We explain what Information and Communication Technologies are and what they are for. Advantages, disadvantages and examples.
What are ICTs?
When we talk about ICT or Information and Communication Technologies, we refer to a diverse group of practices, knowledge and tools, linked to the consumption and transmission of information and developed from the vertiginous technological change that the humanity in recent decades, especially as a result of the appearance of Internet.
There is no clear concept of ICTs, however, since this term is used in a similar way to that of “Society of Information”, That is, they are used to indicate the change of paradigm in the way we consume information today, compared to times gone by. This has to do with areas as diverse as love relationships, corporate finance, the entertainment industry, and even everyday work.
This means that the new Information and Communication Technologies have revolutionized our way of life, allowing the invention of new goods and services, again methods of commercialization and collection, as well as alternative means for the flow of information, which are not always legal or pass through controlled areas of the society.
Unlike previous times, ICTs today allow us to communication instantaneously and across enormous geographical distances, crossing borders and fostering the process of global interconnection known as the globalization.
Advantages of ICTs
The virtues of ICTs are not difficult to list: their greater speed, capacity and distribution of information allow users from different parts of the planet can be connected using computers and other specialized devices, to communicate in multiple ways and undertake various transactions: buying and selling objects and information, sharing data personal conversations, chat in real time, even play video games online even without speaking the same language.
This has undoubtedly revolutionized everyday life. The information that was previously in the books, in specialized services and databases, today it is scattered in the multiple corridors of the Net and it can circulate much more freely and democratically, although at times in a much less organized manner. The idea of the postal and courier service took a turn, too: a smartphone with a camera and an Internet connection is enough to share information with someone on the other side of the world.
Likewise, ICTs inaugurated specialized work areas and new forms of consumption of goods and services, such as business Community Managers or how Freelancers from distance. They have even left their mark on relationships and loving, who no longer perceive distance as something insurmountable.
Disadvantages of ICTs
Not everything is positive with ICTs. Among other things, they have promoted a dispersion of information, devoid of cataloging systems and legitimation of knowledge, which translates into a greater degree of content disorder (as occurs with the Internet) and even premature access to it, fostering ignorance and irresponsibility in the general public, unable to discern whether the sources are reliable or not.
Also, these new technologies have promoted a huge exhibition of intimate and personal life, in addition to the obligation of a permanent connection to the different virtual communities that have been established, giving rise to behaviors addictive or unhealthy, and to new ways of risk. Cultural autism, social isolation and child hyperstimulation, as well as the enormous risks to privacy, are some of the most worrying problems around ICTs today.
ICT Examples
Some examples of ICTs can be the following:
- Electronic commerce More and more services and products are offered through the Internet or applications on mobile devices, allowing the development of an entire immediate and international commercial branch.
- Virtual communities. Networks of users who share related themes, passions or simply want to expand their social circle, find digital spaces conducive to interaction over distances.
- Instant messaging. Services for computers or smart cell phones that allow immediate, efficient and direct communication, are increasingly used today.
- Email. The digital version of postal mail does not go out of style, since it allows not only the sending of written information but also Photographs and other attachments, the reception of which is nevertheless instantaneous, no matter how far apart the sender and recipient are.