whenever. An example of how games are such a big part of online Entertainment is when Flap

py Bird first came out, the game went viral and everybody wanted to download it. It became obsessive for many and the creator had made millions within days. There are also many websites online that are purely for games, you are able to play a range of games, you can spend hours being entertained by simple yet obsessive games. You can also play games that are purely online so you sign in and can chat with other people or interact with other players of the game, an example of this is Club Penguin which is used worldwide. The game allows you to be a penguin and to interact with other plays whilst making your rankings better and playing with your friends online. Another game that has entertained many is Sims, it is downloadable and new packs to go with the game are always coming out and there are always new additions, this game can take up many hours as you play with your virtual family. Another type of online gaming is gaming on consoles such as Xbox, instead of people going out to play football now they are able to play virtual football on games like Fifa, and can fight on the front line with games like Battlefield. Consoles have heaps of entertainment with new games coming out nearly every week, they have endless hours of stories to follow and challenge’s to complete.

Movies and TV online

Another type of entertainment online is movies and TV online. There are now many sites that allow you to watch movies or television series online, so instead of having to record TV shows you may miss you can easily watch them on websites like the BBC iPlayer which you can use on your laptop, tablets and phones. So TV has become extremely more accessible and is used as a source of entertainment greater than before, now people don’t even need a TV to be able to watch TV programmes. There are also websites now that allow you to watch a range of films from classics to the newest movie for a fixed rate a month such as Netflix. Netflix update their movie selection often and provide a 24/7 access for users to watch movies whenever they like.

E-Books

E-Books quickly spiralled and out ran their paperback competitors; reading is an extremely common type of entertainment with most managing to read a book in their free time or when they go on holiday. The E-book allows people to do this without having to store the books away on shelves or having to carry a heavy book in their bags. They are simply downloadable and lead to hours of entertainment. There are also apps that allow people to write their own books and for others to read them such as wattpad where you can publish chapters and people can read them on their phone apps or computers, this is another easy access online entertainment.

Scopes of Online Entertainment

• Online entertainment can be used anywhere
• If you want to watch TV series, it allows you to do so without having to pay for the TV channels
• It is extremely accessible, you do not have to travel o the cinema to watch a film you can access them at home.

Limitations of Online Entertainment

• They can be used to waste time reducing productivity
• They require the internet to download or use
• Many are obsessive
• Can make many anti-social if too much time is spent online 

My experience with Online Entertainment

I use online entertainment often. Me and my friends use Netflix to watch the latest blockbusters and to save ourselves a little money! I also catch up with many of my favorite TV dramas on things like 4oD and ITV Player, it saves me having to worry about what time the programmes are on to go and watch them, instead I can carry on with work and catch up on them when I have time. I also use YouTube pretty much every day, I watch my favourite YouTuber’s vlogs and just random funny videos this can often take up a lot of my time as imp so engrossed in the videos that I lose track of time. I don’t really do any type of online gaming but sometimes I will download a gaming app to pass a bit of time if I’m waiting for something or am bored but they will quickly be deleted. I also use wattpad to read people’s stories as I find the raw kind of books are better and some of them are funny to read. 

Download Services

Download services are now an extremely common use of Online Services, instead of having to commute to a shop to buy your DVD or music CD you are now able to use software like iTunes which allow you to download music and movies wherever you are providing you have an internet connection. This allows you to watch the movies or listen to the music wherever you are and when you want to after they are downloaded. Many people now do not even record TV shows they have missed before but download them onto their tablets and watch them on their commute to work or in their free time. The use of downloading software has made the online services more accessible and widely used.

Advances in Technology

Download services have been made possible due to the advance in technology with broadband you are now able to download things and keep them, they are not temporary downloads and stay on your device after you have downloaded them. No longer do we have to go to the shop to buy books, games, music or even DVD’s but we can just download them at home and access them whenever we want.

Software has also become increasingly downloadable, you are now able to download things like Microsoft Word online instead of having to buy the disc in a store and download the software off of the disc. You can also do the same with things like protection software such as Norton which allow you to buy the software over the internet and download it within minutes and use it instantly.

SAT-NAV have also progressed with download services as the maps are updated using software, for example when they are building new roads or there have be

en new speed cameras have been put into place you just plug your SAT-NAV into your computer and the updates will automatically  start downloading. They can often take some time as if you have an international SAT-NAV they update all the road services in the region you acquire. For example before we travel to France each year we have to update the maps in France as they are quite often updating road systems etc.

Another example in the advance of technology is the idea that you are now able to download a book onto your device without having the physical book. This great discovery has made reading a book more of an accessible thing to do, Amazon made the Kindle where you could directly download books from their online website and they would instantly pop up in your library. So instead of buying a book you are buying a downloadable book that takes up no room and is easily kept or deleted.

Furthermore advances in downloadable software have now meant that we can download games that we are able to use wherever we are. We do not need a console or disc to play the games but can simply use our phones, tablets or PC’s. The games are downloaded via App stores or websites like Steam. These websites allow you to buy games and download them instantly or download games for free; they are accessible at any time and have produced a great market for a new way of making profit in gaming by making the Apps. The games are also updated on regular basis and they quite often do it automatically, so when a new education to the game comes out you do not need a new disc, it just downloads providing you have an internet connection. 

Automatic Downloads

Download services also have a mind of their own, such as with Windows, they detect when you are closing down your computer and begin to automatically update the software that is already on your device. This makes them extremely efficient pieces of software as you do not have to control them but they do everything themselves. Adobe is another type of software that updates itself is Adobe who behind the scenes of your computer downloads things that you may not want. It is also sometimes very difficult to find the field that Adobe has downloaded so for some software that has a mind of its own is a worrying advance in technology.

Another example is when iTunes automatically downloaded the U2 album onto users of the Apple products devices; however this was only if their devices were directly synced to their iTunes account. Many became angry with the Apple Company and felt rather violated that they could access their accounts and download software on their devices without having any control. 

How have download services affected us?

Download services have affected many things, firstly when you go to buy a new laptop or tablet in 2014 you will most likely find that it will not have a CD/DVD drive and you will most definitely find that the tablets will not either. This has affected many business’s that thrive on sales of CD’s and DVD’s to make their profit, due to the great advance in downloadable software and services business’s have suffered. Such as HMV, they went into administration due to a lack of sales and profit as less and less people are using CD’s to listen to music or DVD’s to watch movies. Download services have also affected the music industry, less and less music artists are bringing out CD’s anymore and most release their downloadable albums first, also illegal downloading of music is becoming increasingly accessible and easy to do. Finally book shops and libraries have suffered due to sales of E-Books over running the sales of paper books, lots of book shops are beginning to go out of business and have to shut down. Although advances in technology are great they also come with consequences.

Scopes of Download Services:

• They are accessible for most people
• They allow you to freely watch movies and listen to music wherever you are
• They can easily be deleted or removed without you have to physical dispose of something

Limitations of Download Services:

• They often have a mind of their own and can take up a lot of space
• They are affecting businesses that thrive in sales of music, games, movies etc.
• Quality is often diminished when you download music

My experience with download services

I used download services for very few things. The Microsoft that I use on my laptop was all downloaded via the internet as it was cheaper and a lot quicker for me to do. I’ve never downloaded a movie; I prefer having the physical DVD as accidental deleting is something I tend to do! I rarely download music but instead use YouTube, and haven’t brought a CD in what feels like years possibly as I don’t own a CD player anymore! However I do have a kindle and I download books occasionally, I also download games on my phone every so often but I’m not a regular down-loader  I sometimes worry about what I am downloading onto my laptop or phone as they may not be the real thing etc, and I really do not like how they automatically download updates as sometimes windows will shut down my laptop without giving me a warning.

E-Government

What is E-Government?

E- Government is a commonly used type of an Online Service; E-government is the interaction between a citizen and their government, between governments and government agencies and between government and businesses. Before E-Government citizens would normally only interact with the government when electing a new prime minister, this would be the only chance they had to have a part in the decisions made in parliament. Most interaction would also be in paper work form and in arranged meetings, taking up a lot of people’s time and costing the government a lot of money to maintain their services.

Types of E-Government: 

The most common way that the average citizen now interacts with the government through E-Government would be being able to pay for all of their taxes online instead of having to go to the post office etc. Quite recently the way that we pay for road tax has changed, until now people would have to display a tax disc which would be proof to the police that they have paid for their road tax if they are stopped. Now you pay for your road tax online, and the police can see if you have paid for your tax electronically before you are even stopped, making it more of an efficient system for the police and stopping people from getting out of paying their taxes.

Another way we can connect with the government through E-government is your own town council website. On these websites you can do various things, such as:  looking for jobs, benefit information and the taxes that you have to pay. You are also able to pay your taxes over your town council’s website. You are also now able to make a vote online, the reason for this was to increase the voter turnout by making voting easy, so a wider range of people voted.

The government have used their internet communication to make their administration more efficient and easier for people to use. They have firstly used it to cut the costs of their output, like sending letters, leaflets etc. It has also meant that they now have more time, as they do not have to print out letters and prepare them to be sent out. They also use the internet to improve their online services allowing them to control and record their performances and improve communication directly with citizens and to business’s.

 The government also uses the internet to communicate with the public and to listen to problems people may have and possibly make a change. They use the internet to make the relationship between the government and the people more personal and give the people more of a voice in parliament and with the current issues. The government have created a website (http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/) where citizens are able to post petitions to attract people to sign them and get involved with their campaigns, they need 500,000 people to sign their petition in the time it is open, for it to get recognised by the government. If enough people sign the petition the government have to consider an action that they could do. However around election time, the E-Petitions are closed so that Parliament can prepare for elections. Political parties also have their own websites on which they talk about the type of work they do, what they believe in and why you should vote for them. The government has also set up websites to help those looking for jobs and are interested in getting more qualifications or finding out about their taxes and benefits they may be liable for.

The Government is also working to connect with businesses allowing them to license their businesses online, with no paper work. They just have to fill in a form which requires them to give the government their financial status and to give them all the legal requirements that they need. They will have to pay a fee, but they do not have to post any information to the head office and are able to do it all electronically.

Another feature of E-Government is the crime maps which allow you to search for your area and see what type of crime has been committed near you. This is a great way for the government to connect with the people and give them more added protection, security and information . It can help people decide the location they wish to live in and can help people to be aware of where they are living. The maps have a key and they people looking at the maps can see the types of crimes in their area. 

Scopes of E-Government

• It is more convenient for users; it is a lot easier for a person to pay their taxes or to see if they are liable for benefits by sitting at their computer than having to go to an appointment to wait in line for someone to deal with your case.

• Cutting costs for the government as they do not have to rent offices or build new ones to allocate those who will deal with the cases, they also do not have to employ so many people thus a virtual agency is cheaper for them.

• Greater transparency of the service provided by the government.

Limitations of E-Government

• Some people may not like to pay their bills online or deal with taxes over the internet and may prefer doing it in person so no mistakes can be made

• Some may not know how to use the online services and may not trust them.

• Websites are still liable to hackers putting people’s personal information at risk despite their efforts to protect users.

• Less developed countries do not have enough money to invest in online Government; Internet is also required which can limit the amount of users.

 My Experience with E-Government

Due to my age I have had hardly any experience with E-Government, however I have used the E-Petition website to sign petitions I feel passionate about and support, I strongly believe in the public having a voice in the government and the website allows people to do this. Furthermore my parents have a lot of interaction with E-Government as they pay their taxes online and often look at what is going on in the local council via the internet. I think it is a very efficient way to connect with the government and saves the average citizen lots of time.