- [Craig] When new computer technologies are introduced, a number of issues need to be considered
in addition to the technical feasibility of any solution.
These include ethical, privacy, legal, environmental and cultural issues.
In this video, we take a brief look at the cultural issues of computer science.
(uplifting piano jingle)
Cultural issues of computer science can be described as, one, the impact of technology on our daily lives,
the idea that technology is changing how people live their lives today and we have an ever-increasing dependency on it.
Two, the digital divide.
Access to technology and the internet is not the same across the world.
And three, globalisation.
As people around the world become more exposed to technology, this impacts on the values and expectations of people in that country.
There can be no doubt that computer technology has completely changed our lives in the twenty-first century.
Mobile phones, social networking, sat nav, video games, online shopping, digital TV and YouTube
are just a few examples of how life is different now to how it was even 30 years ago.
It leads some to ask the question, who is in control?
Do we control the advancement of computer science or have we now become completely reliant on it?
Not all members of society have equal access to technology,
and for some who struggle to keep up, the pace of technological change has been vast.
In addition, there are new ethical problems to consider.
The rapid growth of SMS messaging and social networking has seen an increase in cyberbullying,
which has led to a profound effect on teenage mental health,
as the users are too young to appreciate the social norms and values, which are immature on these platforms.
Many people have a confidence behind a screen they would not have in person, resulting in trolling.
Many services now rely on access to the internet for email and information.
This has created a digital divide between those who can afford fast broadband and those who can't.
In addition, due to geography, not all areas are connected to fibre optic or have a fast internet connection,
or indeed, an internet connection at all.
In the developing world, the rapid spread of technology fuelled by the internet
has led to positive cultural changes in developing countries.
Easier, faster communication has contributed to the rise of democracy, as well as working towards the alleviation of poverty.
Globalisation can also increase cultural awareness and promote diversity.
The adoption of technology can have a profound effect on the economy
such as reducing the national cost of production and establishing standards for quality.
However, the diffusion of technology must be carefully controlled to prevent negative cultural consequences.
Developing countries risk losing their cultural identities and assimilating themselves into an increasingly westernised world.
Challenges of inequality for the uneven distribution of technology within a country also still remain.
In order to participate in a high-tech marketplace, developing nations require access to computers and individuals with technical expertise.
Problems arise when nations attempt to make overly rapid advances in education,
producing graduates without a satisfactory infrastructure to support the education system.
Namely, families must be able to afford to send their children to school.
Educational institutions need resources such as current textbooks and electricity,
and educated individuals require incentives to remain in their home nations.
Developed nations must moderate their influence and carefully orchestrate any interference in the third-world development.
Rapid changes in unstable environments and a lack of infrastructure can lead to destabilisation
and cause more problems than it's designed to solve.
Traditionally, most computer applications are designed by developers in North America.
These designers unintentionally apply their cultural values and systems of thought whilst developing computer applications.
Even though some organisations such as Microsoft now take cultural issues into account,
most of the cultural issues considered involve language translation and visual aspects of the interface
rather than the underlying structure of the application.
Thus, users who are culturally different from the researchers and designers might have difficulty using the computer applications.
Some countries of the world are so concerned about free speech and their cultural identity
that they restrict access to the internet and YouTube.
Reasons often include limiting public exposure to content that may ignite social or political unrest.
Preventing criticism of a ruler, government, government officials, a national religion or religious leaders.
Violations of national laws including copyright and violations of hate speech, ethics or morality-based laws.
The UK and the US have led the way in computer science innovations.
In Asia, there has traditionally been a lack of availability to IT and infrastructure.
However, cloud services has enabled greater innovation, and there is an increasingly mobile infrastructure.
There is an emphasis on business opportunity over privacy.
In Africa, people are more comfortable with mobile devices than desktop PCs,
and cloud services empower them to compete in a global marketplace.
In America, there is more of a desire to want technology industries to self-regulate with data protection and privacy,
whereas in Europe, the emphasis is often on data privacy over business opportunity.
So in summary, some of the considerations include
the pace of change and the effect on our daily lives,
mobile phones, social networking, the world wide web, SMS, digital TV,
increased automation, video games, sat nav and online shopping, to name a few.
The digital divide and unequal access to the internet,
censorship of the internet
and cultural influences of developers on software.
(uplifting piano jingle)