online services

ONLINE SERVICES

Q1) Define online services.

An online service provider can for example be an Internet service provider, email provider, news provider (press), entertainment provider (music, movies), search, e-shopping site (online stores), e-finance or e-banking site, e-health site, e-government site, Wikipedia, Usenet. In its original more limited definition, it referred only to a commercial computer communication service in which paid members could dial via a computer modem the service's private computer network and access various services and information resources such as bulletin boards, downloadable files and programs, news articles, chat rooms, and electronic mail services.

Q2) Describe the effects of the online services on society.

ICT has a great impact on society, some of these effects are good but others are bad.

The Good effects:)

•  Many of the hard and time-taking jobs which were done manually can be done now using ICT which makes it easier.
 • Computerization has improved levels of productivity, which means that workers need to work shorter hours and still maintain the same standard of living.
•  Without ICT many things would not be possible (e.g. Credit cards, digital television, DVDs, space travel, mobile telephones).
• ICT has created many new jobs; such as software development. More people can work from home rather than have to travel to an office every day.
 • Many manufacturing tasks are 24/7 – they take place for twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week – and are constantly monitored and controlled by computers.

• Since many of the jobs can now be done by robots and computers the industries and organizations save more money as they aren’t going to pay salaries for machines.

 The Bad effects:)
          • Life without ICT tends to be slower and less stressful.
          • Computerization of many jobs in industry (e.g. manufacturing) has led to unemployment.
          • Many of the new ICT jobs require high levels of skills and/or qualifications, and are not easily filled by older, less ICT-literate workers.
         • The storage of personal data on computer systems has eroded people’s privacy.
         • ICT systems often fail at inconvenient times – leaving businesses unable to function because they are so dependent on ICT.
        • Although industries and organizations can save more money by using robots and computers to do many tasks which were done by people in the past they still have to pay money for buying these devices and for repair as well.