Chapter-7

Impact of the Internet

Exercise Question/Answers
1. Which one of these activities is only possible when using the internet?
A. Television
B. Radio
C. Streaming ✔
D. Mobile telephone calls

2. State two benefits to employees of working from home.

Ans: The two benefits of employees working from home are:

 No stress caused by traffic or public transport delays and overcrowding.

 Employees can work in a comfortable environment.
 Reduces impact on the environment..
 Employees can spend more time working as they spend less time travelling to work.

3. State two drawbacks to organizations of employees working from home.

Ans: The two drawbacks to organizations of employees working from home:

 It can be more difficult to manage and support employees who are not in the office.
 Employees at home might not work as hard as employees in an office.
 It can be complicated to organize payments and permissions for employees in different
countries.

4. Explain one reason why the use of the internet may affect the ability of individuals to interact
with other people face-to-face.

Ans: Body language is not always visible online so people do not practice using and reading
body language and other social and emotional cues.

5. Explain one reason why cyberbullying can be more distressing than in-person bullying.

Ans: Bullies can remain anonymous which removes victims’ ability to control the situation.

OR

Bullies can remain anonymous making the bully feel as though they can behave more
inappropriately.
6. State what is meant the term “collaborative working”.

Ans: Working together.

7. State three factors that provide unequal access to ICT.

Ans: The three factors that provides unequal access to ICT are:

 Economy and infrastructure

 Religion
 Social factors such as age, gender, education and income

8. State three examples of services that are not available to those with limited or no access to
digital technologies.

Ans: The three examples of services that are not available to those with limited or no access to
digital technologies are:

 Education
 Banking
 Applications for driving licences

9. Describe two ways in which greater access to network has affected society.

Ans: The two ways in which greater access to network has affected society are:

 It has built strong communities using social media.

 It has increased access to the global market at the expense of their local societies.

10. Describe the effect of the internet on the information gap.

Ans: The gap has been wider because the internet has increased the amount of information
available to the information rich.

11. Discuss the impact of internet on how individuals socialize.

Ans: The internet provides more opportunities for us to socialize by allowing us to connect to
each other using global communication services such as instant messaging and social networks.
We can communicate at any time of the day with friends from around the world and make use
of the ability to connect data from different account profiles to create new connections with
people we have never met. We use social features in many services, such as when we are
watching television, using television as a ‘black channel’ line of communication to comment
upon, rate and discuss live television programmes and news. This allows us to access more than
one point of view about the issues being shown on the news. We also use social features of the
internet when shopping and learning in order to get more than one perspective, keep informed
of new developments and gain a wider perspective on the world. However, some people’s use
of the internet means they are not in touch with real-world communities in their local
geographical area, leading to the disintegration of those communities. Some people become so
engrossed in online communication that they lose the skills that they need to communicate
with people in the real world. Some people also argue that, despite the wide variety of social
groups available to individuals, the ones you tend to join are those which share your views, as
that is often how suggestions are made based on users’ profiles. This means that individuals
who think they are joining in a wider community are simply reaffirming their own opinions, so
they do not actually come to understand and integrate with the wider social communities
available to them via the internet. In conclusion, there is a wide variety of social interaction
available thanks to the internet, but people need to understand the ways in which they are
connected to others to truly understand how to make the most of the opportunities available
to them.

12. Describe two ways in which individuals can stay safe online.

Ans: Keep personal information private by being careful what is shared and by using privacy
settings to control access to personal profiles; block people especially strangers who are
offensive and whose behaviour is concerning; report inappropriate behavior to relevant
authorities.

13. Explain why organizations’ use of internet increases the risk of data security.

Ans: The use of the internet provides another method of unauthorized access to the data held y
the organization.

Creative Questions:
The internet:

The Internet is not the same thing as the World Wide Web. The internet is the interconnected
network of computers that provides many online services to users. The World Wide Web is just
one use of the internet.

i. What is an internet and World Wide Web?

Ans: The internet is the global system of interconnected network of computers that provides
many online services to users and link devices worldwide.
The World Wide Web is just one use of the internet. It is an information system where
documents and other web resources are identified by Uniform Resource Locators (URLs, such as
https://www.example.com/), which may be interlinked by hypertext, and are accessible over
the Internet.

ii. What are the protocols?

Ans: Protocols are rules that allow the exchange and transmission of data between devices.

iii. What does the IMAP, FTP, SSH stand and used for?

Ans: The IMAP, FTP, SSH stand and used for:

IMAP: Internet Message Access Protocol used for email.

FTP: File Transfer Protocol used for sending files.

SSH: Secure Shell used for secure remote logins.

iv. What does the VoIP, XMPP, HTTP stand and used for?

Ans: The VoIP, XMPP, HTTP stand and used for:

VoIP: Voice Over Internet Protocol used for voice call services like Skype.

XMPP: Extensible Messaging Presence Protocol used for messaging services like WhatsApp.

HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol used for the World Wide Web.

v. What are protocols? Explain the following kinds of protocols- IMAP, FTP, SSH, VoIP, XMPP,
HTTP.

Ans: Protocols are rules that allow the exchange and transmission of data between devices.

IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol & used for email.

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol & used for sending files.

SSH stands for Secure Shell & used for secure remote logins.

VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol & used for voice call services like Skype.

XMPP stands for Extensible Messaging Presence Protocol & used for messaging services like
WhatsApp.

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol & used for the World Wide Web.
The impact of the internet of individual:

The internet has changed how people live and work, giving them greater access to information
and services.

i. How does an individual be up-to-date at all times?

Ans: The internet provides users with access to information from sports, news and weather
services. Information can spread on the internet within seconds, which means that users have
access to the latest sports, news and weather. This ensures that individuals can be up-to-date
at all times.

ii. Write the difference between the advantages and disadvantages of the impact of the
internet and television / radio on an individuals' access to information?

Ans: The difference between the advantages and disadvantages of the impact of the internet
and television / radio on an individuals' access to information:

Television and radio Internet

Only broadcast at certain times Available all the time
Only a few channels Millions of channels
Content decided by editors Not always edited
Limited access to news from More open access, though some
other countries content is geo-restricted
Only available within range of a Access from anywhere with a
transmitter connection
Held to enforceable standards Not always held to enforceable
standards

iii. In what ways can we use the internet?

Ans: The ways we can use the internet:

 Access booking systems for travel, leisure and entertainment

 Do their shopping and banking
 Study using virtual learning environments (VLEs), with online support from teachers and
other students.
 Skill learning (e.g. arts, crafts, languages etc)

iv. How does an internet provide a wide range of entertainment?

Ans: The internet has provided a wide range of entertainment with entertainment providers
giving access to on-demand services like movie and music streaming, downloads and gaming
services, podcasts etc. People also share memes which amused millions of people.
Entertainment apps include YouTube, Facebook, Instagram etc.

v. Can a person share important information about serious issues by internet by internet?

Ans: Individuals add content to webpages which has lead to an enormous impact on the way in
which information is distributed around the world. It can be used to share information about
serious issues. A person should share important information about serious issues by internet to
educate the other people and keep them updated about new developments and wider
perspective of the world.

Employment:

The Internet has had an impact on individuals' employment, often requiring people to learn
new skills so they can change the way they work. So there is a great impact of the internet
employment.

i. What kind of skill requirements are needed for a journalist?

Ans: Many skills are needed for employees to do a job. For example, journalists need to write
articles using a world processor and submit them to their editors for publication. The journalists
are required to post and update their stories on social media, write blogs, send broadcasts from
their smartphones and interact with their audience. They also need to be able to react quickly
to stories, which means that their typing and proofreading skills must be of a good standard to
allow them to post a story quickly and without mistakes.

ii. What kind of internet skill requirements are needed for a modern teacher?

Ans: Modern teachers must be familiar with the information and services available on the
internet so that they can teach their students about them. They must also be able to help their
students manages the risks that they can face in the online world.

iii. What are the reasons for the job losses?

Ans: If employees do not keeping updating their skills in the use of the internet, they may not
have the skills required to carry out new work. If they are not willing or able to retrain, they
could lose their jobs.

iv. A person of different types of employees are able to find more employment opportunities if
they able to offer modern services. Explain with example.
Ans: As the internet changes the work that people do, this provides new job opportunities. For
example, a plumber is no longer limited to installing and repairing pipework. Homeowners are
now purchasing smart systems that can be controlled from digital devices using the internet.
This means that plumbers have opportunities to enhance their skills to include these new
technologies in their work. No matter whether an individual is a plumber, a teacher or a
journalist, they will be able to find more employment opportunities if they are able to offer
modern services. As the nature of job changes and use of internet at work grows, skilled
workers are needed to support these developments. People are required to train and advise
unskilled workers.

Working Practices:

Working practices are the ways in which people carry out the tasks that part of their jobs. These
can be done by collaborate and flexible working as an individual or more than one person to
work on a task. It has benefits as well as drawbacks.

Write about social impacts such as:

Social interaction: Some people are concerned that the increasing use of virtual environments
is replacing face-to-face social interaction. They believe that this is damaging people people’s
ability to talk to each other and understand each others’ emotions. The virtual communication
has an effect on the young children who are just learning to develop emotions. The internet
gives access to wider community which can make people aware of other other cultures and
societies.

Cyber bullying: Online bullies may use hurtful messages or distribute upsetting images of their
victims that the bully may have edited. Bullies can also isolate their victims by preventing them
participating in online events or discussions, which makes them feel upset and lonely. Cyber
bullies often hide their identity.

 What is Cyber bullying?

Ans: Cyber bullying is using the internet to send text, images or multimedia in order to
upset or embarrass someone.

 Explain one reason why Cyber bullying can be more distressing than in person bullying.

Ans: Information can spread very quickly and to more people on the internet.

Physical activity: Access to online goods and services means that people do not have to leave
the comfort of their homes to shop, go to the bank or even go to the school. It has reduced the
need to travel, and this reduced need for physical activity of daily life could have negative
effects on people’s health and wellbeing.

Impact of the internet on organizations:

The Internet has had a significant organizations as well as on individuals. Many of its effects on
organizations have been positive but some have been negative.

i. Write on the following positive impacts of the internet on organizations:

∆ Improved communication: Organizations can communicate and interact with their customers
and employees more easily and in real-time using email, instant messaging and social media.
These can provide up-to-date information about the development, pricing and availability of
their products and services.

∆ Access to global markets: The internet has made it easier for organizations to advertise and
sell to customers in other countries around the world. Producers of digital content are now able
to sell their products online without having to create physical packaging and can avoid postage
charges. Internet also ensures manufactures can find materials for developing products more
easily.

∆ Access to workforce: Organizations can employ people in other countries. This allows
organizations to be more selective when hiring employees, because they do not just have to
employ people who live within travelling distances. Organizations can also make use different
times zones and different skills.

∆ Information is managed and used: Organizations can make use of big data to understand the
behavior of their customers, improve the customer experience and make their processes more
efficient. For example, a computer game retailer could use data gathered from social media
posts to see which game is in demand and avoid too many stocks of games.

ii. What are the negative impacts of the internet on organizations?

∆ Security issues: The data stored by organizations is often private and valuable. If data is
stored in a central location, it can be physically secured by walls, locks, alarms and security
guards. However, none of them are totally safe but do provide good security.

∆ Risk of hacking: Unauthorised users can hack into the organizations’ systems and intercept
data and get their sensitive or personal information. Organizations often use firewalls to
prevent them.

∆ Greater competition : Organizations now compete with a global workforce. Large

organizations can become less attractive to customers because they are less flexible than small
online businesses. Some types of organizations have been put at risk due to the way internet
has provided new channels for trading.

iii. What are the three methods by which organizations use the internet to provide their
employees with access to their systems while working from home?

Ans: The three methods by which organizations use the internet to provide their employees
with access to their systems while working from home are:

a. Allowing employees to transfer a copy of the organization’s data to home via email

b. Providing remote access to the data stored in the organization’s building, such as by using a
VPN

c. Storing data on another company’s services and providing access to that data.

iv. What are three main ways in which unauthorized users can gain access to systems?

Ans: The three main ways in which unauthorized users can gain access to systems are:

a. Authorized users reveal their login details either intentionally or unintentionally such as by
losing copies of their login details, being pressured by someone etc.

b. Unauthorized users intercept the data either as it is transferred over the internet from the
organization to the employee’s computer or as it is transferred within the employee’s LAN after
it has been transferred via the internet (WAN).

c. Unauthorized users can hack into the organization’s systems.

v. Give some examples of organizations have been put at risk due to providing internet for
distribution of goods and services.

Ans: Some examples of organizations have been put at risk due to providing internet for
distribution of goods and services are:

1. Music and film retailers have been threatened by the increased use of online
downloads and streaming.
2. DVD rental companies have had to deal with similar challenges, as more people
now watch films online
3. Record labels have been threatened by the fact that independent artists publish
and distribute their music online.
 4. Newspaper publishers and television broadcasters have had to adapt because
individuals have a greater choice and more convenient access to news and
information and services online.
5. Postal services have been negatively affected by people’s ability to send
messages and digital media instantly.

vi. Which one of these activities is only possible when using the internet?

☆Television

☆Radio

☆Streaming ✔

☆Mobile Telephone Calls

Impact of the internet on society:

The development has affected many aspects of society and people's lives. In 2016
approximately 46% of the world's population had access to the internet. Access to information
and communication technology (ICT) is not equal and it can be affected by number of factors.

i. How economy and infrastructure affects people's access to ICT?

Ans: Countries with advanced economy can afford to invest in the infrastructure required to
provide access to networks and the internet. In countries with developing economies,
governments may prioritise other needs, such as food and healthcare rather than digital
technologies.

ii. How location affects people's access to ICT?

Ans: People may not be able to access online systems in remote locations. For example, in rural
area or locations where wireless signals or cabling cannot reach, such as heavily forested and
mountainous areas.

iii. How politics affects people's access to ICT?

Ans: Governments that want to control access to information can either or reduce access to the
internet for their citizens. Some governments do not allow people to visit certain websites or
content from other countries. Other governments have banned people from using satellite
receivers so that they cannot access television or radio broadcasts from countries with cultural
influences they disagree with.

iv. How religion affects people's access to ICT?

Ans: Some religions ban access to certain technologies. For example, Old Order Amish
communities in the USA do not use radio, television or the internet.

v. How disability affects people's access to ICT?

Ans: If digital devices are not designed to be inclusive, people with disabilities can find accessing
technology more difficult and may have to rely on adaptations to be able to use ICT.

vi. How social factors affect people's access to ICT?

Ans: In every region of the world, social factors such as age, gender, education and income
affect people’s ability to access ICT.

Impact of limited or no access to digital technologies:

If an individual or community has limited or no access to digital technologies, they have less
access to communication with other people .This makes them more isolated and can reduce
their understanding of different cultures.

i. How does the impact of digital technologies reduce the availability of different fields?

Ans: If an individual or community has limited or no access to digital technologies, they have
less access to communication with other people this makes them more isolated and can reduce
their understanding of different cultures. There are also more impact:

 Goods and services, affecting people’s ability to find bargains and good deals
 Entertainment, reducing people’s access to popular culture
 Education, reducing people’s employment opportunities

ii. How less restricted access to network has had an impact on a number of elements of society?

Ans: Less restricted access to network has had an impact on a number of elements of society.
For example:

Media: If an individual wanted to broadcast a message, they had to persuade a media

organization or go into street start shouting. However, the internet has caused a shift in power
because social media and video streaming services has made it easier to broadcast a message
and interact with global audiences.

Online Reference sites: Online content is still controlled to an extend by moderators, who
enforce the service owners’ policies on what kind of content should be published. User
generated reference sites such as Wikipedia have challenged society’s ideas about expertise.
This is because truth, knowledge and accuracy are no longer checked by a limited number of
experts or editors. Instead, ordinary people can put information which may or may not be true.

iii. The digital humanitarian movement is an excellent example of socially responsible use of the
internet. Example.

Ans: The digital humanitarian movement is an excellent example of socially responsible use of
the internet. For example, in 2007, there was a civil unrest and tribal violence in Kenya, and
traditional media struggled to cover the events. A blogger called Ory Okooloh co-founded a
website called Ushaidi, which is Swahili for ‘witness’. The website provided people with the
ability to map attacks during the crisis. By giving them a voice, Ushaidi put the Kenyan
authorities under pressure to act to reduce the attacks on Kenyan citizens.

iv. How the use of the internet had an impact on law enforcement?

Ans: The use of the internet had an impact on law enforcement. For example, in 2011, riots
spread across parts of England. The spread of the riots was linked with the use of mobile phone
networks to spread messages through social media and instant messaging services, which
helped the rioters to organize themselves and void the police. However the police used CCTV
cameras to record the actions of the rioters and they also contacted phone companies to give
information on the people involved in the riot.

v. What is a gap between information rich and information poor people?

Ans: Information rich are people with good access to information provided by communication
technologies. Information poor are people with limited access to information provided by
communication technologies. This is a gap between information rich and information poor
people.

vi. How do the people who do not have access to the internet can have alternatives to increase
their access to information?

Ans: People who do not have access to the internet do have some alternatives to increase their
access to information. For example, mobile networks can be used to provide access to SMS so
that farmers in remote area to communicate with buyers and get weather forecast updates.

vii. What is the impact of the internet on changes in ways of socialising?

Ans: As people increase their use of the internet, they spend more time in the virtual world
than the real world. The internet has arguably affected the way that people think and their
ability to form relationships with others. People can use internet to make friendship with
people around the world. However, it can make them be isolated from their family. For
example, having friends’ and family’s status updates sent directly means that it is no longer to
ask them what they are doing.

Subject Vocabulary:
1. Protocols- rules that allow the exchange and transmission of data
2. Meme- a photo, apiece of video, a joke or similar content that spreads quickly on the
internet
3. Interactivity- the ability of a computer to respond to input
4. Social network applications- software that allows social interaction and the creation of
links between users based on shared characteristics and interests
5. Cyberbullying- using the internet to send text, images or multimedia in order to upset
or embarrass someone
6. Privacy settings- a method that allows users to control who can see information from
their online profiles
7. Digital footprint- all the data that a user creates online, which is recorded and stored
8. In-video advertising- advertisements that appear within online videos
9. Viral marketing- a type of advertising used by internet companies in which computer
users pass on advertising messages or images through email, sometimes without
realizing they are doing so
10. Cookies- information that a website stores on a user’s computer so that the website
recognizes the user when they use it again
11. Profile- communication of personal information about an individual
12. Big data- the analysis of huge quantities of data collected from many sources such as
smartphones, online applications, social media and payment in order to find patterns of
behavior and interactions
13. Hacking- accessing a system using malicious methods
14. Digital divide- the gap between people who have access to devices and the internet and
people who do not
15. User-generated- created by individuals who use the service
16. Digital humanitarian movement- a group of people working together using ICT to
promote human welfare
17. Crowd-mapped- data provided by many individuals, forming a crowd, which is then
superimposed on a map using geolocation information from users’ data submissions
18. Information rich- people with good access to information provided by communication
technologies
 19. Information poor- people with limited access to information provided by
communication technologies
20. Status update- a message or post that a user adds to their own social media page to
inform others of something that they consider important enough to share

General Vocabulary:
1. Beneficial- resulting in good
2. On- demand- whenever required
3. Collaborative working- working together
4. On-site- at a particular place of work or a place where something is being built
5. Social interaction- communication with and reaction to others
6. Zip it- a colloquialism used to tell someone to say nothing about a particular subject, or
to be quiet
7. Flag- to make a mark against some information to show that it is important
8. Offensive- very rude or insulting and likely to upset people
9. Age-inappropriate content- materials (such as text, images, video and animations) that
is not suitable for a particular age group
10. Grooming- creating an emotional connection with someone with the intention of
making them less cautious, making it easier to do them harm
11. Impression- a mark
12. Misinterpret- to misunderstand the correct meaning of facts or of something that
someone says or does
13. Perks- something provided to employees by their employer in addition to their wages,
such as goods, meals or a car
14. Corporate communication- the process of providing information about a company for
its employees or for its customers and public, so that they know what the company is
trying to achieve and have a good opinion of the company
15. Accountable- when someone is responsible for the effects of their actions and must be
willing to explain or be criticized for their actions
16. Inclusive- making sure that all individuals and sections of society are included in or have
access to something
17. Media- mass communication such as broadcasting, publishing and the internet

Key Points:
1. The internet is connected devices. The World Wide Web is connected content.
 2. The development of online interactivity, which allowed users not only to read webpages
but also to add information to them, became known as 2.0. It changed the way in which
people communicated.
3. Always consider the things that you post online now may not be the same as your views
in the future.
4. Connected digital devices have led to the availability of a decentralized, distributed
approach. For some types of organisation, this has meant that the traditional office is no
longer the most appropriate or productive environment for its employees.
5. The digital device is not just about access to internet. It also relates to access to
television, telephones and a wide range of digital devices.
6. Although the proportion of people with access to technology is higher in richer
economies, national wealth is not the only factor that determines access to I.C.T.

Did you know?

1. In some countries, three and four year old children spend an average of eight hours and
18 minutes online each week.
2. An average office worker spends a total of 80,000 hours in an office during his/her
career.
3. Some people believe that governments prevent people from accessing ICT in order to
control their citizens rather than to protect them. In 2016, the United Nations criticized
the way in which some governments deliberately blocked or disrupted their citizens’
access to internet.