The Ethical Imapcts of ICT: Unequal Access

Introduction:



Hi, I'm Luca and I am a student in year 10 at St. Francis Xavier's College in Woolton, Liverpool. One of the subjects I am currently studying at school is ICT, and I am going to share my knowledge and understanding of this subject with everyone in a series of blogs. In this particular blog, I will be discussing the ethical impacts of ICT: unequal access. I hope that you enjoy this blog, and come away learning something new which you can hopefully pass on to someone else.


Older People


Firstly, I will talk about how older people are affected by unequal access. Many more older people these days are working in jobs which involve ICT, whether it would be at home or in an office. If an older person has a job which involves ICT, then they may need to have access to things such as fast internet speed and computer's with a high memory. However, these things may cost a lot of money which a lot of people may not have, and this means that the people who need certain things will not be able to have them. This leads to them not being able to do their jobs properly and as quickly as they would like to.


Students


Next, students. Almost every student nowadays requires access to software such as Microsoft Word and Power Point to complete various pieces of work. Students usually have access to these different pieces of software in school or university etc, but this may not be the case at home, and this is because of the cost of the software. To have access to the software, you need to buy Microsoft Office which isn't cheap. Because of the cost of it, students may not be able to purchase this software, and therefore will not be able to complete their work anywhere other than school, which may be bad for them if they have a large assignment to do which has been for homework.


Less Affluent Families


Finally, less affluent families. Nowadays, ICT equipment and software etc. costs a lot of money, especially the more advanced pieces of technology and software. Therefore, if a member of the family needs a computer to do work or research for either work or school, then they will need to purchase one, which may cost a lot of money which the less affluent family doesn't have. Therefore, this means that they cannot do their work or research for work or school, which could lead to further problems such as lack of education and being sacked from work.