Blog Post 3- How changes in technology impact the way humans communicate, and the ethical issues that surround these changes

Changes in technology have significantly changed the way humans communicate, especially in the past decades, known as the ‘Information Age’ or ‘Digital Age’ , characterized by an economy based on information computerization and the use of technologies such as commuters and the internet in everyday life (Castells, 1999). Communication has become more accessible through technology and these days, people in the 1^st world can communicate quickly and effectively through means such as smart phones and social media, which have become popular and widely in the past 15 years. (Philips, 2016).

The internet has allowed people to collaborate on an international scale and share ideas and information in an accessible environment. An example of this is blogging, which can be used as a interpersonal communication device to link people with similar interests.

Technology and communication have affected education by expanding the classroom beyond the physical building, and opening it up to the world. Universities students are now able to complete degrees online, and online data bases make the collection of information easily accessible.
In Week 6 tutorial we answered a number of questions posed by our teachers about the content that we post online. Questions such as "What are some things that we should not share online" and "Who are some people who may see your profile" made us rethink our digital choices and the impact they make.
Along with emerging technologies has come many ethical issues what poise a threat to users if not appropriately dealt with.

The Internet allows for the sharing and access of information, which is sometimes not a positive thing. For instance, personal information (eg. The Ashley Madison information leaks) or classified government documents (eg. Wikileaks) can be shared and accessed in a negative way.

The Internet, specifically social media, while being a positive and social tool, can also be negative through bullying and open access to material such as violent videos and pornography. Many think that it is the responsibility of parents to guard children from these threats, but are still easily accessible and hard to escape.

Plagiarism and piracy are also ethical issues that affect users of technology. The internet has allowed individuals to easily access resources for free and illegally. The anonymous nature of the internet allows for people to often get away with it, which is costly to the creators of resources. 

Reference List: 

Castells, M. (1999). The Information Age, Volumes 1-3: Economy, Society and Culture. Cambridge (Mass.); Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Phillips, S. (2016, August 11). A brief history of Facebook. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/jul/25/media.newmedia