Does Information Technology Matter
Information technology without a doubt is one of the most influential innovations ever created. It has allowed concepts, which were once unfathomable by the mind, to become obtainable and standard operation in today’s modern world. It is difficult to imagine what life, both personal and business, would be like without the creation and use of information technology. So does information technology really matter?
Of course information technology matters. Take one minute to think about a normal day in your life and what is affected by the use of information technology. Just about everything and if you fail to agree then you need to open your eyes a little wider and become sensitized to your surroundings. Where would we be without it? It has an enormous range of use and far too many to state in this argument. But the real question is why does information technology matter? That answer is the utility that it provides. It is designed so that it can be used to increase productivity as well as efficiency while reducing costs. Through its’ development it has obtained many other objectives but these three concepts are what I see as the driving factors and what every business is continually trying to achieve. Information technology now performs tasks which in the past were either impossible or extremely daunting for humans to perform. Not only can these tasks be performed at record speeds but it allows workers to focus on other things resulting in more work being completed. Information technology not only increases the flow of information, but it also reduces the amount of time that it takes. A prime example of this is sending a letter in the mail versus sending an email, three days compared to five minutes. So information technology is much more efficient with time and if you have never used email then try working out a long division problem with pencil and paper and then use a calculator. Unless you are a prodigy or mathematician I bet the calculator was faster. Information technology is also more efficient when it comes to space and storage. For instance, take the commonly known USB storage device that is no bigger than your index finger, if yours is you need to update or grow larger fingers. The amount of information that can be stored on that device compared to the hard copy of the material is mind boggling. This concept can be expanded to the much larger scale of databases which hold enormous amounts of information which is organized and structured and can be accessed through minimal key strokes or clicks of a mouse.
Cost of implementing information technology has decreased over the years but the initial cost of acquiring the hardware and setting up the system so that it is operational is expensive. However, the purchase is a onetime deal. Now this excludes maintenance and the occasional update, but there is no yearly purchase that without technology would otherwise be paid in labor hours. Information technology generates a much greater return on investment and can be conceptually seen by looking at what you give compared with what you get in return. In today’s business world it is almost impossible to operate without some form of information technology and this idea is reaching the state of becoming a commodity.
Information technology does matter at this point in time of history and has tremendous influence on a lot of what we do. However, this concept has many issues that question its’ importance of existence. The complexity and intricacy requires knowledge and in some cases in depth knowledge to be able to use such technology. If that knowledge is unachievable then the technology is worthless. Individuals must be trained on how to use such tools. This forces them to rely on the technology to perform the function instead of being able to perform the task themselves. If the technology fails, as it has before, then a state of panic arises. Not having internet access so that you can check your email, which we all rely on, leaves us confused and worried about how we get in touch with that important person. A retail business’s point of sale system crashes and repair isn’t possible for an uncertain amount of time causes the business to close because they have no way of recording transactions. Businesses operated for a long time before the invention of information technology but now that we rely too heavily on technology to do everything for us we are left scratching our heads trying to figure out how the old timers use to do it when something goes wrong. Information technology was a creation of the human mind and inventions are always coming and going. It is impossible to predict the future and what will come next, but who is to say that this invention will not become obsolete some day at which point it no longer matters and is just a piece of history collecting dust on the shelf.