CS Principles

Computing Innovation

Computing innovation can be beneficial to society through communication innovations. However, computing innovation can be harmful because of the effects that these new technologies have on our well beings. These and other reasons are why computing innovation can be beneficial and harmful.

Computing innovation is beneficial due to innovations in communication. Prior to the new age of technology, the only way one could communicate across long distances was through phone calls, telegrams, and written letters. Nowadays, however, through the smartphone, text messages, social media, and many more messaging and communication innovations, communication has become rapid. For example, email has revolutionized communication in education and the workplace, as well as personal messaging as well. Despite first beginning back in the 70s and 80s, in 2019 over 430 billion emails were sent. SMS has also revolutionized personal communication, as well as allowing businesses to spread information or government agencies.
Computing innovation can be harmful to society because of the physical effects it can have on people, as well as the invasion of privacy that can occur. As far as physical effects go, while using technology, people tend to have poor posture, often straining their necks and backs. This can lead to an increased risk of medical issues, including scoliosis. Increased use of technology also strains your eyes and can cause headaches and the need for corrective lenses. Beyond just physical effects, mental health and personal relationships can be severely impacted by technological innovations like social media. And, with lots of people using the new technology, entering personal information, your private information isn’t as private as one might think. People can gain access to your personal information, spending your money or saying things under your name.
Computing innovation can have impact beyond its intended purposes just as anything can. When the Internet and World Wide Web was created its purpose was to connect the world and its peoples. However, the Internet has done so much more than that. It has created platforms for billions of dollars of business and thousands of new industries, allowed for the spread of information and news incredibly fast, and has created thousands of new laws and legislations to regulate the use of the internet.
When social media was created, its purpose was to connect people and create a social network where people could meet and talk to strangers, see more of their friends’ lives, and share their own experiences. And while it continues to be that, it has also become a place for commerce and business. Things like Facebook Marketplace or accounts that promote one’s business are innovations that might not have been initially intended when Facebook or Instagram first came to be. Sponsorships for influencers and social media made millionaires are amongst other ways that these innovations have impacted the world and people beyond its initial purpose.
And while many unintended consequences of social media and other computing innovations have been positive, there have also been many negative impacts too. For example, Facebook and its co-founder Mark Zuckerberg faced a lawsuit concerning privacy breaches within the company. Peoples’ personal information and privacy was threatened, and thus the need for new legislation to protect them against this was necessary. Another impact of social media that wasn’t intended was the strengthening of one’s opinions. People get caught in “echo chambers” where they continue to hear the same information and reinforce their own opinions. This creates a situation where people think that everything they see is right, and they begin to refuse to accept contrasting information.

Digital Divide

Digital divide is the term that refers to the imbalance in distribution and access to information and communication technologies. This divide includes the divide in access to technology and the usage of the technology as seen across different scales. The largest scale includes industrialized and developing countries, known as the global divide. The second largest includes the different groups and classes within a society, hence the name social divide. And finally, the last divide refers to the user's political engagement online, known as democratic divide.

This term first came to popularity and usage during the late 1990s, when the Internet was beginning to diffuse throughout the United States and the rest of the world. The US government conducted a study and developed a report on the disparity between people and their access to the Internet. This study would find that people in less-affluent areas as well as ethnic minority groups would have substantially less access than those of majority groups living in affluent areas. This study also showed that there was a gender gap, with more men having access. This divide would create a snowball effect, with the divide continuing to increase as time went on. People with greater access to the technology would become more proficient and develop greater skills that can be used in jobs that pay well, thus allowing for them and their families to gain greater access to technology. On the other hand, those without access to technology are unable to get out of their situations and thus, the disparity rises. However, it is notable that as technology became increasingly commercial and accessible, the levels of access to technology would rise in all groups.
The contributing factors to digital divide include age, race, education, ethnicity, gender, family structure, income, occupation, and place of residence. Thus, well-off young urban men and women with high levels of education who lived in small families with children had the greatest access to technology. They were most likely to possess these technologies, the experience and skills to use the Internet (skills access), and sufficient free time to spend online (usage access). On a larger scale, the societies throughout that world that are the most industrialized are the most likely to have access to these technologies. As of 2012, the countries with the greatest access include Japan, South Korea, and countries in Northern Europe. And, as societies have continued to evolve further and further, the divide between urban and rural has faded, although the other factors still remain.

Digital Divide (cont.)

Reducing digital divide globally and locally comes down to the government, whether federal/national or local, passing legislation in order to improve the infrastructure in areas where there is lower access to technology. And in order to improve the infrastructure, funds are necessary. Thus, it would require financing, whether from taxes or government funds, and actual legislation so that work can actually be done in order to move towards less digital divide.

As far as what can actually be done once these steps are taken, it starts at identifying which areas are facing global divide. For example, in the United States, states like Alabama and West Virginia have the least access to Internet and broadband. Once you can identify which areas have the least access to the Internet then you can begin to find solutions to help. In the United States, federal laws could be passed that force internet service providers to create infrastructure in the areas that need it. They can build cell towers and create accessible plans so that everyone can have access to the Internet.
On the global scale, helping countries with little Internet access as a whole has to come from other countries. By helping poorer countries with little access to the Internet gain increased access allows them to become a part of the digital age. Socially, these countries will begin to change, and economically they can begin to establish themselves and build themselves up. With greater education as well, with aid from outside sources these countries can then begin to help themselves, and eventually, they can help other countries in need.

Computer Bias

Computer bias arises from skewed data sets and how the program or algorithm reacts to that. When taking into consideration a data set, it is easy to just select famous people or high-ranking officials in government positions. And when you do this, you begin to see that the data you present the algorithm with is skewed. On average, in higher ranking government positions, you will see a majority of white males, with other races and women having much less positions. So, when taking data from these groups, the algorithm will be skewed towards to white males, creating a computer bias.

Obviously, this poses the problem of unfair results. When the algorithm runs, the skewing will cause results that are biased towards the majority group of people in the data, which in most cases is white men. Thus, this creates racial inequities in many computer programs and industries that use these programs. For example, if a company is hiring using an AI to filter through applicants, this bias could create serious problems as far as who is being allowed into the company and who isn’t. In fact, legislation is passed in some areas so that if a company is using an algorithm or AI in such a way, it is required to let the applicants know.
There are three types of bias that have been observed in such algorithms that are the causes of these biases. They are preexisting, technical, and emergent. Pre-existing bias comes from social institutions, attitudes, and practices. Technical bias comes from the technical restraints and aspects of the code. Emergent bias comes from the context of the use.

Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing uses the Internet to gather large amounts of information on a topic.

Crowdsourcing allows companies or groups to save time and money while gathering information from different sources and perspectives around the world. This helps significantly when you consider that all these sources of information are not costing the companies any wages like that of an employee. The people providing the information are doing it voluntarily and on their own behalf.
Crowdsourcing also allows for companies to raise interest and capital for their business. Instead of having to go through all the legal steps and processes, it uses the shared interest of a large group. However, crowdsourcing is different from crowdfunding, which asks for money or resources to support a cause.
One thing to remember about crowdsourcing is that it generally takes a large job and breaks it down into many smaller jobs so that a crowd of people can help and work on it separately. This allows for a business to take a job that might take an employee one week and give it to a group of workers that can finish the job in a few hours. And, many jobs can be crowdsourced. For example, when designing a new product, companies might want the opinion of the public to decide what they should do. Through the use of social media, companies can reach thousands or even millions of people, ensuring that there are many different viewpoints being assessed.

Ethics/Legal Issues

Computing raises legal and ethical issues because it has allowed for people to have easier ways to access personal and private information. Legally, this creates problems of personal privacy, not to mention those that come with fraud and theft and hacking from major corporations and companies. Ethically, the same ideas apply, and the Internet is just an easier way to access this information.

As computers continue to grow in popularity, and our lives increasingly become based in an online world, computers are increasingly used for illegal activities. They can be used to illegally share personal data on a person. In itself, this is a problem, however it can also lead to the extortion of information and to someone being blackmailed. Computers can also allow for criminals to steal financial information, such as credit card numbers. And, new technology can make it easier to illegally copy and redistribute films and shows as well as music.
Computing also raises many ethical issues. For example, new technologies and computers means that new dangers are constantly arising that haven’t been addressed. Thus, ensuring that public safety is withheld is becoming an issue. Aside from that, computing also creates a problem with the security of data. Many people attempt to hack systems in order to access other people’s personal information or data. This can include social media accounts, phone mailboxes, and other networks that computers connect to.

Safe Computing

Safe computing is when you follow certain rules while using your electronic devices in order to prevent catching a virus or accidentally getting spyware installed on your computer.

There are many practices that are necessary in order to ensure the safety of your device and data. You should constantly be keeping your operating system up to date to have the best chance at protection at the most basic level. Having an antivirus software and making sure that it is updated is also very important to make sure that if you do happen to accidentally click on a bad link or page, you are protected. Using a firewall, whether hardware or software, also further protects your device.
Of course, one of the easiest ways to protect yourself is by making smart decisions. Do not install questionable software. If you don’t know the source, or something about the website seems untrustworthy, it is better to be safe than sorry. This also applies to emails and messages on social media. Opening attachments from unknown sources is the easiest way to get a virus that you don’t want. Other ways to maintain your safety include using a password manager, multi-factor authentication, generating secure passwords, and not selecting “remember me”. Obviously, when you aren’t using your device, locking your screen and having a passcode is easy to do and keeps you safe from external attacks.