Advances in communication and computing have been happening at breakneck speed – so much so that if we take a look back even as little as a decade ago, we feel that it was like the Stone Age when compared to the present! All indications are that this sector will continue to evolve at an astonishing pace and is all set to reinvent our lives as we know it. There has been a dramatic increase in the technologies associated with the communications sector, and this has resulted in steep increase in the competition, as well as improvements in the associated sciences.

What is the Impact on Various Walks of Life?

Here is our take on how Information Technology is slated to impact various aspects of our lives including business and e-com, business models, the workplace and the education sector.

Business & E-Commerce

IT will impact Business and E-Commerce in a big way. With more and more companies conducting business over the internet, society as we know it will undergo a radical change. Although e-com is only 1 or 2 decades old, it has already affected our social environment and various economic activities, including communication, retail trades, and financial issues in many significant ways and will continue to do so.

Market Structure, Business Models

With businesses spanning geographies, markets have expanded worldwide. IT has blurred boundaries and has made distance a non-issue. For instance, giant software companies find it financially prudent to outsource their work to countries like India or China that are tech savvy, but where wages are lower. This is a win-win situation for both parties.

Market and Workplace

New-age technologies and the internet have opened up new ways of communication that are miles ahead of traditional face-to-face, telephonic and texting modes. Global communication infrastructure takes advantage of social media and real-time networking platforms for collaboration between workers in different time zones.

Education Sector & Modern Technology

Technology has reshaped the education industry as well, creating new paradigms in the sharing and dissemination of knowledge and skills. Digital classrooms and virtual labs have resulted in learning becoming available in far corners of the world, even in remote villages with few students. Online learning will serve as a valuable add-on to face-to-face learning, supplementing rather than replacing traditional classrooms. Instructors can supervise the learning of their students, and will have to motivate, evaluate, encourage and develop their students by presenting themselves as an example. For the larger part of society, live in-person instruction will continue to be the main mode of teaching, but it will be accentuated by a computer-assisted counterpart to facilitate positive learning outcomes.