1.5.2 Flashcards
Computers in the Workforce
pros and cons
Computers increase efficiency and productivity in the workplace
Higher productivity = lower unit labour costs = lower prices for customers
Computerisation has contributed to rising structural unemployment
Rise in services being offered exclusive online (reducing costs)
automated decision making
how to decide what to choose
who is responsible if something happens
artificial intelligence
pros and cons
Who is accountable if something happens
How to ensure safety
Should the program favour certain groups of people
Many people will be put out of jobs
Misinformation will be easier to create
Environmental Effects
There is value in e-waste
In rwanda they are recycling metal and plastics to reuse
It provides jobs for 4000+ work
They have to sort through landfill which exposes chemicals and sharp objects
Burning e-waste is bad for your health
Handling heavy metal bareskin can cause cancer
Censorship and the internet
pros and cons
“Any act that results in the deliberate suppression of materials in terms of what can be published or accessed.”
examples
Extremist views and politics sites (Terrorist group sites)
Copyright infringement sites (e.g. The Pirate Bay)
Extreme pornography sites
pros
stops people from seeing potentially concerning things
cons
Some people believe censorship is a way for governments and leaders to control what people see and think (against freedom of speech)
Monitoring behaviour
pros and cons
Monitoring behaviour can have pros and cons, depending on the circumstances. For example, CCTV can be helpful for keeping areas secure, where crimes may likely be committed. However, with the advancement of facial recognition being integrated into CCTV, it can be concerning that any person can be tracked in public unknowingly.
analyse personal information
how is it obtained
how is it used
who is using it
piracy
Piracy is the illegal copying of software or data without regard to copyright. The internet has made the distribution of pirated materials much easier to achieve, and harder for law enforcement agencies to detect
digital rights management (DRM) to prevent unauthorised distribution of their material
offensive communications
Offensive communications are covered under the Malicious Communications Act 1988
Offences can be punished by up to two years imprisonment or a fine, depending on the circumstances.
Layout
A layout is how a website is designed, for example the spacing, ordering, direction, size of information and location of text, menus, buttons and other items. This can create cultural or national bias as websites designed for use in some countries or cultures may be offensive or unintelligible for others.
Colour Paradigms
Colours can represent different feelings/emotions in different cultures
For example, In western countries green represents jealousy, whilst in Mexico is a symbol of national pride and in China a green hat means their wives have cheated
However using colours to convey meaning can mean users with vision disabilities struggle to see it
Character set
The mapping of a collection of characters to a specific bit sequence or code
The collection can increase in number depending on the maximum number of bits allocated to each character
ASCII only represents 128 characters, however UNICODE is used or millions of unique mathematical and unusual characters
ASCII only uses 7 bits
