Pros and Cons of Information Technology (2023)

Last Updated on March 3, 2021 by Filip Poutintsev

Information technology’s impact is adverse in both the business world and our society in general. By definition, information technology is the use of systems, specifically computers, and telecommunications, for storing, retrieving and sending information.

We are living in the information age and are constantly dependent on every area within our lives with information technology. It is now a part of our everyday lives and has greatly impacted our society.

Technology is not only rapidly changing, but it’s changing so fast that most of us don’t even recognize these changes. We take most of it for granted and consider it the norm.

Many people have yet to realize just how rapid and profound the current digital revolution is, or how quickly it’s breaking down old institutions.

According to stats by statista.com, Over 3.8 billion people use the internet today, which is 40% of the world’s population. 8 billion devices will be connected to the internet by 2020. More than 570 new websites are created every minute. There are over 3.5 billion searches per day on Google.

Pros of Information Technology

Globalization and Cultural Gap

It’s where the “WORLD” is now. Information Technology has bought the whole world on one screen, allowing its economy to become a single interdependent system. Sharing information is only one part of it, we can cut off the distance, language and landscape differences including any aspects and make it possible to deal with many international and internal affairs.

We are not only confined to do business and share information between the places connected with us, but can discuss with all genders and age groups of different places having different languages to get the global point of view, or global visualization and apply the best possible solutions and adapt to the global changes in financial or economic world. Where the world that seemed so so big, this technology has played its vital role in connecting and bringing the masses together.

Increases Production

IT provides different facilities in different areas of business and its production. It helps to handle the larger number of clients and their orders in a systematic and database manner.

It can be implemented for recording the previous agreement as proof in the future as well as can be shown to the client for confirmation. No middle man is required as the contract or detailing can directly be cross-checked or discussed with the authorized personnel.

Also, some times there will be the handling of larger data which even has the threat of human error with a large number of employees sharing the same information to get it done correctly.

Whereas, the computer programs provided by “IT” resolves the problem with zero percent error and even increases the working capability and speeds the completion rate.

Saves Time & Money

Business in today’s world means competition, competition & competition. Its priorities are the investors & the client’s satisfaction. In both cases feedback are necessary, both parties should be able to give their views and complains and especially these problems should be handled as soon as it’s detected.

Delay, in any case, is intolerable for the benefit of the company. Here we don’t need to send our employees to the client’s area or go and talk to the distributor. We can just message them and talk about the issue. As well as the client should be informed that the issue is going to be solved as it is in process.

In this way clients, satisfaction is maintained. Delivering the order to the client has been more efficient from the third country with the help of distributors and clients can know about the products with the company itself. Here the manpower is not required for the product to reach the third country or to the client’s home, it’s just how you manage the channel.

A decrease in manpower in and outside the company is definitely going to save a huge sum for the company which can be used for advanced machinery setup.

Communication Benefits

Communication itself is a very vital component in any aspect of life. After we all are connected it’s necessary that we communicate. We can also know the nature and the behavior of the person we are going to deal with.

Video conferencing and messenger chat has brought many benefits in today’s world. Programs like email, fax, mobile phones are useful to convey information data among employees, clients, suppliers, throughout internal and external structures.

Information Technology has made communication cheaper, quicker and more efficient. It improves and keeps tact the client-customer relationship for the future with records.

Improves Data Storage, File Management, And Data Analysis

Secure maintenance of customer and company files is vital to the integrity of the company. Information technology advantage comes from the ability to store unlimited amounts of information securely, in compliance with regulations, but easily accessible and shareable by properly authorized persons.

Information is protected from unauthorized access, can be backed-up and restored in the event of a disaster affecting the organization. As a result, IT gives businesses the peace of mind that the information they collect and analyze can be properly stored and safeguarded for future use.

Better Accounting

Software for accounting like Bookkeeper etc performs various accounting related tasks that are required in business. A less experienced person can work on balancing accounts as the software is well equipped to fulfill most of the work.

It allows for faster processing and calculation of financial information and the recording or storing of financial data that may need to be referenced in the future. Therefore, when used as a strategic investment rather than as a means to an end, IT provides organizations with the tools they need to properly evaluate the market and to implement strategies needed for a competitive edge.

Credit Cards And Smart Cards Make Payment Safer

Buying and selling of goods and services have become simple through smartcards. Today, it is effortless to withdraw money or make a purchase using a Credit card or smartphone with a simple tap; this saves customers from wasting time lining up in banks or from carrying a lot of cash.

This makes a huge amount to transfer to clients account safer, many deals could be breakthrough the single click. This transaction saves time for both parties and is often safer, as companies like Paypal allow for buy protection and refunds.

Also, Read – Pros and Cons of Credit Cards

Facilitates for better education

The use of educational video games and puzzles has increased student’s interest in learning. Based on research, students enjoy learning with technology, many schools have started providing free internet on the school campus, this helps students do research and learn on their own.

The use of internet technology has opened institutional boundaries. Students from developing countries now have a chance to study their desired courses at a standard similar in some cases to first-world education institutions. This type of education increases their likelihood of employment international.

Job Opportunities

Probably the best advantage of information technology is the creation of new and interesting jobs. Computer programmers, Systems analyzers, Hardware, and Software developers and Web designers are just some of the many new employment opportunities created with the help of IT.

Modern Technology has been prominent in job role creation and the emergence of technology-based companies. With access to a computer and the internet, anyone can start a business while at home. Most successful technology-based ventures like Apple, Amazon or Facebook, to mention but a few, started from home but now they employ thousands of people.

Cons of Information Technology

Loss of communication skills

The parents are becoming more worried about their children, as they prefer to stay in the room using all the gadgets rather than going and taking part in social activities and socialize.

It seems the traditional communication skills will be lost, emails and instant messaging have replaced the old tradition of handwritten letters. And although this is advantageous because of time constraints, personal touch and sense of feeling is lost compared to taking the time to sit down and handwrite a letter.

Now the world has omitted the word empathy and the comparison and complain have taken over the hearts of people. This worry is particularly about those who often engage themselves in the websites because communication and interactive skills are not important with computers.

Internet Security Issues

We share our information with all the sites we are using without any hesitation. We don’t even have time to think those data are being stored somewhere, and without any second thought, we share our personal information.

This can be harmful if we are dealing with professional hackers, and the threat arises for our family. In the professional environment, the personal data of the management, intellectual properties, bank records, vendor information, and many more, the hackers may distribute the companies data to the internet or sell the data to the rival companies or use the data to destroy the images of the companies.

Faulty Products And Duplication

We expect to get what we see, but when we are doing our online business, not all shopping websites provide the exchange of the product we purchase. On delivery, we notice that the product is not up to our expectations.

No refund and no exchange is available in some cases and we feel like being cheated. So we need to be more aware and serious about choosing to work on genuine websites and products.

Anonymity and Fake Personas

Digital technology provides wide scope for users to hide their identities. Studies show that people are much more likely to behave antisocially if they don’t think that there will be any consequences.

Bullying, trolling, stalking, threatening, and insulting behavior have all increased dramatically with the rise of the internet. People assume fake personas for the purposes of scamming and defrauding. Pedophiles use fake personas to gain access and befriend children.

Cyber-Sickness/Health Problems

With the increased addiction to social networks and internet games, people are spending more time on computers and reject their normal offline life, resulting in increased isolation and social imbalance.

Research has shown that technology can cause a number of problems with a person’s health. Many scientists, doctors, and researchers are concerned about possible links between technology and heart problems, eye strain, obesity, muscle problems, and deafness.

Waste emitted from technology can pollute the environment which not only makes people ill, it also damages the environment.

Over-Dependence On Information Technology

A lot of people believe that because computers and the Internet have become such a regular part of modern life, some people particularly children who grow up with it, will not be able to function without it.

Some people think that the Internet is making people lazy, particularly when it comes to essay or project research as instead of reading books in a library, one can just perform a Google search.

Students no longer take time to solve equations and research topics, all they do is a query in google or on a calculator, poof the answer. Without these devices, they would not know how to achieve the same results in a library or on paper.

Domination culture

On one hand, where the whole world is globalized, it has helped one culture dominates another weaker one. Where the tradition, religious beliefs, and lifestyle has been changed due to the influence of movies, songs, etc. For example, it is now argued that the US influences how most young teenagers all over the world now act, dress and behave.

Languages too have become overshadowed, with English becoming the primary mode of communication for business and everything else. Our own language and culture are the aspects which make us who we are and losing it is never a good thing. So it’s therefore down to people to retain their identity or cultural identity.

Social Depersonalization

People are feeling alone when the population is 7 billion. Let alone the lonely survivors but people are feeling alone when there are people to care for them. Even in a social context, everyone and everywhere people share their feelings on social media, where communicating in social media with even human is not the same as doing it live.

People shop online, do their banking online, pay bills online, and increasingly work online. You can see that some companies are now using the automated phone answering machine despite the live receptionists.

The old material world of a car that badly needs repairs, the sudden smell of rain and a provocative look of someone cool in the elevator, is also there. Such simultaneous habitation in two worlds—real and cyber—blurs reality and virtuality, confusing real self and virtual self.

Job losses

Technology in an organization, company or business, the number of hours that human works at that company are reduced. This may even result in some people losing their jobs because technology is doing it for them.

It means that the employees need to continue their learning process if they want to secure their job in the future. While information technology may have streamlined the business process it has also created job redundancies, downsizing, and outsourcing.

This means that a lot of lower and middle-level jobs have been done away by causing more people to become unemployed. Many business experts consider that advanced technology especially the internet has created such insecurity on human jobs.

This fact of the disadvantages of IT/IS has been around since the introduction of all technology and one must not forget that life is a continuous learning cycle and that you must adhere to it or be left behind.