Crime and Crime Prevention

Thanks to new technology, it has been easier to prevent crime from happening but has also made more crime.

Techonology can be used to combat crime in a number of ways. For example many CCTV cameras have been installed in a number of places. They record what goes on in an area so that a crime occurs, we can roughly see who the person is so it is easier to track them down. However sometimes the picture is black and white or the system lags which makes it harder to see who the person is. But then again the systems are improving and so this shouldn't be a problem in the near future.

Police cars use hidden digital CCTV cameras which can be installed on the windscreen to track car crimes. According to the police, "up to 80% of crimes involve the use of a vehicle" so this could be a valuable tool to combat against crime. The systems have technology built in them which makes them tamper proof, an essential element if the evidence is going to be acceptable in a court of law. The digital images that are captured by the cameras are 15 times better quality than the traditional VHS tape, which is also good for the evidence because it may allow the police to get a better insight as to who commited the crime.

The police can take note of someone who has committed a crime, this then gives them a criminal record. This means that all of the information is all in one place and it would be easy to see whether someone has committed a crime more than once. People have to say whether they have a criminal record whenever they apply for a job, so this can prevent these types of people being around the public.

There are a few problems with using technology to fight crime. For example the idea that there are loads of CCTV cameras around and so people feel like they are constantly being monitored and they may require more privacy. But then again, if this can prevent crime from happening, people would rather know that they are safe and be bothered that they are being watched as opposed to potentially be at threat from crime butdon't feel that they are being watched. Also, the criminal record system could lose all of it's data which means the police would not have any information about criminals. Also, if someone somehow hacked into the system or it got into the wrong hands, this could be dangerous because information could be changed or records could be removed.

Due to technology, lots of crimes have been made. Fraud is one them. If people are not careful when entering their PIN number and someone see's it, the person would only have to steal the debit/credit card and then they would have the ability to draw out loads of money from a cash machine. However people can see their statement and report that they have not made the cash withdrawels, the account can then be destroyed and they will get their money back. Technology in general has meant that people can commit piracy. They can easily download films, television programmes and music illegally from websites like http://www.limewire.com/, and then sell the content on to people for a profit.

ID cards have been introduced by the government as a way of people proving their identity. They have a passport photograph of the person, it has their name, their fingerprint and even their iris on it to make sure that it is exactly the right person. This means that there would be no confusion or mixing with other people. They are a good way of proving who you are, for example showing your age. They also prove that you are a citizen of the country which is good. The drawback of it is that people again may not like the privacy side of it. People don't want to give out information about themselves so that they can get an ID card.

Because technology improved, businesses and the government began using computers to store information about their customers, clients and staff such as names and addresses. With so many organisations doing this, there was a risk that the information could get into the wrong hands. The 1998 data protection act was made by parliament to control the way information is handled and also to give legal rights to those people who have information stored about them.

Information Age - Digital Entertainment

The development of IT has had a big impact on entertainment and leisure. Because people download a lot of films online, it may have a dramatic affect on cinemas. People may be less likely to pay the fee of a film when they could wait until it comes out, download it on that day and watch it whenever they like. TV shows are not watched as much because they can be seen online. Chris Soghoian, a reporter for CNET news says "Many viewers have given up on waiting for their favorite shows to appear on the tube, and have instead turned to utorrent. According to a report published in 2006, "Australians are responsible for 15.6 percent of all online TV piracy, bested only by Britain, which accounts for 38.4 percent. The US lags behind in third position at 7.3 percent."

Then again people like to go to the cinema because they get the full experience and it is brand new. Sites such as http://www.youtube.com/ let people watch television programmes and some films online in sections (part 1, part 2 etc). The bbc iplayer lets you watch the latest programmes if you missed them on the television. This is an advantage because you can fit your favourite shows around your schedule.

People are less likely to buy CDs in the highstreet knowing that they could download music legally on they're computer. according to media editor Dan Sabbagh, the average teenager has 800 music tracks on his/her ipod. However people download music using sharing sites like http://www.limewire.com/. According to Sean Adams, 95% of downloads in 2008 were illegal. It states 40 Billion songs were illegally downloaded in 2008.

Gaming has also improved. The first games were simple such as "pong" and "pac-man". As technology has developed games have become more in depth. There are more lives, levels and better graphics.

Social networking sites have boomed recently. Sites such as facebook and bebo have dominated the internet. It allows people to communicate with each other and view each other's pictures and posts. It is a great form of communication but it can encourage people to stay indoors all day communicating without getting outside.

There is a chance of you getting prosecuted for downloading content illegally from websites. Limewire apparently has minimal risk of prosecution but it isnt worth taking the risk.

There are some social issues with digital entertainment. Games are becoming realistic and so violent games can have a bad impact on people, especially young people. According to a study by Craig Anderson and Brad Bushman, "playing violent video games will increase aggressive behavior". Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, in Colerado, murdered 13 people and injured 23. Apparently they enjoyed playing the violent video game Doom. Their violent behavior could well be down to playing the video games. However there are hundreds of other people who play these games who haven't had any problem and just enjoy playing them. For example, Patrick Kierkegaard who is a researcher at Essex university believes that "there is no obvious link between real-world violence statistics and the advent of video games. If anything, the effect seems to be the exact opposite and one might argue that video game usage has reduced real violence." Video games may also lead to social isolation. This is where people have no contact with the outside world as they spend all of their time in their rooms playing games. In some rare cases, people can die from playing too many games. They do not have any social interaction with people and can get hungry. A girl called Snowly from china died after playing World of Warcraft for several days straight during a national holiday. According to Jane Pinckard an online funeral service was held to commemorate her passing a week after her death.

Another problem with digital entertainment is that cyber bullying can occur. This is simply when people get bullied by people on the internet. The most common places where this happens are on Facebook and Bebo. People may disguise themselves as other people and then request to be their friend. Later on they can bully them by using the chat feature or by "writing on their wall". The daily mail reports that Keeley Houghton has been the first person to be jailed for cyber bullying on a social networking sites, "she said she would kill Emily Moore, whom she had bullied for four years since they were at school together."

To conclude, digital entertainment is very good, it can be a good form of escapism and is often a lot of fun. Music and Social Networking sites have boomed recently. People can now buy Ipods to transfer music from their computer and then listen to it on the go whenever they want. People can also buy basic software which allows them to create their own music in their bedroom and then upload it to youtube to see how popular it is. Social networking sites like Facebook, Bebo and Twitter allow people to communicate easily and share photographs. With all these benefits come drawbacks. Problems such as cyber bullying, illegal downloads and violent behaviour are all concerns.

Information Age - Working Styles

ICT has had a tremendous impact on the way in which everyday tasks are carried out such as:

•Communications
•Ordering
•Getting information
•Planning
•Writing

Now, because everything is done electronically there is no need to use ink and paper so it is good for the environment and also it is cheap. However according to the BBC, performing a search on google requires the same amount of energy as boiling an egg which is a lot of energy.

•ICT has had an impact on the way in which data is processed, information is transmitted and knowledge applied such as Loyalty cards and Doctors records etc.

•ICT has also had a big impact on the physical environment of the workplace and the jobs that people do. Example include:
•Office layout (with workstations etc)
•What workers do
•Where they are based (don’t need to be on site)
•Interaction with others (email, video links)
•Training (initial and subsequent)

It in the workplace can also mean that jobs are lost. People are no longer needed because machines can do their work in about half the time than the people. However it can create jobs because for example, Amazon may locate its warehouse in a rural location which gives work to the local residents.