Impact of Technology
Overview
Digital Technology, as with any new invention or development, has brought fundamental changes to our society across the planet. The rate of change has been phenomenal and it is a constantly changing landscape. It has impacted every area of today's society giving rise to new legislation, discussions about the ethics of some of the new developments and how they might be impacting on our environment. In this section we will consider of these wider issues from that perspective.
For the GCSE this topic is usually addressed using "long form questions". Questions where you are expected to answer using a number of paragraphs - a mini-essay - discussing the impact of these technological developments on society at large. You'll be expected to touch on legislation, ethics and environment. We will consider some of the techniques you might use to maximise your opportunities with these questions. It's a hard one to revise directly for. Some exam boards (AQA) specifically mention the areas they will focus on. These include:
- cyber security
- mobile technologies
- wireless networking
- cloud storage
- hacking (unauthorised access to a computer system)
- wearable technologies
- computer based implants
- autonomous vehicles.
In these contexts you will not be expected to have detailed knowledge, it's the general principles that count and in it's more about how the technology use in these areas is impacting on our wider society. Privacy is always a hot topic, and one can expect to see the rise of AI and Machine Learning being referenced too.
The best way to keep up to date here is to read the news, try to see behind the headlines and consider how technology is affecting the news item.