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Effects of Computers on Society

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Effects of Computers on Society
Preston Tucker
Professor Kenney
EN101 - 29
Cause and Effect
The Effects of Computers on Society Starting in the mid 1930’s, our day to day lives revolve around and depend on one crucial piece of equipment, the computer. If these computers did not exist, we wouldn’t be able to drive the cars we drive today. Calculators wouldn’t exist; making high level Mathematics exponentially more difficult. Our cell phones wouldn’t send or receive signals rendering them as useful as two paper cups with a string connecting them by the base, and this English paper would most likely be handwritten instead of typed. Ever since the computer was integrated into our society, tasks that seemed arduous or daunting can be completed with very little effort, even things that used to take multiple people to accomplish have become completely automated. This boost in technology has provided a higher level of convenience and efficiency to the world, but just like you might have heard as a child, too much of one thing, is a bad thing. In the short time computers have been available to people the world over; there has been countless number of benefits, but there has also been a deterioration in certain aspects of our lives, the effects like a double-edged sword slicing through the tangible world we see, touch, smell, or taste and into the social, emotional, and intellectual behaviours of human beings themselves. Computers are linked through networks around the world allowing information to travel at light speed to any location on the planet that is ‘connected’. For example, information in Japan can be accessed by someone in America in a fraction of a second without having to change location and vice versa; computers provide instantaneous feedback or results to any question due to the vast amount of information at its disposal. It is a convenience taken for granted by almost everyone in today’s society. “People used to have to physically travel to locations to bank, shop, file applications



Cited: Goessl, Leigh. "Effects of computers and the Internet on society." Helium. N.p., 13 Apr. 2009. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.helium.com/items/1413162-positive-and- negative-effects-of-computers-and-the-internet-on-society>. Meacham, Jennifer D. "Credit Card Fraud: How Big Is The Problem?." Practical Ecommerce. N.p., 23 Apr. 2008. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/720-Credit-Card-Fraud-How-Big-Is- The-Problem->. Cooper, Aaron. "United Airlines computer problem causes delays." CNN Travel. CNN, 28 Aug. 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/28/travel/united- airlines-system-outage/index.html>. Rochlan, Gene I. Trapped in the Net : The Unanticipated Consequences of Computerization. N.p.: Princeton University Press, 1997 . 132. Ebrary. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://site.ebrary.com/lib/nhti/docDetail.action?docID=10002100&p00=computers% 20effects%20society>.

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