TC2-Computer Literacy
Mr. Sencer
February 4, 2010
Effects of Computers
 Society has experienced many positive benefits of
using computers.
 There have been so many positive benefits that now
computers are replacing humans in many jobs.
The User
 What exactly is a user?
 A user is anyone who communicates with
a computer or uses the information it
generates.
Advantages of Using Computers
 Benefits from using computers are possible because
computers have the advantages of:
 Speed
 Reliability
 Consistency
 Storage
 Communications
Speed
 When data, instructions, and information flow along the
electronic circuits inside a computer, they travel at high
speeds.
 Many computers process BILLIONS of operations in a
single second.
 Some examples of processing:
 computing (adding, subtracting, etc.),
 sorting (e.g., alphabetizing),
 displaying images,
 recording audio,
 playing music,
 showing a movie or video.
Reliability
 The electronic components found in most modern
computers are dependable and reliable.
 How often does your computer break because of the
parts inside?
 Since they rarely break or fail computers tend to be
considered very reliable.
Consistency
 If you give then computer the same input and the same
processes to complete, a computer will always produce the
same results.
 An expression has grown in the computer field that
describes consistency.
 “Garbage in, garbage out”
 What exactly does that mean?
 The consistency of a computer depends on how good the data given
to it is, if it is not good it will not produce the expected results.
 An example, if you do not use the flash on a digital camera
when in a dark place, the pictures that are taken might be
too dark.
Storage
 A computer can transfer data quickly from storage to
memory, process it, and then store it again for future
use.
 Many computers store enormous amounts of data and
make this data available for processing anytime it is
needed.
 Where does the computer store its long term data?
 Where does the computer store the data it is about to
process?
Communications
 Most computers today can communicate with other
computers, often wirelessly.
 Computers with this capability can share any of the
four information processing cycle operations with
other computers or another user.
 What’s an example of the communications computers
provide?
Input
 The Internet
Storage
Process
Output
Disadvantages of Using Computers
 What are some disadvantages to using computers?
 Some disadvantages of computers:
 Health risks
 Privacy
 Public Safety
 the impact on the work force
 Environmental factors.
Health Risks
 The expression best to describe it
 “Too much of one thing is never good”
 Prolonged or improper computer use can lead to
injuries or disorders of the hands, wrists, elbows, eyes,
neck, and back.
 Computer users can protect themselves from these
health risks through proper workplace design, good
posture, and appropriately spaced breaks.
Health Risks
 Two behavioral health risks are computer addiction
and technology overload.
 Computer addiction is when someone becomes
obsessed with using a computer.
 Technology overload is when individuals feel
distressed when deprived of computers and mobile
devices.
 However both computer addiction and technology
overload are treatable disorders.
Privacy
 Nearly every life event is stored in a computer
somewhere
 Examples include medical records, credit reports, tax
records.
 Over the course of time where computers have been
used to store private information, people have found
that their privacy violated and identities stolen when
the information was stored in unsecure ways.
Public Safety
 People around the world use computers to share their
photos, videos, journals, music, and other personal
information publicly.
 Some of these unsuspecting computer users have become
victim to crimes committed by strangers.
 It is important that you protect yourself by being careful in
what you send in e-mail messages and on Web sites you
give personal information to.
 For example, do not share information that would allow
others to identify or locate you and do not publicly display
identification numbers, passwords, or other private details.
Impact on Labor Force
 Computers have increased productivity throughout
the world.
 An entire industry has been formed by computers and
hundreds of thousands of jobs have been created to
support it.
 However, we have seen that people are now being
replaced by a computer in the workplace.
 Outsourcing
 Some companies are outsourcing jobs to foreign
countries instead of keeping their jobs in their
homelands
Impact on Environment
 As with any industrial process, natural resources are used
and waste is generated. Computer manufacturing is no
exception to this.
 Recycling
 When computers are discarded in landfills and not recycled,
they release toxic materials and potentially dangerous levels
of lead, mercury.
 This is why when you purchase a new computer some retailers
offer the option of recycling computers and their batteries.
 Green Computing
 What is green computing?

Green computing is the reduction of the electricity used and
environmental waste generated when using a computer.